The pursuit of Japanese phenom starting pitcher Roki Sasaki is well underway.

Saski is someone who Rangers scout Josh Boyd has been scouting since he was 15 years old so to say Texas isn’t well in the race would be foolish.

We now know that 20 of the 30 MLB teams have expressed interest in signing Sasaki and six of those 20 have had in-person meetings.

The Rangers were one of the six to secure an in-person meeting according to Chris Young who made a trip to scout Sasaki in Japan back in September.

What could that meeting have looked like? What exactly could Texas have pitched Sasaki on? Let’s break it down.

Perhaps the biggest focal point for the Rangers’ pursuit of Sasaki is that they currently don’t have any Japanese players on the team but they have a history of developing Japanese pitching in the past.

If Sasaki is someone who wants to create his own path and be on a team where there are not currently Japanese players, the Rangers have an advantage.

However, despite not having a Japanese player currently, the Rangers are certainly no stranger to helping with the tough transition from Japan to the States.

Notably, Texas developed Yu Darvish when he came over from Japan in 2012. Darvish and Sasaki are reportedly close friends.

If Darvish is helping Sasaki closely through the process, Texas could have a leg up on some of the other competition.

According to his agent Joe Wolfe, one of the things Sasaki values is pitching development. Another strong focal point is Mike Maddux who was Darvish’s pitching coach throughout most of his time in Texas.

Not to mention Chris Young as the President Of Baseball Operations being a 13-year MLB veteran.

Young will be pitching an opportunity for Sasaki to pitch in a six-man rotation which is something commonly done in Japan.

With the Rangers rotation lining up as deGrom – Eovaldi – Mahle – Bradford – Rocker/Gray, Sasaki would be able to pitch every sixth day in Texas.

Globe Life Field could also be a huge contributor as Sasaki has asked his agent about the weather when beginning his selection process.

The Globe was designed by the same designers who afterward built an NBP stadium in similar fashion.

As we know from the free agency process in years past, having the newest and nicest MLB stadium has aided the Rangers well.

The Rangers’ location and media market could also have a positive impact on Sasaki’s recruitment.

DFW is the fourth largest media market in the US but it isn’t really viewed like that across Major League Baseball.

Markets like LA, Boston, and New York might not be preferred by Sasaki who could be seeking a “soft landing” with a smaller market team.

If that is the case, the Rangers would find themselves in a great spot to potentially land a superstar pitcher.

Ever since it was announced that Sasaki was officially posted, the Rangers have been positioning themselves to try and land him.

Texas certainly has lots of talking points and maybe by the end of the offseason could have the next Japanese great.