Late-night reading: Aroldis Chapman, profiled
ByThe winter sports team in New York are making it hard to forget about baseball season. After tonight, the Knicks and Nets are a combined 1-18, and the Giants and Jets are mediocre at best right now. So for those of you jonesing for a late-night baseball fix, check out Ronald Blum’s interview with Aroldis Chapman. The New York-based AP sports writer sat down with the latest Cuban defector to talk about baseball. Chapman discusses walking away from his life in Cuban by simply exiting a hotel in Rotterdam and his experiences watching Game 6 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium.
With the Hot Stove still to warm up this winter, we haven’t heard much about Chapman. We know what he can throw, and we know that he has visited with a good number of teams. We don’t, however, have a sense of the dollars or years it will take to sign him, and rumors have ranged from $15-$50 million. I don’t expect the Chapman talks to heat up until the Winter Meetings next month in Indianapolis, but when they do, you can bet that the Yanks will be right there in the thick of things.
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The Mason Williams Watch
No mention of the hockey teams? For shame.
rangers are like the giants, hot start, now playing badly. devils more like the yanks with a mediocre first couple weeks and then hot. islanders like the rockies, awful start now solid. there’s your mention.
I would be floored if Chapman got anywhere near $50 million. I just don’t see it happening.
“He says he also throws a curveball, slider, changeup and splitter.”
That’s just awesome. Now if he could only make at all of these at least average, least 2 of these above average, and at least one an elite pitch (if it isn’t already)
Anyone know his previous peak innings year?
http://www.baseballprospectus......cleid=9382
I don;t think that includes various tournaments. Also remember that they play ball all year round in Cuba, I doubt he’ll have any restrictions.
This is one cat I really want to follow in AAA next year.
If the Yanks sign him I bet he starts in Charleston. Tyson Torre is a badass and will be given a chance to break him of his bad habits quickly.
Obv he would be a quick mover but I would imagine they make sure he has mastered all the lower facets of the game before exposing him to better hitters in Trenton and Scranton.
The Redsox are probably going to sign him since Chapman is good friends with the other Cuban SS they signed recently.
Anybody remember José Contreras?
Anybody remember Kyle Farnsworth?
There have been tons of fireballers who couldn’t pitch.
How about Dice-K?
There are a lot of proven players who are and will be available.
I’m not saying anything about Chapman…
other then proceed with caution.
You know what the big difference between those guys and Chapman is? Age. Chapman may be raw, but he’s still young and should be malleable. He also won’t be expected to join a big league rotation immediately.
agreed, though i still think it’s ludicrous that he may get strasburg type money, true FA or not. Strasburg has much more control, a better arsenal, and is a known starting entity, chapman has basically a great arm.
Yeah, but Strasburg on the open market was going to match or BEAT Dice-K money. The Nationals are lucky that MLB and the Players’ Union have conspired to arbitrarily restrict young players’ pay.
Hopefully the difference between Chapman and those guys is that they’ll work with him in the minors, rather than rushing him to the big club ASAP.
+1
Chapman is not going to be arbitration eligible at the end of his contract though right? Strasburg when he signed his deal will be arbitration eligible so he will be under team control for a number of year I believe. Do I have this right?
If that is the case, my concern with Chapman is that since he is so raw he may need a lot of time in the minors and by the time he is a big league pitcher he may be approaching free agency again already.
“Chapman is not going to be arbitration eligible at the end of his contract though right?”
That is entirely dependent on the contract he signs. If there are teams willing to give him such a clause, and enough money…then yeah, that could happen.
Depending on the length of the deal, I really don’t know if that’s something over which you walk away. Like…if it’s a two year deal, yeah, that’s ridiculous. If it’s 5 or 6…
Chapman is going to show the world his stuff kidd i assure u
look guys Aroldis Chapman is by far the best left handed pitcher in the world andit will always stay that way. he is worth 60 million dollars. i knew the guy as a kid living up in cuba and i caught for him he would throw 80 mph at 14 years old. get your shit straight!