2023-04-10 07:00:00
As the New York Yankees try to survive injuries and bullpen woes in this MLB season opener, pitcher Aroldis Chapman appears to be getting a second wind in his career.
The left-hander already has his first save of this Major League campaign, in which he has a 0.00 ERA and has eight strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched in 4 appearances with his new team, the Kansas City Royals.
Aroldis Chapman, 103, 104, 103 mph. ????⛽️ pic.twitter.com/ks8IQ3ZA4k
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 5, 2023
Chapman, 35, ended his stint with the Yankees on a bitter note. With the Bronx club he played 7 of his first 13 seasons in the majors until 2022, when his control problems, injuries and indiscipline joined to sentence him out as a free agent.
Above all, the loss of speed was a concern. But that was in the past. Reports indicate that the Cuban lefty has been throwing in excess of 103.5 MPH and that has led many to wonder if it was a mistake for the New York team to let him go.
It was impossible to know that he would return to this level following seeing him post his worst numbers in 2022 (4.46 ERA, only 9 saves, 43 strikeouts in 36.1 innings in 43 games) and lose his closer status.
But even though the club’s fans feel nostalgic when seeing his current stats and his value dropped, it was not a mistake to let him go. The act of indiscipline he carried out at the end of the season that ended up taking him away from the team might not be allowed to pass and there was no way that the New York high command would forget that and sign him into free agency.
It remains to be seen if Chapman can finish the season the way he started it.
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