Chapman

[JohnU]

ESPN Magazine did a very insightful article on the Cuban Missile.
Very telling stuff about a complex and confused young man.
Well worth the read.

THE ARTICLE

 

[redsfan03]

If I thought he was a head case before reading this, I'm positive now. Very well-written article. It's also a little disconcerting that the Reds' $30 million investment gets bored with baseball, smokes cigarettes, and does absolutely nothing during the offseason. This is culture shock at its worst.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Whatever. Toss out out of context and bad translation, and you have a kid that just knows how to throw a baseball and drive a sportscar at the same speed. The Missile was signed to be a SP, and only used as a reliever after half his contract. Jocketty spent the last 2 seasons watching him be the most dominant spring training starter, only to let Dusty keep him in the pen. No complaints as a closer, other than that role kept him a bystander in the post season, while often lefty hitters punished the Reds righty starters at critical stages.

I'd start AC, and pull a Strasberg on him in August, until he could go 180-200 IP. The guy had the potential to K close to 300 hitters as a starter...you can count on a couple of fingers people that could do thst, and he and about 28 others might save 40 games as a closer... I'd start him.

Not that I think the Reds are a lock for the WS, but there aren't many Champs without a LHSP. Unless you count Cingrani, the Reds don't have one.

I find it funny, that among the misguided excuses why AC shouldn't start is his lack of secondary pitches, even though he has a cartoon slider and a breaking ball seldom used as a closer, but Congrani throws only a collarbone high fastball effectively as a SP, but no one seems to doubt his ability as a SP.

 

[JohnU]

Unless I walk a mile in his shoes, I don't know how to analyze what I read.

 

[eburg5000]

I only care about what he does on the field.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Chapman is going through what many foreign players have gone through- except his money is much larger and his minor league time was almost non-existent...both issues interfering with his social development, IMO. One problem is that MLB teams don't really have any apparent business reasons to interact with him or any player in the offseason. In the old days, players played charity basketball games, worked community functions, and worked out together in the winter. Boredom is a bad thing, especially for kids with mountains of money.

Chapman is still just a kid...that has drug lord money now...and if he's not careful, those poor boxing buddies he's sponsoring ( and agents and hangers on here) could empty his pockets. He needs a mentor and a few friends with Reds affiliation, IMO. The Reds have some good scouting contacts in Latin Anerica, but obviously need some domestic developmental people to help players after they get them here. One of Joe Morgans responsibilities is to chair a group looking into more baseball opportunities for inner city black kids...Why not a similar function for Hispanic speaking players ? Too bad the Reds ran Tony Perez out of town. I haven't heard from Jose Rijo since the incident he and ex-Nats (and ex Reds) GM Jim Bowden were implicated in taking kickbacks from signing bonuses to young Caribbean players...possibly another clue to a need for better MLB monitoring of such players.

 

[JohnU]

McAlister had part 3 of his interview with Votto and JV basically said a lot of what was written about Chappy in that article was off the mark. Votto said this:

"Chapman was BORN to throw harder than anybody -- EVER."

 

[Redsfan1507]

They can't teach one-oh-whatever. It's why scouts use a radar gun. They aren't looking for the next great changeup.

Rarely in any sport is being exceptional at one single thing more important, than being able to throw a baseball over the plate at greater than 100 mph. 90 will get you signed, 92 might get you by, 95 makes you special, and 100 makes you elite...

It is NOT a linear equasion though. Pitch speed above 90 increases success exponentially...because frankly, the best hitters make outs 65 % of the time at 90, 70% of the time at 95, but 80 % or more at 100 mph. Check Chapman's BAA. It's well under .200. It's not an accident, or something coaches can legitimately take credit for. Even if they teach him a curveball or change or how to work Rubics cube, it's only the contrast to that triple-digit heater that makes any of that of real use. In truth, if he throws strikes, or close to them, at 102, chances of getting squared up on them are only about 15%, and some of those would be foul ball strikes, or caught. He doesn't NEED much else. You can blow all the smoke up Mike Leake's ass you want, but he isn't Greg Maddux, and there isn't a single hitter in pro ball that would prefer to face Chapman than Leake. IMO, If AC can start, there is no logic in anyone in the current rotation blocking him, especially a 5'9 165 lb. kid throwing 86 mph, or a rookie lefty with one effective pitch at 93-94, that usually happens to be a ball if they don't swing.