Call to the pen
Fansided

Chicago Cubs Aroldis Chapman No Longer Velocity King

By Jordan Wevers

Jul 26, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Mauricio Cabrera (62) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Braves won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 26, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Mauricio Cabrera (62) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Braves won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

MLB has a new pitcher touching the radar gun at faster speeds more frequently than the Chicago Cubs’ Aroldis Chapman.

When it comes to reaching back for something a little extra on a pitch, no single pitcher in MLB has routinely been able to do so better than Aroldis Chapman. The Chicago Cubs’ closer holds the modern day record for the fastest pitch ever recorded in game action at 105 mph.

That pitch, thrown July 18, 2016 versus Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, tied his previous mark of 105 mph thrown on September 25, 2010 against the Padres while he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

But now, according to Statcast, Chapman no longer has the highest average velocity on his fastball in 2016. That honor belongs to a 22-year-old Dominican pitcher by the name of Mauricio Cabrera in the Atlanta Braves’ organization.

Cabrera, a right-hander, only began pitching at the MLB level less than two months ago when he made his debut against the Cleveland Indians on June 27. Over the course of his 22 appearances since then, Cabrera’s four seamer has averaged 100.9 mph, compared to Chapman’s 100.7 mph fastball of the same variety.

More from Call to the Pen

In today’s game, scouts and fans are velocity obsessed freaks. The emphasis placed on how hard a player can throw a baseball at an early age extends well beyond any MLB diamonds. But there is typically always a price to pay, and that price all too often comes in the form of a severed UCL and the Tommy John surgery that usually follows it.

For more on that, reading Jeff Passan’s The Arm can really go a long way in terms of analyzing how baseball and pitcher’s arms got to where they are. But for the time being, Cabrera looks to be the new fastball king of the big leagues.

Even still, scouting and recording a fastball’s velocity is not an exact science. Statcast reports Cabrera’s average heater to be at 100.9 mph, while FanGraphs claims it sits at 100.3 mph, with a maximum speed of 103.2 mph recorded in 2016.

That 100.3 mph by Cabrera is still faster than FanGraphs’ recordings for Chapman’s average fastball this season, in at 100.2 mph.

Since the Cuban Missile broke into MLB back in 2010, Chapman’s average fastball velocity has led the way amongst all relievers every season except for his rookie campaign. To date, this campaign and his 2014 one are the only ones on record where his or any relievers average velocity has exceeded 100 mph in a given season — until now.

Next: Nate Eovaldi to have a second elbow surgery

Mauricio Cabrera now finds himself in a class with one of baseball’s most intimidating arms. He will certainly be someone to keep an eye on as the Atlanta Braves continue their rebuild and prepare to move into a new ballpark for 2017. Through 22.2 IP so far, Cabrera has a reasonable 2.78 ERA, 20 strikeouts and has held the opposition to a .200 batting average.

Home/Chicago Cubs