Aroldis Chapman threw 104 mph tonight in his second – and second dominant – big league appearance. The Cuban lefty struck out 12 batters per nine at Triple A in his pro debut this year and when the Reds promoted him, Chapmania ensued.
It wasn't long ago that Stephen Strasburg was the hard-throwing prospect making headlines and overpowering big leaguers. The Nationals right-hander famously struck out 14 in his major league debut en route to a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 as a rookie. But Strasburg's season ended early; he'll undergo Tommy John surgery this week and will likely miss the entire 2011 season.
Like Chapman, Strasburg is under control through 2016, but neither pitcher will come cheap. Taking into account Strasburg's injury and Chapman's control issues, let's ask a difficult question:
Would you rather have Stephen Strasburg or Aroldis Chapman going forward?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Strasburg. He’s shown he can be a legit starter (might even be considered ace now).
I don’t know if Chapman is durable enough to become a starter and he’s still got some control issues.
Durable??? Isn’t Strasburg getting Tommy John?? Just curious.
I think he means durable as in being able to got 5+ innings without losing command of his pitches.
that’s stamina
Worked for Chris Carpenter and Josh Johnson.
shawn marcum and john smoltz!
Tommy John!!!! It worked for him!
Well thanks for clarifying that for me! I don’t think Strasburg will return and not be seccessful. However do you really think that Chapman couldn’t gain better command of his pitches?? You’re kidding yourself! I truly believe that Strasburg falls in the same position if he continues to throw 90-92mph curveballs.
Chapman, He’s not hurt or undergoing major surger with an 18mos recovery time
Strasburg.. how can you even make a case against him? The Tommy John surgery? Considering how many top pitchers have it, I wouldn’t think too much of it.
Right, because 104 is nothing.
Throwing harder doesn’t automatically make you successful. Strasburg has good command of his stuff while Chapman is still working that out and he’s durable (Tommy John surgery was just a freak accident).
no…but your comment makes the assumption that strasburg is not just as capable if he were to pitch just an inning
Second time you’ve come at me like I am 10 years old.
He doesn’t throw 104.. Joel Zumaya never threw 104, its a juiced gun.
Come on. It was 104
ha juiced gun? only the imagination of a 10 year old could think of something like that
Strasburg. Chapman throws harder, but he has no idea where his pitches are going. His minor league ERA was mediocre and his BB/9 was awful. He looks like Jesus now, but he’ll have some gigantic blowup sometime before the season ends.
Umm….he was coming from Cuba not an established college program. He was also left in the minors to work on his pitches. He has learned control in the bullpen (why his BB/9 are skewed right now). He has thrown 19 pitches in the majors. 16 for strikes and is almost effortlessly hitting 100+ on the radar.
And how is missing 18 months better than having a blow up?
Because my point is that Strasburg is a better pitcher, and the question is “Who would you want over the course of the next 5-6 years?” Chapman is gonna end up being a hard throwing reliever with no control. Those grow on trees.
I could just as easily say that about Stras coming off his surgery.
Yeah some guys come back and look great, others have not.
Name some TJ guys who have come back and have been worse? There aren’t many and I can’t think of one. In fact most guys come back throwing harder than before.
Edinson Volquez and Bill Bray. And that is just the team I follow.
In fairness to Volquez he hasn’t had a real chance since TJ to prove himself (only 70 innings) and his velocity is still there just command isn’t. Plus according to pitchFX his movement is about the same too. No clue on Bray. Not sure how good of a pitcher he was before.
70 innings is over 1/3 of a season for almost all starters. any more time and he hurts the team overall.
Maybe Volquez needs to get back on PEDS?
You mean PEDinson.
Yeah cause Dodgers fan can talk like none of there players done it right? most recently ala Manny Ramirez and his women fertilty drugs. Volquez was for having childeren. I cant talk about my other team the yankees either cause i know they have steroid users but your acting like your team hasnt have anybody done em.
…because the jury is already out on Volquez after a handful of starts?
Francisco Liriano hasn’t been the same player since Tommy John he’s starting to get back to a good form but its nothing like he was when he first came up to the big leagues, he had an amazing rookie campaign that year.
really? you honestly expect liriano to put up the numbers he put up that year? thats like being disappointed the felix hernandez doesn’t have a ERA in the ones because that is what he did his rookie year. lets be realistic
B.J. Ryan. His Tommy John didn’t exactly work out…
Jesse Litsch hasn’t exactly been lighting it up either… though the results are still early on this one (5.79 in 9 starts this year, hurt his hip and is out another 4-6 months).
