Yu Darvish winding up to fire off a pitch.

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish caught American eyes at the 2008 Olympics before starring in 2009’s World Baseball Classic.  He’s young, he’s tall, and he throws with great power and accuracy.  Yu Darvish is the latest pitching sensation to come out of Japan, and he may also make the journey to America to become a star in Major League Baseball.  The bidding window for Yu Darvish has closed, and now it’s time to wait to see if or when he comes to the States and where his new home will be.  Here’s a quick video round-up of Darvish’s exploits in Japan:

Under the rules of transfer set down by the MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, US teams bid money, called a posting fee, for the right to negotiate with Japanese players.  The team who holds the rights to the player in question can either accept the money offer or reject it; the Ham Fighters have accepted an offer from a US team, who now has 30 days to work out a contract with Darvish and his agent.  The winner has yet to be announced, but prominent bidders included the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Last year, the 25-year-old Darvish, who is 6-foot-5, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and a league-leading 276 strikeouts for the awesomely-named Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.  Darvish throws a staggering 7 pitches, including a 96 MPH fastball.  Given baseball’s renewed interest in pitching, he’s shaping up to be a real weapon for the lucky team that gets him.

Tags: Yu Darvish, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Ham Fighters accept US offer for Yu Darvish, baseball, professional baseball, Major League Baseball, NPB, Nippon Professional Baseball, pitchers, free agents, videos, Yu Darvish video, YouTube

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