Cincinnati Reds weigh up options for assigning a new role to Aroldis Chapman – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds' general manager Walt Jocketty has said that the club has not decided the role for Aroldis Chapman for 2013 yet. Emerging as an accomplished closer, Major League Baseball 2012 remained a thoroughly successful season for the closer.
"We haven't made a decision on Chapman as a starter or as a reliever," Reds' general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We're talking about it."
The electricity and intimidation that Chapman personified this year was an evidence of the player’s capability to outplay any batter in the league. But much as the excellent characteristics of the closer were on display, there is a more potent role that the club intends to assign him.
The options available for the Reds are that of playing him as a closer or the starter. Since closers can easily be replaced, Chapman can be brought back to his position if he does not succeed as the starter.
Part of the reason why the club is inclined to review his role is the availability of quality pitchers. From starters to the relievers, the Reds have an array of choices to experiment alternatives.
But that which has to be weighed in carefully for a substantive and durable change is the fact that Chapman missed 10 days this year due to the fatigued left shoulder. If he encounters the problem as a starter, it will tremendously affect the club’s pitching.
For now, the shutdown dominance that Chapman introduced this season will make him a key pitcher to be considered as a closer alone. Nonetheless, it all hinges upon the Reds’ assessment of the situation and the choices at their disposal.
Walt Jocketty, among others, is carefully appraising and estimating the pros and cons of the issue. "It depends on if we re-sign [Jonathan] Broxton and [Ryan] Madson," Jocketty said. "Or if we get another closer."
In the coming days, as the offseason offers a number of players as arbitration-eligible, the Reds will look for a firm and formidable pitcher to bring in to replace him. If that is smoothly done, Chapman may have an altogether different role to play – most probably as the starter.
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