Thursday, April 14, 2011
Concern over Chapman’s velocity
Posted by Harry PavlidisDon't blame Dusty Baker, but Aroldis Chapman seems to be injured. His electric fastball has dropped in velocity over his two most recent outings, with last night's appearance maxing out below the normal minimum of his fastball range.
Going back to the 2009 World Baseball Classic, you can see just how much drop-off there has been:
Click for a full-sized version in a pop-up.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked to Chapman's catcher, Ramon Hernandez, after his most recent game:
"Yesterday, he threw what 93, 94", Hernandez said. "Then today, he's throwing 91. He's throws almost 100 over every pitch. Now, he can’t get up to 93. There's got to be something. You can't lose it in one day."
Wow, sounds like Ramon is worried. Or, well, maybe.
"He's got to be a little tired. He’s been used going back-to-back, three days in a row," Hernandez said, "especially him. He's got a lot of stress. . . I think he's going to be OK."
It's true, Chapman has been getting used more often than in 2010. Wait and see, but many will be expecting the worst. Who could blame them?
Harry Pavlidis admits he has a baseball problem. He is a member of Complete Game Consulting and has his own blog, Cubs f/x. Feedback, questions and comments are appreciated - Email harrypav@gmail.com and Twitter @harrypav