Kerry Wood
They don’t come back throwing harder than before, it’s just that before surgery, they were throwing slower than they usually could with their sore arms.
Jesse Foppert was a Giants prospect and a first-round pick who wasn’t the same after TJ. Had half of a season in the majors, was sporadically effective during that time.
nothing about that delivery says “effortlessly”
Chapman’s fastball has registered 105 on numerous radar guns, and as my friend Keith Law (among many others) says, the amazing part is how easy it looks. There is no violence at all in his motion; he’s like the anti-Bob Gibson in that way. Just a slow beginning, a fluid motion, and BLAMMO the ball just fires out like the Batmobile rolling out of the cave.
This is from the article wrote by Joe Posnanski. If I’m not mistaken he and his friends have been around the game a little longer than you! People don’t say the same sh*t about someone without there being some truth! Thanks for playing Fairyman!
Chapman actually had a very good BB/9 after he became a reliever. But if it’s a question between a legit #1 starter when healthy and a guy who may have to be a reliever you have to go Strasburg.
When you throw 104 MPH, it doesn’t matter where your pitches are going.
Actually it does matter because if he doesn’t have control they will watch pitch after pitch after pitch go by, if you think he had high walk numbers in the minors most likely they will only go up in the majors due to the hitters being much more patient and disciplined. Any team that has players who are patient and take many walks could and probably would eat him alive. And if you throw the fastball every time, the batters will catch up to it eventually be it a year or two or three after he enters the league, but the hitters will start hitting him. His off-speed pitches aren’t as good as Strasburg’s, and two pitches usually doesn’t translate to success in the MLB. Strasburg has electric everything and if he can get that back after surgery than he is a bit of a no-brainer over Chapman. Also Joel Zumaya threw it 102, 103, and 104 many times and hitters have found ways to hit him.
Buzzkill.
If it were any other injury that TJ surgery and Chapman proved he had command as a starter I would go Chapman but it still has to be Strasburg since Chapman has been mediocre as a starter.
A biased Chapman. Control can (should) get better. Until Strasburg comes back healthy and shows that he can stay healthy, I’d gladly take Chapman.
I gotta go with the lefty here. Also Chapman’s arm wasn’t run into the ground before signing
I’d say the fact that he’s a lefty does it enough. With those two plus pitches he is just begging to be the Reds’ future closer. Even though Jocketty said he’s gonna start long-term, his stuff is closer stuff.
Give Dusty some time.
How many pitchers has Dusty actually “wrecked”? And how long ago was that? I’m no huge Baker fine, but I think this old line of thinking is kind of tired.
You and me both this argument makes me so mad because honestly its non sense and its just a way of bashing baker
And I liked what fangraphs said in their chat today. Someone asked the chances of chapman getting hurt and he asked how many starters throwing 100+ have gone their entire career without surgery and couldn’t name any. Then he brought up the problem of being a starter throwing 100+. It isn’t possible pretty much if you want to be able to throw 200 innings. Even Felix Hernandez threw pitches at 98 max when he got to the majors but he gave up some velocity for good control. So the fact he throws 100 is great and all but that is only good if you want him to be a reliever. And I still take 1 year of Strasburg over 1 yr+ 18 months of any reliever.
Nolan Ryan seemed to log a few innings. The Big Unit. Clemens. They may not have gotten to 100MPH but they were darn close and threw thousands upon thousands of innings.
Nolan Ryan is a freak of nature, same with Johnson. Clemens was a horse.. then who knows what happen in Toronto.
Those are HoFers and exceptions, not the rule.
Justin Verlander hits 100mph pretty often, throws a ton of innings, and has never been on the DL. Granted he is still pretty young, but if he had some glaring flaw in his delivery he surely would have been toast by now.
Wasn’t he shut down with arm fatigue at one point though?
Strasburg. People can’t forget he’ll still be only 23 heading into the 2012 season, and his stuff is far more electric than Chapman, plus he has shown almost pinpoint control. Yes Chapman can throw hard, but unless he can develope secondary pitches with control and can last 7 innings, I don’t see him being a great starter in the MLB.
Chapman is only 22.
Have you not seen his slider? Oh yeah, he isn’t having TJ
yeah he’s still young and can very well develop into a top starter.. but he is no where near as complete as stras as far as control and knowing the game.
