Gimenez:
The issue of what pitch arsenal to focus on with Darvish is one that doesn't get talked about enough. It's not a matter of not having enough of one with him - it's having too much arsenal. He not only has probably 7-8 pitches, he likes them. Darvish likes to toy with hitters and make them look bad. What's the golden mean with him? Obviously the fastball and slider are the core of the arsenal, but what else? When he was in Japan a lot of people thought his spiltter was the best in NPB. Clearly Gimenez thinks Darvish needs the slow curve as a setup pitch (I think he's right). And his change can be devastating, when it's on.
That will be interesting, deeg. Which pitches, when, and how many. Could be cross purposes, too. You want to make guys look silly, but trying to throw seven pitches and trying to get guys to chase can lead to a lot of non-strikes, long counts, and bullpen wear.
Scout in Tribune article other day said he thought Darvish needed to be more aggressive with his fastball and slider.
Should be fun to watch. I recall years ago Harry talking about Rick Sutcliffe, that he had 4 good pitches and it sometimes took a little while to figure out which were working on a given day, but that if he ever had a day when all four were on at the same time, he'd throw a no-hitter.
I wonder if having a bucket of pitches might be helpful in withstanding the effects of years late in his contract? Maybe still have enough variety to stay effective even if the fastball slows down a little?