Reds alert: Cuban Chapman dazzling in debut

Phil Rogers On Baseball

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — With apologies to Jon Landau and perhaps Stephen Strasburg, I have seen the future of pitching and his name is Aroldis Chapman.
He's lean and tall, as wide-eyed as a kid at his first carnival, and he throws a baseball with the speed and handling of a Porsche on the open road. The Reds somehow stole him away from the serial talent collectors with a guarantee of $30 million that they will one day consider the down payment on their re-emergence as one of the major leagues' relevant teams.
A lot of teams shied away from Chapman last winter because they didn't know if the 22-year-old Cuban could command his pitches and make the difficult cultural transition to the United States. Their scouts headed out of Goodyear Ballpark on Monday shaking their heads and hoping he won't turn out to be as dominating as he showed he could be in two innings of scoreless relief against the Royals.
In his first outing before a paid crowd, Chapman threw fastballs that were clocked as high as 102 mph, sliders in the high-80s and a changeup that registered 80 but looked like it was stopping time. The worst news of all for teams that allowed the Reds to outbid them: 15 of his 26 pitches were strikes, and few missed the strike zone badly.
"I'll take 100 with command,'' Reds manager Dusty Baker said, smiling.
You bet he will.
Strasburg, the Nationals' $15 million first-rounder, has been described by Baseball America as a "once-in-a-generation'' talent. He's a special prospect, no doubt, but better than Chapman?
I'll believe it when I see it.
Some will say Chapman can't throw a ball 102 mph. They'll say that for a few reasons — because few pitchers in history have been able to do that, because the majority of the readings peaked at 98-99, and because, well, the kid didn't even look like he was trying.
Chapman met with reporters within 15 minutes of his last pitch, a slider that blew right past the swinging Rick Ankiel, and it barely looked like he had broken a sweat. He made it look that easy on the mound too.
Baker said it's hard to tell how hard Chapman is throwing because "he throws so easy.'' He doesn't look like he's putting any effort into it.
Tony Fossas thinks he knows at least part of the reason.
A Cuban who survived 12 big-league seasons as a lefty specialist, Fossas is taking a break from his chores as a minor-league coach in the Cincinnati system to help Chapman become acclimated. He has gotten to know him since he signed in December, and sees an ultra-talented athlete who finally is being allowed to focus on what he does best.
"Growing up in Cuba under those situations, going through the planning of a defection … leaving his family behind, not knowing what the future brings, that takes a lot of guts, a lot of heart,'' Fossas said. "I think this is a piece of cake, to be honest. I expect him to get better, to get more comfortable.''
Working the third and fourth innings, after Bronson Arroyo had gone the first two, Chapman allowed one single — to his friend, Brayan Pena, who had caught him in Cuba — and walked one. He retired the last four hitters he faced, striking out David DeJesus, Chris Getz and Ankiel.
Chapman said he was more comfortable than he had been during his first workouts in camp and in an intrasquad game last week. The difference, as relayed to a reporter by Fossas, was that he wasn't so worried about hitting Kansas City batters as he was his own teammates.
"He doesn't have to be so worried about throwing the ball inside,'' Fossas said.
That's a great mindset for a pitcher to have.
Adrenaline may have added some zip to his fastball but Chapman insisted he wasn't showing off.
"I wasn't trying to throw any harder,'' he said. "I was just working on throwing pitches. If I did (hit 102), it was just one of those things.''
Easy gas. Easy future.
As was true for Bruce Springsteen when Landau wrote his 1974 tribune in Rolling Stone, the hard work for Chapman was getting here. The next chapter, the one on the big stage, will be pure fun.