Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati
Posted: March 8th, 2010 | Filed under: Baseball | 39 Comments »
March 8, 2010
Player of the Day: Aroldis Chapman, pitcher, Cincinnati.
GOODYEAR, Az. – We live in a world where there just aren’t many surprises. We know who will win the Academy Awards before they win. We hear about the best college football and basketball players long before they reach college. We hear rumors about the remarkable capabilities of the iPad months before the thing comes out.
So, no, there just aren’t too many revelations in our lives.
Maybe that is why the spring training phenom still electrifies us. Here it is, a cool gray day in Arizona. The Cincinnati Reds play the Kansas City Royals. There are a couple thousand people in the stands, maybe. There’s no buzz in the stands. How could there be any buzz? The Reds and Royals playing on a Monday afternoon in a spring training game under gray skies in Arizona?
And then: Aroldis Chapman steps on the mound. You have probably heard Chapman’s story. He is a 22-year-old left-handed pitcher from Cuba. He tried to defect from Cuba in 2008, was arrested, was given a reprieve and then successfully defected in Amsterdam. He eventually signed with the Cincinnati Reds for more than $30 million, which seems like a startling amount of money for someone who has never pitched in the big leagues.
And then: You watch Aroldis Chapman pitch.
“I mean, holy cow,” says longtime Kansas City scout Art Stewart.
Holy cow. There was a time in baseball when baseball phenoms would just show up, when blazing fast and switch-hitting sluggers would wander out of the Oklahoma mines and 17-year-old pitchers throwing 100 mph would walk off of farms in Iowa. But now – you can follow baseball prospects through high school, through college, through the minor leagues, you can see film on them on the Internet, you can hear scouts talk about them, you can find prospect lists that go all the way to No. 2,000.
And then here comes Chapman. He’s tall and lean – he looks taller than the 6-foot-4 that is listed in the media guide. He picks up the baseball to warm up, and he throws so easy, like he’s skipping a rock on a lake. The ball popped hard into the glove. The next one popped harder. Kansas City manager Trey Hillman was only half joking when he used that old line about how Chapman’s pitches “sounded good.” They really did sound good.
But the amazing part was the ease … there was no grunting, no straining, no laboring. You hear that line all the time about athletes who look as if they were born to do something. Chapman struck out David DeJesus on a hard-sweeping slider that seemed to break two feet. He struck out Chris Getz on a 100-mph fastball that sliced the outside corner – anyway Stewart clocked the pitch at 100 mph. Another scout clocked it at 102. Another got it at 98. Chris Getz’s speed approximation: “It was moving.”
Two batters later Chapman struck out Rick Ankiel on a slider that Ankiel missed by so much he had to be rebooked on a later flight. Watching Ankiel trying to hit Chapman was somewhere between comedy and tragedy; you got the sense that if Ankiel faced Chapman 100 times, he would strike out 100 times.
The Ankiel at-bat was especially poignant because there was a time, not long ago, when Ankiel was that left-handed pitching phenom, the 19-year-old kid who had struck out 416 batters in just 298 minor league innings. No, you never know exactly how the phenom’s story will play out.
On a day like this, really, anything seems possible.
“I would say Chapman has the best young left-handed arm I’ve seen since Herb Score,” Art Stewart says, and here he is referring back to one of my heroes, Score, who as a 22 and 23-year-old for the Cleveland Indians led the American League in strikeouts. That was in 1955 and 1956. Score seemed to be on his way to becoming one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history – Sandy Koufax before Sandy Koufax – when he got hit in the eye on a line drive by Gil McDougald.
But, Art Stewart concedes, even the Herb Score comparison isn’t quite right because Score had a famously violent motion. Chapman makes you think he could throw 115 mph if he was really trying.
Chapman has already made his goals known: He wants to be the best pitcher in the world. So, sure, he was thoroughly unimpressed by his two-inning, one hit, three strikeout game in Goodyear where he may or may not have hit 100 mph on the radar gun.
“I wasn’t worried about how hard I threw,” he said. “But I did (throw 100), it’s just one of those things.”
It’s a funny thing: Every year, there are a couple of teams that are hot preseason choices, and this year’s teams seem to be Seattle and Cincinnati. The Reds have a good and fairly young middle of the lineup – Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips – some promising young pitchers like Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey and a couple of proven veterans like Scott Rolen and Aaron Harang.
The Reds, like most teams trying to break through after a long dry spell, could use something amazing to happen. And here’s Aroldis Chapman, a pitcher longtime Reds announcer Marty Brennaman calls the best arm he has seen come through in 30 years. Here’s a left-handed pitcher with a 100 mph fastball and a desire to be the best ever. Here’s a real live phenom, out of nowhere, the kind baseball used to have.
“Well, hey, they did spend $30 million on him,” Art Stewart says. “But I would say they got their money’s worth.”
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Circle me “Roy-ale with Cheese”
Too bad Dusty Baker’s his manager….
I think you mean “March 8,2010.”
Good piece, though.
