Since coming to MLB, Cuban Aroldis Chapman surprised everyone by being perhaps the most powerful pitcher the Major League Baseball has ever seen, with his deadly straight at over 100 miles per hour and his imposing physique. The “Cuban Missile” has made a great career in MLB, but the years are beginning to weigh and he is soon to turn 33, which worries Chapman.
The Yankees reliever spoke with Lindsey Adler of The Athletic and confessed that he is looking for ways to evolve his philosophy when throwing, including breaking and offspeed pitches to make up for the fact that he no longer throws the miles he used to do a few years.
I’m no longer 25, I’m no longer 105 miles from nothing, I’m big and it’s my reality. When I was an opener in Cuba, I threw a Splitter and I think it would be nice to experiment now that I don’t have the same miles as before, this allows me to evolve as a veteran pitcher.
When he reached the Major Leagues, Chapman became famous for his straights that exceeded 100 miles, being his main throw, but over the years he was adding a slider that reached 88 mph, 1 splitter and a shift. of speed.