Flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to play as reliever this season
The fiery pitcher who’s known for throwing the fastest pitch in Major League Baseball is developing an attachment to bullpen duty with the Cincinnati Reds. The powerhouse Cuban lefty has the speed and the technique to leave many hitters gasping for air,
but now his rotation role won’t come any time soon since his role in the bullpen is certified for the campaign.
The pitching phenom has a tattoo etched on his left arm which depicts a fiery baseball and ‘105.1 MPH’ written below the ball. He achieved the record of throwing the fastest pitch last year. Though there were rumours of his role as a rotation pitcher this
season, but the speculation fell out as the club clarified his role as a relief pitcher. The announcement was made after the young gun had sustained a back injury in the previous season.
The player will be used a late innings reliever, according to Manager Dusty Baker. He said he would use Chapman the same way he had used the pitcher last year and see how he progresses. He said the team needed Chapman as a reliever more than as a starter.
Baker said that the fact that Chapman was left-handed and seemed to throw more strikes called for his current position so that it might be easier on his arm.
There were suggestions around the club that Aroldis could support Francisco Cordero in the closer’s position but Baker dismissed those thoughts altogether. “There is no closer-situation controversy. I know everybody wants to be in a hurry to rush him in
there, but we’ve got to get him acclimated to what he’s doing first,” said the manager.
Flamethrower Chapman wants to be a better player and a role in the bullpen will help him a lot, but he wants to be a regular pitcher as well. Talking to the press, he said, “Yeah I want to be a starter, but no, I don’t think about it. The job I have now
is being a reliever and that’s the job I’m going to do. The day they want me to be a starter is when I’ll start thinking about it.”
Chapman featured for the Reds last season after he was promoted from Triple-A Louisville on 31st August. He occasionally exceeded the 100 MPH mark and pitched in 13.33 innings, striking out 19 hitters and posting an earning runs average of 2.03. He will
be focusing more on sliders than changeup deliveries this time around.
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