When the Red Sox signed lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman over the winter, the feeling was that he could be a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen who could help be a bridge to whomever won or was signed to fill the (remember when Tanner Scott was on the radar?) closing job. But, a funny thing happened along the way. It was Chapman won who the closing job and not only has he been effective in the role, he has arguably been the best relief pitcher in baseball this season.
He is seventh in MLB with 26 saves, and has a WHIP of 0.67. He has a 2.2 WAR, per FanGraphs, which is tied for the best relief number in the game with Padres middle reliever Adrian Morejon. His ERA is 1.04, tops among relievers and even though the Red Sox have tried to protect his 37-year-old arm by giving him consistent days off, Chapman has logged 52.0 innings in 57 appearances.
He has not allowed a run–or even a hit–for his past 14 appearances. He allowed a homer in Philadelphia back on July 23, the only earned run he has given up in 34 games. Chapman is in Boston on a one-year deal, though, meaning the team is already under pressure to keep him around.
Aroldis Chapman ‘Deserves a Ton of Credit’
As much criticism as team baseball chief Craig Breslow takes for some of the things he has not done, he did nail several Red Sox moves in the offseason–Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman tops among them–and deserves credit for bringing in Chapman, who was solid but not great in recent seasons. The Red Sox were his fifth team in four years, and he had gone 15-14 with a 3.68 ERA in that span before coming to Boston.
“That kind of (improvement) is not something you typically see in a 37-year-old,” Breslow told MassLive. “This guy deserves a ton of credit. It’s one thing when you don’t have the weapons to get people out in the strike zone and so you’re needing to work on the margins to get people to chase.
“But it’s another when you realize, ‘This guy has a chance to be dominant if he can just throw the ball over the plate,’ because the pitches, the pitch data is so impressive.”
Red Sox Keeping Chapman Around?
Indeed, Chapman’s big problem has long been control. His career number for walks per nine innings is 4.5. This year, he has shaved it down to 2.4 which, when paired with his 12.8 strikeout rate, means he is staying over the plate and still getting swing-and-miss results.
Of course, the Red Sox added Chapman on a one-year, $10.75 million contract, which means Boston stands to lose him this winter, though Breslow could re-sign him now.
“Those conversations are always evolving,” said Breslow, “but based on the feedback I’ve gotten from Aroldis, he’s enjoyed his time in Boston, the city, the fan base, the coaching staff his teammates … And this has worked out really, really well for us, so of course (extending him) is something we’d want to consider.
“It will take two sides, but this guy is having a historic season for a reliever. Certainly there’s reason to be skeptical as players reach their late 30s, but if you had to bet on somebody, the way he keeps himself in shape and how physically strong he is, that’s the type of guy you’d want to bet on.”
Red Sox ‘Considering’ Contract Move on Aroldis Chapman