If it were up to Aroldis Chapman, he would be the Reds closer -- and not a starter.
“Truthfully, I would like to be a closer, but that’s not in my hands,” per John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“In
the beginning when I started closing, it was something I didn’t know
about,” he said. “But as I started throwing and getting into the late
part of the game – when the game is more exciting – I kind of liked it.
The adrenaline goes up. I would like to be in that situation. But that’s
something I can’t control.”
Speaking of control, he struggled with his command on Saturday as he threw nine consecutive balls and 17 pitches without getting an out at one point.
One scout said of Chapman to ESPN's Buster Olney, "For me, he's got one major league quality pitch. His fastball. His other pitches aren't major league
caliber."
As Olney notes, "... a short reliever can be successful with one pitch, but it's very rare
that a starting pitcher can thrive with any fewer than two."
It makes too much sense for the Reds to move Chapman back to the closer role, but I'm not sure that general manager Walt Jocketty will see it that way.
Stay tuned ...
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