The Book on Aroldis Chapman

Prospect Info

Aroldis Chapman
Born 9/11/1987
LHP, CIN

A whisper-thin lefthander with a whiplike delivery that can touch 100mph, Cuban Aroldis Chapman is one of the highest-ceiling lefties in baseball today... and also one of the riskiest. Chapman went 6-7 with a 3.89 ERA in 2008 and 11-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 2009 as a starter in Cuba's National League, after working as Holguin's closer the year before. He finished second in the vote for the league's best left-handed pitcher in 2009.

With a reputation as a thrower rather than a pitcher and some questions about his makeup and work ethic, Chapman was passed over by the big-market and fat-wallet teams, landing in Cincinnati in a surprise winter deal. While he has the stuff, there's some question about his ability to use it effectively. Despite the high heat, Chapman looked very hittable in the WBC and other recent international tournaments, where he had little success as a starter. Some wonder whether his pitching style could wither when faced with more patient and less free-swinging adversaries, or whether a home might be easier to find in an MLB bullpen, where he could become a rather expensive Billy Wagner.

100mph lefthanders are worth some risk, of course, but until he gets a full season of ball under his belt, nobody will really know what they're looking at.

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Player Updates and Notes

The Reds will use Aroldis Chapman in a relief role when rosters expand. His performance as a starter was iffy, with his control never quite on track and his 100mph velocity dying after a few innings, but should the Reds give up on starting him completely, he's really interesting as a future closer... and by future we mean mid-2011.

8/31/2010 by DataBoy

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Aroldis Chapman proved mortal after all last night, as his long-rumored weakness with command and control flared up for the first time in his pro career. Though he neared 100mph his fastball in the third inning for Louisville, he was down to 87 by the fifth, and appeared frustrated by his inability to locate secondary pitches. He ended the night surrendering 6 runs on 9 hits and hitting a batter, though he did strike out nine with his wild-but-effective stuff.

5/3/2010 by KDaddy

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Aroldis Chapman made an impressive minor league debut today, striking out nine Toledo Mud Hens in his first pro start for AAA Louisville. His fastball touched 100mph five times on the evening, but his pitch count ran all the way up to 85 in only 4 2/3 innings, which means he's going to have to demonstrate that he can pitch to contact a little more. A couple more starts like this, though, and it'll be time to turn Chapman over to the 'care' of Dusty Baker and his staff. Gulp.

4/12/2010 by KDaddy

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After a promising spring, nagging soreness has slowed Chapman's spring preparation, which might be the only reason he's destined for the minors this week after all. Unless he melts down while working every fifth day, though, he should be back to join the Reds in some capacity later this season. While he was very impressive in camp, his lifetime numbers in Cuba were not great, which makes one wonder how he'll hold up to a long season.

3/31/2010 by KDaddy

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Reds coach Bryan Price has been quoted as saying that it's possible Aroldis Chapman could break camp as the Reds' fifth starter, skipping the minor leagues entirely. With lingering questions about the young Cuban's makeup and work ethic, and manager Dusty Baker in charge of the phenom's power arm, we have to ask: gosh, what could possibly go wrong?

2/19/2010 by KDaddy

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In a big surprise, Aroldis Chapman, whose defection sparked a bidding war among major league teams, agreed Sunday morning to sign for $30 million with the Cincinnati Reds.

1/10/2010 by KDaddy

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