Harden a Gamble for Rangers, but Could Pay Off Big

SURPRISE, Ariz. – As Jon Daniels described what Rich Harden brought to the Rangers, the general manager tried not to sound too critical of the other pitchers who had started games for Texas.

"We've got some guys in our rotation who have the ability to be consistent, to pitch innings," Daniels said, sounding just as someone might when describing a blind date with a "great personality."

Harden, on the other hand ...

"Rich has the ability to dominate for a period of time and match up with other teams' No. 1s and No. 2s," Daniels told FanHouse. "What a lot of guys on our staff have been able to do is be efficient, pitch innings and make use of the defense, but there are some days you want a guy to come out and have the ability to punch out a few. Rich has that."

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Ever since Nolan Ryan hung 'em up, the Rangers have had a dearth of pure power pitchers in their rotation. That's not to say they haven't had some successful pitchers, but they haven't been the sexy names that brought you to the park wondering if you'd see a no-hitter or a 15-strikeout game.

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Daniels so badly wanted to add that dimension to the Rangers rotation that he took a chance on a pitcher with a big upside, but with a daunting history of injuries.

"We know there is a risk involved," Daniels said. "But the reality is you don't get that guy on a one-year deal if those risks aren't there."

Harden has been on the disabled list seven times since 2005. He has never pitched more than 180 innings in a major league season. He has hurt his oblique, his back, his elbow and his shoulder.

That's the bad news. The good news is that Harden has been on the DL for only three weeks since May 2008. Over the past two seasons, Harden has made 51 starts, which just happens to be the exact same number as John Lackey. This winter Lackey signed a five-year, $82.5-million deal with the Red Sox, while Harden was settling for a guaranteed $7.5 million in a one-year, incentive-laden contract.

Harden, 28, is also younger than Lackey, 31. When both are healthy, Harden is better. He has a career 3.39 ERA, compared with Lackey's 3.81.

In terms of pure "stuff," Harden ranks near the top in the majors. Hitters have swung and missed at a higher percentage of his pitches than any other starter in the majors in 2008 and 2009.

Rangers manager Ron Washington, whose history with Harden dates back to Washington's days as the A's third base coach, gave Harden an endorsement when Daniels asked over the winter.

"If he's healthy, he's a winner," Washington said. "He's a competitor. He's got great stuff. We've just got to do what we can to keep him healthy."

How are they going to do that? Washington said he and pitching coach Mike Maddux have discussed a specialized program for Harden, but Washington wasn't ready to discuss the details.

One of the key elements will be communication. Harden had trouble in Oakland because he and the organization and the medical staff sometimes had three different ideas of how he should be handled. In his final spring with the A's, Harden suggested that he felt like the A's wanted him to learn to pitch through pain. Harden said so far all the Rangers' ideas about taking care of their pitchers mesh with his own.

"We've got to make sure our lines of communication with him are wide open," Washington said. "I've already told him, whatever is bothering him, we've got to know about."

Washington also suggested that the weather in Texas, in contrast to the chilly conditions in Oakland and Chicago, might "keep him loose and get him away from the injuries he's been having." Harden said he had no trouble pitching in college in Arizona or at Double-A Midland, Texas.

As he came into spring training, Harden had no lingering medical issues, which is rare in itself for his career.

"This is the best I've felt in a while, the strongest I've felt," he said. "This is the first offseason I've been able to start [working out] right from the beginning. I wasn't rehabbing anything. I was able to really get after it soon after the season. I feel that's really helped keep me stronger."

Even though Harden's past two seasons have been relatively injury-free, he understands that he carries a tag that he is injury-prone, and it's not going to be shaken easily. A few years ago, Harden would sometimes lose patience with reporters who asked him about his injuries, but he has grown more tolerant lately.

"I feel like I could [be healthy] for a couple years in a row, and people would still question me," he said. "I've accepted that. It's fine ... it's just one more thing, to go out and prove everybody wrong. That's how I felt a couple years ago. Now I just go out and do it for myself. I don't need to prove anybody wrong. I know what I'm capable of. I'll go out and do it for myself and do it for this team."