Rangers notes: New catcher wanted first shot at crafty Darvish

Catcher Carlos Corporan already knew how tough it was to hit a Yu Darvish pitch.

So Corporan, who was traded to the Texas Rangers from the Houston Astros this winter, wanted to get a close look at Darvish as soon as he could in spring training. He didn’t have to wait long.

He caught Darvish on Saturday morning, the first workout for pitchers and catchers this spring. The rest of the team joins them Thursday.

“It was my pleasure. I’m happy that I’m here and I don’t have to face him now,” Corporan said. “I felt really comfortable with him. We need to build that relationship for the season. I know he has a lot of pitches, so I need to do my homework so that he feels comfortable with me.”

Corporan asked to catch Darvish on the first day because he’d heard stories about Darvish being tough to catch. And he already knew, as a hitter, how much Darvish’s pitches can move.

“When you’re catching him at least you know what’s coming,” said Corporan, who hit .235 with six homers and 19 RBIs in 55 games with the Astros in 2014. “When you’re hitting you don’t know what’s coming.”

Plus, Darvish’s variety of pitches can take time for a catcher to get used to.

“When you have that many pitches it’s kind of tough to catch,” he said. “It’s tough hitting, so I can imagine [it’s tough] to catch him. That’s why you have to work and communicate with him as best you can. I want to do my best and get all the knowledge I can to be successful in the season for him. It’s an honor to catch him and be part of this team.”

Blanks check

Kyle Blanks won’t be full strength when the Rangers have their first full-squad workout this coming week, but the 6-foot-6, 260-pound first baseman/designated hitter hopes to be ready for the first Cactus League game March 4.

Blanks is recovering from Achilles issues on both ankles that limited him to only a few games a week late last season. But he has been hitting and fielding grounders without problems, and he started running a few weeks ago.

He isn’t running at game speed yet, but based on his progress, he believes that March 4 is a realistic target date.

“To have a hold on it now is pretty encouraging,” said Blanks, who is on camp on a minor league deal after signing with the Rangers in December. “I would like to be ready for the first game, whether it’s full capacity or just getting in here or there. It’s just that little piece of the puzzle.”

The Rangers will keep Blanks out of the outfield, where he has played the majority of his career, to minimize the pounding on his tight-end-like frame. With a career .407 slugging percentage in limited duty, the right-handed hitter could see big-league at-bats against left-handed pitchers.

First of many first

Manager Jeff Banister held his first news conference in a Rangers uniform Saturday morning. He held court at the same place former manager Ron Washington did for years, in the dugout of one of the many practice fields at the Surprise complex.

Banister had goose bumps putting the uniform on for the first time.

“I get to see these guys in uniform and watch them do baseball activity,” Banister said. “Short of getting married and having two kids this is probably the most exciting day of my life.”

Fujikawa focused on health, not role

Right-handed pitcher Kyuji Fujikawa isn’t even thinking about what sort of role he could play in the Rangers’ bullpen. At this point, after missing much of the past two seasons following Tommy John surgery, Fujikawa is mainly concerned with staying healthy.

“Right now, I’m just trying to throw all my pitches,” he said after throwing 25 during the pitcher’s first workout Saturday morning. “I do not imagine any role this year yet. Just stay healthy, that’s the key one.”

A year ago, when he pitched 13 innings for the Cubs after surgery, he wasn’t yet feeling completely back.

“I wasn’t 100 percent healthy. This year I feel so much better,” he said.

This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Rangers notes: New catcher wanted first shot at crafty Darvish."