NEW YORK – During Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Orioles, it looked like Cuban Aroldis Chapman relied heavily on secondary pitches as his slider instead of using more of his powerful straight, which is his best pitching and often touches or rounds out at 100 mph.
Chapman said after the game that he never lost confidence in the fast ball. But Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Monday speaking to the press that Chapman, at times, stops using his straight more often than he should.
“Part of that is the confidence he has in his secondary pitches and his ability to strike them,” Boone said. “But I think it’s important that you can always make sure the straight is a weapon.”
“Normally, when he’s pulling his straight and striking well … that’s an indication that his mechanics are in line, and the secondary pitching feeds on that.”
Chapman, one of the best lockers in baseball history, is having possibly the worst season of his career, with a 3.72 ERA (the worst in a year) and 25 saves, third in the American League behind Liam Hendriks and the also Cuban Raisel Iglesias. Before the All-Star Game, Chapman had an EFE of 4.55, but shows a solid 2.20 after the break.