Best arm in 30 years? Didn’t he see Gooden in ’85? Or is this Chapman kid even better than that?!? I can’t think of another young arm in the past 30 (since ’80) that was better than Gooden. Some were more hype, but Doc was the real deal back in the day.
Sounds like Zack Greinke. He looks so lazy when he pitches.
Mr. Chapman, welcome to the big leagues. One thing you will need to have memorized is the cell phone number of Dr. James Andrews. Your elbow or shoulder will be shot after back to back to back 140 pitch complete games in August when the Reds are fading into a .500 finish. Dusty needs his scalps, and by god he is going to get his scalps.
Love the Herb Score reference. I’m a young man (in my 20s), but an old baseball game (Tony La Russa Baseball II) introduced me to all the classic ballplayers from the past century. That said, I loved playing as Cleveland with their wild, fire-throwing rotation headed by Feller, Score, and Sam McDowell. Good times.
Devon, you are not so good with the reading comprehension. Marty Brennaman is the announcer for the Reds. He talked about the best arm to come through “here.” “Here” means Cincinnati. Last I checked, Doc Gooden didn’t pitch in Cincinnati. Sorry for the snark, but you should really read something before you spout off. Oh wait, it’s the internet! Sorry, carry on.
At any rate, Marty is right. Before Chappy, I would’ve said either Soto or Rijo, but neither of them threw this hard and they were right handed. I get all tempering of expectations–he’s accomplished nothing yet, these were the Royals, yada yada–but as Poz says, the point of this exercise, and of spring training in general, is to appreciate the beauty of hope and potential.
[...] Joe Posnanski » Blog Archive » Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati [...]
[...] Joe Posnanski » Blog Archive » Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati [...]
@ T.B. It doesn’t here say “through here” in the Marty B. section: “And here’s Aroldis Chapman, a pitcher longtime Reds announcer Marty Brennaman calls the best arm he has seen come through in 30 years.”
It looks like the “here” or “through Cincinnati” part is implied, but it’s not explicitly stated, and therefore, he might have legitimately meant the best arm he’s seen in 30 years — anywhere. So, I guess you should read something before you spout off.
Those comments about an easy pitching motion remind me of Mark Prior—remember how his motion was so smooth & easy that he would NEVER have the injury problem that plagued Kerry Wood? So I say this now: if Reds’ management isn’t smart enough to fire Dusty Baker before he ruins Chapman’s arm, then Bud Selig should, for the sake of baseball fans everywhere, step in & fire him.
It seems like the Reds are a sexy pick every year, and they always disappoint. Could develop into a great staff, but they still have two or three black holes in their lineup.
“I would say Chapman has the best young left-handed arm I’ve seen since Herb Score,” Art Stewart says,
LEFT-handed. L-E-F-T. Not best arm in Cincy, not best arm period, just best southpaw.
Are we all clear now? Snarking is fun, clearly, but accurate snarking is even better.
Best arm since DiMaggio, if you ask me.
@11 Matt L., I couldn’t have said it better myself. I re-read the Brennaman quote 3 times, because I was convinced that I reading it so fast I was overlooking the “here”. T.B., gets a D- for reading comprehension. We need to slow down on the anointing with oils for these young pitchers. I also think that Devon has a valid point — as does Martin(#12) — every few years there is a hot young arm; Mark Fidrych, Prior, Gooden, young Clemens, Kerry Wood, Dontrelle Willis, even fellow Red Edinson Volquez. As I might have mentioned a bajillion times; I grew up a White Sox fan — Let me throw some names at you: Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez, and Jason Bere. How many of those guys fulfilled their potential? I woud say Gooden(came close in spite of himself) and Clemens. Let this kid throw a few innings before we go too crazy. But not too many innings Dusty.
[...] but that it was the start of what could be a very promising career. The comments after the game, most lyrically described (as always) by Joe Posnanski, suggested that the “I remember listening to his Spring Training debut” tales will be broken [...]
I think many of the posts here go to Joe’s first point: few surprises out there anymore.* And, further, not much optimism. Kid with a great story comes through and everyone is convinced he’ll shred his arm.** Why not just enjoy it? Are we so concerned with not being fooled, or appearing to be fooled, that when something good, something happy, appears to be about to transpire we have to remark that, you know, life usually stabs you in the back?
* Just once I’d like to see a big shot announce a press conference and then release no info before hand. Just walk to the podium and drop a bomb or two.
** I’m not really trying to slam anyone else – this was one of my first reactions, too. Why? He’s got a great arm. I look forward to seeing him pitch. If anything, or greater knowledge of the fragility of pitcher’s arms should encourage us not to miss starts by hot, young pitchers. You never know how many you’ll get.
“Two batters later Chapman struck out Rick Ankiel on a slider that Ankiel missed by so much he had to be rebooked on a later flight.”
That is a GREAT line.
Good post 18. Why is it that when anything comes along that might be great someone feels a need to remind you that it will probably be a bust?
