Aroldis Chapman is a scary, scary man

First appeared on July 26th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

When I was 10 years old Tony Spencer could throw a baseball over 100 miles an hour. OK, so maybe it was more like 50, but at the time it seemed like 100. This was before the steroid era so we didn’t know enough to ask Tony to pee in a cup before we played our games.

To prepare for him we did drills in practice where our coach set bats behind our feet so if we tried to step out of the batter’s box we would fall down. And since I fell down more times than a World Cup Forward flopping for a call, I didn’t like Tony. I can admit it now because I’ve moved on, Tony scared me.
Players who strike fear in the heart of an opponent don’t come around very often. Many in the NFL will tell you James Harrison is the most feared player in the league. The NBA probably hasn’t had someone who truly scared people since the Knicks or Pistons of the early 90’s. But the Cincinnati Reds may have found one such player in Aroldis Chapman.

Take your pick as to what there is to fear most about this guy. He’s hit 105 miles per hour on the radar gun multiple times. From the mound his 6’4 frame and lanky arms make it look like his 105 MPH fastball is being shot at you from an F-16 Fighter Jet. He’s also left handed (which is in itself enough to creep me out) and did I mention he can throw over 100 miles an hour?
If you need more proof, try standing in the batter’s box after your manager delivers the scouting report on him: “He’s got a 105 mile an hour fastball kid, oh yeah- and a history of control problems”. In the minors he terrified both opposing batters with 49 strikes outs in 30 relief innings and his manager by leading the league with 14 wild pitches.

And what about the name? Aroldis? It’s a name so obscure even the most savvy of Scripps Howard National Champion Spellers wouldn’t touch it without placing a call to the guy who stitches the names on all the Red’s jerseys first. “Could you use it in a sentence please?”
“Yes… Aroldis throws a baseball so hard it could split your skull open.”

Perhaps you’re not convinced he’s scary. Let’s consider the fact then that Chapman defected from Cuba in 2009 which means he likely comes with many unanswered questions. Questions like is he really 23? Is he actually human? Or is he a Soviet era robot sent by Communist Cuba to discover the secrets to our economic success? Of course if the latter is the case then, in true Soviet style, he’s arrived 20 years too late.

Scary or not, there’s no disputing Chapman has been on fire since the All Star break. In his last 10 1/3 innings he’s given up just 2 runs and allowed only 5 base runners while striking out 17 batters. Opposing hitters are batting just .110 against him this year. This tells us either he’s got pretty good stuff or he’s only faced the absolute worst hitters in the league so far.

Either way he’s just what the Reds needed right now. To this point their bullpen has been about as shaky as 97 year old man riding a wooden roller coaster. In 34 opportunities Cincinnati’s pen has secured only 21 saves. Perhaps the scariest thought of all is, for the Reds to go anywhere in the Central this year, they might have to rely on Chapman.

© 2011 Eric Walker Williams