Agree 100%
I still think Chapman could be a top starter in MLB, but he is not even close to Strasburg in how he controls his stuff. I’d say that if Strasburg comes back 100% (which many pitchers in similar situations to him have been able to do), he is far more of a guarantee than Chapman
Have you not seen the slider he throws??? The thing I worry about is what’s going to happen next season after he throws winter ball this offseason to gain command of his pitches.
yea, this poll won’t be swayed by strasburg being on the shelf for 12-18 months. 😛
I think what sways me is the fact that in 18 months Aroldis still likely won’t be a legit starter in the majors. He still needs development while Strasburg is the complete package even though he had TJ. Last post from me tonight.
strasburg for sure.i love chapmans ability to throw 105 on the radar gun coming from the left side but he hasnt proven anything in the majors yet as strasburg has.i think once chapmans control gets better which it probally will,he could potentially be better then strasburg but im going with proven in this situation
i seem to remember an article where it stated coming out of high school strasburg was a fat whiny kid and that why he he was overlooked by almost all college programs. granted people change but I will always keep that in the back of my mind. Have heard no such stories about chapman
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/M…
I don’t think anyone can make an intelligent choice here. Stras is more developed than Chapman but I would come back and say Chapman has more room to grow and develop. Also, Stras is out and NO ONE can really say for sure what he will be coming back and whether or not he will be the same pitcher. We can look at the success stories all we want and I’m sure we can point out guys who struggled when they returned. I would have zero problem with either.
Even though it’s an obvious point, well said.
Agree with the guy above they both have the makings of great pitchers for years and years to come, and though I like Strasburg more because of his seasoning, I would not be suprised at all if they are 1 and 2 in CYA voting a couple of years down the road.
Chapman has pitched TWO INNINGs! Strasburg has pitched more innings and been more dominate. Chapman pitched against the Brewers in September, he still has a lot to prove.
If you’re going to entertain the conversation then don’t you almost have to throw the fact that Chap has pitched 2 innings as opposed to however many Stras has thrown out the window? I get what you mean in terms of having more chances to evaluate Stras as opposed to Chap but you pretty much have to avoid that thought and go by their potential I think.
Not at all. I see the fact that people are already calling him the next big thing after he has only pitched two innings is just ludicrous. He may be better in the long run, and I wish him the best in doing so, but as of now you just cannot say Chapman is better because of the competition he has faced. He has dominated lesser competition, at least wait until he plays a playoff contender, or see how he is in the playoffs. If he pulls an ’07 David Price and helps the Reds get to the world series by being dominant in the playoffs, then I think you can start this conversation again and maybe argue for Chapman.
Strasburg had 14k’s against the Pirates. Going by your way of thinking then Strasburg won’t be any better than say Ted Lilly or Randy Wolf.
Oh really. How many time have Lilly or Wolf K’d 14 against any team, including the Pirates? In fact, how many times have they K’d 14 in the minor leagues?
Lilly had 11 against the Rockies this year! I’m pretty sure they’re better than the Pirates.
Neither Strasburg has already been overused and now needs Tommy John surgery, and with Aroldis Chapman in Dusty Baker’s hands he is screwed too
How was he overused? He was babied yet it happened. Just a freak accident. It doesn’t have to happen because he got overworked and in this case, it didn’t.
PARDON ME IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RANT FOR IT HAS NOTHING TO DO W/ CHAPMAN OR STRASBURG. HOWEVER, I HAVE NO OTHER AVENUE TO VENT. SORRY….
As a side note aimed towards Nats fans. Is it me or are people unfairly critical of Nyjer Morgan’s events vs the Marlins? I mean seperate the incident in St. Louis (not sure why he ran into the C but no players really made a big deal of it during the game even though LaRussa got on him afterwards). Forget about the ball allegedly thrown at the fan (I haven’t seen it but some say he just tossed it at a fan who asked for a ball and he throw it over the kids head and hit someone not paying attention). The play vs the Marlins C was not a dirty play. The C is the one wearing the face mask, chin guards, etc. He was standing on the plate in an attempt to keep Morgan from scoring. Could he have slid? Yeah but it’s a split second decision and he can’t see where the ball is he just knows that a throw has been made and the C is going to catch. What makes that play dirty vs any other play where a C is blocking the plate and the RUNNER ends up getting the worst of it? Aside from the that, the very next chance they get they hit (the next game) Morgan gets hit and, w/o issue, takes his place at 1st. His team is DOWN by 10 NOT up by 10 and he steals 2nd, 3rd and scored on a sac fly. HOW IN THE WORLD DOES ANYONE (AARON BOONE ON ESPN) SAY THAT IS UNPROFESSIONAL AND POOR SPORTSMANSHIP???????? His team is DOWN by 10 in the 4th NOT up by town. Regardless, he scores to make it 15-4 or 15-5 or something and eventually his team makes a comeback and it ends up being 15-10 at the end of the 7th. HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THAT NYJER WAS “BUSH LEAGUE” FOR SINGLE HANDEDLY TAKING A PURPOSE HBP AND INSTEAD OF FIGHTING HE TURNS INTO 2 STOLEN BASES AND A RUN SCORED ON A SAC FLY. Isn’t that scrappy? Isn’t that answering his opponent thru tough play? Instead he’s accused of “padding his numbers” and not caring about his team. THEY WERE DOWN BY 11 RUNS AND HE SCORED A RUN FOR THEM W/O THE BENEFIT OF A HIT!!!!! Now whether or not he overreacted is a matter of opinion. The ball wasn’t thrown at his head but obviously it was in reaction to the 2 stolen bases and the bad feelings from the night before. However, almost all ballplayers overreact now a days to balls that don’t even hit them (see Jose Bautista, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkillis, etc).
