Aroldis Chapman. He is perhaps one of the most talked about players in all of sports. He is known for his 105 mph fastballs that strike fear into hitter's hearts.
The Reds have plans on making him a starter, rather than a closer.
In 2012, Chapman was one of the best closers in the National League. In fact, he finished with 38 saves, 3rd beast in the League. If the Reds wanted to seal the win, Chapman was the guy to go to. In 2012, he set a club record for most consecutive innings without giving up an earned run (29 innings). That streak lasted from Opening Day until June 7th.
Chapman is without any doubt one of the biggest reasons the Reds finished the season tied with the Washington Nationals for the best record in baseball.
Sure, he was dominate in 1 inning, but can he be dominate in 5+?
He has been a starter before, when he was in Cuba, and in the Minor Leagues, he was a starter. But there is a big difference between Minor League hitters and Major League hitters.
There is an old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Aroldis Chapman certainly wasn't broke. The Reds are trying to fix him.
I'm not physic, so I can't tell you how good or bad Chapman will be as a starter, or even how long he will be a starter. All I can tell you is that Chapman becoming a starter will be one of the bigger stories in Major League Baseball this year.
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