There’s no denying how good Aroldis Chapman has been this season. He earned his eighth All-Star appearance in the first half, and he’s been the best member of a bullpen that ranks third in ERA (3.37) this season.
It really is a testament to his dominance and longevity that, despite being known as a flamethrower, he’s authoring arguably the best season of his career at the ripe age of 37. His 1.04 ERA is a career-best, and his 1.83 FIP is the best mark he’s posted since he won the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs nearly a decade ago.
If you, like most baseball fans, are looking for explanations as to how Chapman is doing this just a few years away from turning 40, then Buster Olney has an answer for you.But, spoiler alert, it might be the dumbest thing you hear all day.
Aroldis Chapman is thriving because of actual changes, not basic fundamentals
If you can’t bear to listen to that full clip,I’ll give you the TLDR: apparently,Chapman,a Hall of Fame closer,has never thought to try and locate his fastball before. Throughout his whole career, including time spent with the Reds, Yankees, Cubs, Royals, Rangers, and Rangers, no one has ever considered telling Chapman that he’s allowed to try and throw his fastball somewhere other than the middle of the plate.
Now, in fairness to Olney, there’s likely some truth in that story, and it’s certainly possible that Connor Wong was able to get Chapman to buy into the red Sox’s PitchCom system.There’s no denying that the southpaw’s walk rate has finally stabilized (career-low 7.3% this year), and Boston’s pitching infrastructure absolutely has had something to do with it.