If you say that every player will bust, that every movie will suck, that every band will never improve….you’re going to be right a lot. But where’s the fun in it?
Joe’s post got me excited to see Chapman pitch. That’s good enough for now.
What did Farnsworth hit on the radar gun?
Alvin @21 “What did Farnsworth hit on the radar gun?”
The pistol grip? The readout screen? The battery pack?
My player of the day is Lance Berkman. I love this quote of his! Refreshing and funny.
http://twitter.com/PumaWonLiners
@Bucky – You are talking about two different quotes.
Art Stewart – “I would say Chapman has the best young left-handed arm I’ve seen since Herb Score”
Marty Brennaman calls the best arm he has seen come through in 30 years.
See, two different quotes and two different points. Accurate snarking??
The poll in the right-hand column currently has the Nationals with “-1%” of the vote to win the NL East.
I assume this is some quirk of the system that automatically adjusts totals to ensure that the percentages add up to 100%. Otherwise it’s a pretty good joke Poz is playing.
[...] Joe Posnanski » Blog Archive » Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati [...]
Let the hyperbole begin. Obviously, Chapman has all the physical tools to become a dominant pitcher … but there’s so many factors working against him. Cuban pitchers (or athletes) never truly realize their potential because complacency ruins their motivation – they’ve accomplished their lifelong dreams by making the majors and earning MILLIONS before their first pitch. It’s also incredibly difficult to transition from third-world conditions to the laissez faire mentality of the professional American athlete. Not to mention the dreaded “I’m-liking-the-way-he’s-still-throwing-after-120-pitches-so-my-gut-is-telling-me-to-keep-him-in” Dusty Baker factor.
Also, Herb Score? Really? How quickly people forget the lefty-power-arm hype of Sudden Sam McDowell, Vida Blue, Frank Tanana, and even Ollie Perez (yes, remember 2004 when he was 22?).
But I’m not exempt from the excitement. Hopefully, the likes of Strasberg and Chapman can achieve a fraction of their potential. I want to see dominant no-hitters. 20-K games. Brilliant 7-10 game stretches.
So this Chapman is the Cuban Dice K – a mega talent that few have heard of (let alone seen) who comes in with his fabled pitch, and promises to reinvent pitching?
[...] Player of the Day: Aroldis Chapman (Joe Ponanski) [...]
“He eventually signed with the Cincinnati Reds for more than $30 million, which seems like a startling amount of money for someone who has never pitched in the big leagues.”
/Ndamukong Suh’d
MisterMJ-It might be better and more accurate to say that MOST “cuban pitchers never truly realize their potential because complacency ruins their motivation “. It’s almost always a bad idea to paint with that broad a brush. I do agree that it is very dificult to “become” an American athlete when you came from such a comparatively poor country. It’s not just the realization of the dream, it’s all the distractions those millions can buy.
As an aside, if his motion is truly relaxed he could have a long career-just look at Greg Maddux; he had one of the easiest deliveries I can remember from a “dominant” pitcher(who, from 1988 through 2007 AVERAGED 17 wins a season and only won less than 15 games TWICE!).
Hilaripus. Easy delivery is as much BS as “best shape of your life”. It’s easy until it isn’t. No arm is designed to throw that hard for very long without injury.
And looking at Maddux for a comparison is pretty silly too. Sure he had a little stuff when he came up, but he’s the poster child for guile, location, and movement.
I heard a rumor that the Castro family gave the Reds 30 million to sign Chapman on the condition that they kept Dusty Baker as long as they kept Chapman. Apparently, Castro figured that pitching under Dusty would be suitable punishment for Chapman’s defection.
Steven Goldman, at BP, did a bit on Herb Score a while ago. His theory was that Score’s demise had less to do with getting hit by the batted ball, and throwing an insane number of innings early in his career.
I almost spat beer all over the computer screen at the Rick Ankiel line. Hilarious.
Chapman was a great signing by the Reds. What kind of veteran free agent pitcher would they have been able to sign for $30 million over 5 years? No one any good, that’s for sure.
So if Chapman is only good for two years but pitches like some 5.00-ERA retread for 3 years, the Reds still come out way ahead. Plus of course there is the upside that Chapman has, he could do much better than very good. And that would really reenergize the fanbase, which would be worth way more than $6 million a year.
He could also get hurt or just be horrible, but so could any pitcher they could land for $6 million a year.
This is exactly the kind of move that small market teams should make. It might not work out, but it’s a smart risk, that could land them a young left-handed star starting pitcher for about half of what Gil Meche got; half of what Oliver Perez gets. Chapman will make a bout a million more than Wandy Rodriguez this year. And the Reds will have him locked up into his mid-20s, and have 5 years to decide whether they want to keep him after that.
I like a good arm as well as the next guy, but don’t wake me until they find “the best legs since Cyd Charisse”
hey do u idiots know that about 80% off you posted something that has nothing to do with the topic focus on the topic idiots now that said. i like the white sox`s but i hope every goes well for aroldis and the reds thanks