Aroldis Chapman slated for the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen - MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds' manager Dusty Baker came up with another surprising announcement on Monday, April 02, putting Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen. The formidable lefty was earlier being tipped as one of the potential names for the rotation.
The announcement comes as something that the Reds will wholeheartedly welcome given the strength Chapman brings to the bullpen. While the likes of Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo will have their role to discharge in the rotation, Chapman will have the mighty role in bullpen.
However, much as the announcement is being greeted with surprise and, probably, some disbelief, the team manager - Dusty Baker, admitted it was a very tough decision to make as Chapman could both be the starter and reliever. The team opted for the latter.
"That was a very tough decision -- very, very tough because Chapman could either be one of our best starters or our best relievers," Baker said. "It's a situation where with the injuries that we have, and starting out early in the season where the starters are lucky to go five or six innings, we need to shore up our bullpen."
The pitchers/relievers have their invaluable strengths and unavoidable weaknesses. But what made Chapman come out as the potentially strong candidate for the starter was his record of 2.12 ERA in the spring.
Chapman went for four starts out of five appearances that he had, winning 2 of the game. As to whether this decision to have Chapman as the reliever will remain permanent, the team manager did not really subscribe to that.
There will be re-evaluation and readjustment accordingly as the season progresses, showing the team’s forward-looking approach.
"That's the story of this whole year," Baker said. "Until we get everything back together, it could be one of those dot-dot-dots -- to be continued."
With the inclusion of Chapman in the bullpen, what is increasingly clear now is that the Reds have become too strong an entity as far as their defence is concerned. They will certainly be a tough contender this time round to play against in the new season.
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