H/W: 6-5 190 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 8/16/86
A pop culture icon in Japan, 22 year old Yu Darvish has already begun to make waves in the U.S. following a dazzling performance in the World Baseball Classic which saw him strike out 20 hitters in 12 innings and earn the win for Team Japan in the championship game against Team Korea. Last season for the Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish went 16-4 with a 1.88 ERA and 208 K's in 200 IP. Reports of Darvish's fastball velocity varies from 91-97 MPH, but it is unanimously known that the pitch has exceptional movement and he commands it well. Even better is his slider which has been rumored to hit 91 MPH with a wicked two plane break. Though he is a media sensation (he's even posed nude in a Japanese magazine), Darvish is reported to be an intense competitor, excellent teammate and hard worker. Darvish is not eligible to be a free agent for another 5 seasons, though he does have the ability to request the Nippon Ham Fighters to make him available to be purchased by an MLB team. Interested parties engage in a silent auction to pay Nippon Ham for the right to negotiate a contract with Darvish. This situation happened with Daisuke Matsuzaka who then signed with the Boston Red Sox after they posted a $51.1 million fee to the Seibu Lions for his services.
2009 Projection: His stock has risen considerably in a short period of time, but the economic climate may make it difficult for even the deepest MLB pocket books to open as widely as they did for Dice-K. That should leave Darvish to continue to pitch in Japan until things change. However, the odds are long that he will leave Japan as a free agent. Whether it be this season or a couple down the road, the bidding process will be feverish for Darvish. Once Yu leaves Japan, expect the Scott Boras-muddled contract negotiations to be as unpleasant as a glimpse at his photo spread.
Key Yu Darvish Baseball Cards:
- 2005 BBM RC Edition
- 2009 eTopps
- 2009 Bowman WBC Redemption
 2013 TOPPS 1972 MINI'S LOT OF 16 CARDS MIKE TROUT YU DARVISH POSEY CLEMENTE RYAN $2.27 (4 Bids) |
 2012 TOPPS RED #660 YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE $6.00 |
 2012 BOWMAN GOLD #209 YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE $7.00 |
 2012 BOWMAN GOLD YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE RC $6.00 |
 2012 BOWMAN GOLD YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE SP $5.00 |
 2012 BOWMAN BLUE YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE #ED/500 $10.00 |
 Yu Darvish 2012 Bowman Platinum ROOKIE $0.01 |
 2012 TOPPS UPDATE GOLD #US168 YU DARVISH GRADED ROOKIE #ED/2012 $8.00 |
 2012 BOWMAN PLATINUM YU DARVISH GRADED 9 MINT ROOKIE $7.00 |
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