Chicago Cubs: A healthy Yu Darvish stealing the show so far this spring

A healthy Yu Darvish has taken center stage for the Chicago Cubs this spring, ready to put a year of disappointment and injury behind him – and his team.

Last season, right down till I sat in the stands at Wrigley Field watching the Colorado Rockies celebrate their extra-inning Wild Card game win over the Chicago Cubs, I preached patience when it came to Yu Darvish.

I’m not saying I wasn’t disappointed. We shelled out a six-year, $126 million deal to bring this guy in to shore up the starting rotation – I get it. But way too many people chalked up the entire deal as a bust after the Japanese-born hurler made just eight starts in an injury-riddled 2018 campaign.

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In his latest outing, he wasn’t as sharp – at least not early on – but after a mound visit from first-year pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, Darvish settled in and got past his early control issues against his former club, the Texas Rangers.

“During the season, that’s going to happen like today,” he told MLB.com. “I didn’t feel the fastball. That’s good practice for me.”

When they closed the book on Darvish’s afternoon, his line read as follows: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not bad for a day’s work – especially when you look back at how last season went. I don’t care how much money you make as a professional athlete. When you’re hurt, you’re hurt. It’s as simple as that.

If you think otherwise, why don’t you go throw out a back or mess up an elbow then go put yourself what these guys go through physically on a daily basis? Hopefully, it’ll open your eyes a bit.

Darvish has sat in the mid-90s with his fastball this spring and his array of secondary pitches have been pretty tight and crisp – something we rarely saw last season. With Jon Lester struggling early this spring, having a healthy, productive Darvish step into a larger role may be just what this rotation needs as Lester finds his form and guts his way through another big league campaign.

Looking at the larger picture, Darvish’s performance this spring as a whole, the big righty carries a 2.45 ERA in Cactus League play. He’s made a trio of starts, spanning 7 1/3 innings, striking out eight and limiting opponents to a measly .120 average – the lowest he’s ever had in a single spring. 

Spring training does not always reflect what’s to come over the grind of 162 games. But all signs point to Yu Darvish being happy, healthy and ready to carry his weight heading into 2019.