Aroldis Chapman

From BR Bullpen

Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 4", Weight 179 lb.

Born September 11, 1987

Aroldis Chapman has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career but has also struggled at times. He has hit 99 mph on the radar gun.

Chapman debuted with Holguín in the 2005-2006 Serie Nacional, going 3-5 with a 4.33 ERA. He then put on an excellent show in the 2006-2007 Serie Nacional. He had a 4-3 record, 7 saves and a 2.77 ERA. More impressively, he struck out 100 and allowed just 59 hits in 81 1/3 innings. He led the league in strikeouts, five ahead of runner-up Adiel Palma, though he also ranked 6th in walks (50).

In the 2007 Pan American Games, he pitched one scoreless inning, struck out two for the Gold Medalists. He was a star in the 2007 Baseball World Cup, in which Cuba won Silver. He struck out 9 in 7 innings in a win over South Korea and whiffed 11 while allowing only 3 hits and a run in eight innings in the semifinal win over the Japanese national team. He was named to the tournament All-Star team as the top left-handed pitcher.

Chapman's success in international events did not carry over for the 2007-2008 Serie Nacional. Aroldis was 6-7 with a 3.89 ERA despite a .200 opponent average and 79 strikeouts in 74 innings. He tied Norberto Gonzalez for 7th in the league in strikeouts.