Aroldis Chapman to Pitch in Arizona Fall League
By Editorial Staff
The Cincinnati Reds have announced that they are sending pitcher Aroldis Chapman to the Arizona Fall League. Chapman is scheduled to make his first AFL appearance Monday for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.
Following the conclusion of their season, the Reds decided that they will attempt to transition Chapman from reliever to starter in 2012. Entering the spring, Chapman will be given an opportunity to win a spot in Cincinnati’s rotation.
With Chapman spending the last week with the Reds instructional league, the club has decided to send the Cuban native to the AFL to build up his arm in preparation for winter ball. Chapman is slated to start games for the Desert Dogs Monday, next Thursday and on the 31st of October.
2011 was a roller coaster of a season for Chapman. After starting the year pitching lights out for the Reds, not allowing a run over his first 11.2 innings, Chapman imploded in May. Over a span of four appearances the left-hander surrendered 10 runs. What was more amazing was Chapman only gave up two hits during that time. Most of the damage was a result of Chapman’s inability to command his pitches, resulting in 12 walks in 1 1/3 innings.
At that point it was pretty obvious something wasn’t right. The Reds shut down Chapman in May when shoulder inflammation was revealed. Once he was eligible, Chapman did not immediately rejoin the Reds, instead spending several weeks in the Minors. You have to look no further than Chapman’s Minor League stats to see why the Reds were hesitant to recall the lefty; 8.31 ERA, 13 IP, 14 H, 8 BB, 20 SO. While his strikeout numbers were back, Chapman still wasn’t controlling his stuff.
Finally, the Reds recalled Chapman. Following his activation, the 23-year-old went on to strike out 17 batters over his first 8 2/3 innings of work while only walking two over that span. Chapman’s ERA steadily fell as the season progressed, and the lefty ended the year with a respectable mark of 3.60 to go with his 13 holds.
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