Regardless of his known postseason struggles, with his powerful fastball, two-time World Series champion closer Aroldis Chapman always finds a way to come back strong after a bad outing. Fresh off of winning a World Series championship with the Texas Rangers, Chapman is a gleeful free agent, knowing they’ll hand him the big bucks when he draws interest from a team. Today is that day, as Chapman has just signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 0ne-year, $10.5 million deal.
Aroldis Chapman has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Pirates, per source. @francysromeroFR and @Joelsherman1 were on it.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 23, 2024
Now, the Pirates have an established 14-season veteran on the roster; they can make some noise in 2024. He’s been one of the best closers of the 2010s, even with his playoff endeavors, and could make a career resurgence with his new team.
Aroldis Chapman is a Pirate
Throughout his career, Chapman has always been a hard-throwing pitcher. In 2023, he threw his sinker on average at 101.1 MPH, while his fastball averaged an even 99 MPH. His sinker and fastball’s quickest speed topped out at nearly 104 MPH. That is almost unheard of for a 35-year-old pitcher to throw that fast. Aroldis threw three out of his four pitches in the strike zone about 50 percent of the time. The two-time World Series champions’ split-finger pitch, his least used pitch, hit the strike zone 47 percent of the time and averaged a top speed of 94.9 MPH.
The Two-Time World Series champion 2023 Stats
Last season, on June 30th, Aroldis was traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Texas Rangers. He put up a 6-4 record through 61 appearances on the mound. In 58 innings, Chapman had a 3.09 ERA with 103 strikeouts. Over the years, he hasn’t had as many save opportunities as he used to. Aroldis Chapman recorded just six saves in 2023. During the 2023 postseason, Chapman pitched eight innings through nine games, allowing two runs on seven hits, five walks, and six strikeouts, all with a 2.25 ERA.
Main Photo Credits: Joe Rondone/Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