Like I said, forget the other incidents because it has nothing to do with the Marlins. Why are people killing Morgan in the media when he was the guy thrown at twice???? Honestly, if he were a “tough”, “scrappy”, “grinder” blue collar player (substitute whatever baseball cliche’ you want to use for “those” types) would we (or I) be having this conversation?
Wait, what happened in the Marlins game? Did he tackle the catcher? Because runners used to do that all the time. I have an old video game in which the default slide into home on a close play features a graphic of the runner bowling over the catcher. That’s how acceptable that used to be. I’m honestly a little surprised it doesn’t happen much anymore…
Yesterday Morgan was trying to score and the Marlins C was standing on the plate waiting to catch the inbound throw. Instead of trying to slide or go around the plate and try to tag the plate w/ his hand he crashed into the C and seperated the C’s shoulder. Mind you, Morgan stands all of 5’7 and weighs all of 170 lbs soaking wet with a brick in each pocket while the C is bigger and wearing a helmet and pads. Somehow people are calling the play dirty. I mean I almost think there’s some sort of bias against the kid.
I thought it was cool that he stole 2 bases and tagged up but it was a stupid move(for the team). i like that he wanted to send a message but at that time his run meant virtually nothing and if he was thrown out in any of those plays his error in judgment would have been very obvious.
For me, everything was fine until Nyjer decided to raise his hands going off the field and shouting towards the fans. You have to be more professional than that. I did not have a problem with him stealing and then scoring. If that was anything, it was bad baseball knowledge. From what I get by Riggs’ interview, he didn’t ask morgan to steal. And I believe not many managers would do that because you try to get as many baserunners as possible in such blowout games if you trying to make a comeback and wait for a big hit. He could’ve been caught stealing and then the chance for scoring is gone. Good thing he was able to score. Like I said, no problem with that. But charging the mound, starting this whole mess, and especially the way he acted towards the fans. That’s not professional attitude.
Like I said, Nyjer was thrown at and hit once, thrown at a 2nd time. How did he incite anything? He tried to score on a play at the plate. The kid is an ex-hockey player and obviously has a “little man” issue so he plays extra hard. The play at the plate wasn’t dirty. The C was standing ON the plate and wearing protection. When a C stands on the plate he’s inviting physical contact and I have ZERO problem with it. It happened to Cervelli in a ST training game the knocked him out for most of the season. Yanks fans were upset but I didn’t see anybody calling the player dirty for that. And then Nyjer pulled a page from the Jackie Robinson book of “how to get even” (and no I’m certainly not comparing Nyjer to JR). Instead of charging the mound the 1st time he was hit he saw they weren’t holding him on and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd and ended up scoring on a shallow flyball to short center. WHO WROTE THE IDOTIC RULE THAT AN OPPOSING PLAYER SHOULDN’T STEAL A BASE WHEN DOWN BY 10 WITH 5 INNINGS TO GO??? Was it risky? Of course? Did it show balls and did he end up helping his team out? Absolutely. Had that been Brett Gardner or Dustin Pedroia then he would’ve been called a “tough, scrappy, grinder”. Baseball is so much of an “old boys club” it’s almost become sickening. I love baseball but listening to Aaron Boone, Skip Bayless, and others talk about how bad a move it was for him to do the same things that made Pete Rose a legendary bench mark for a hustle, hard nosed player has the stench of something I don’t want to call it. Nyjer is the little runt that played World Junior hockey and he obviously plays hard. Was the taunting of the crowd a little extra after the fight? Probably? Does it make him the “out of control thug” people are portraying him to be? I think not. I even heard Skip bayless say that he should’ve taken his 1st HBP and just stayed on 1st base and taken his punishment and showed some remorse…….really? Take your punishment and show remorse for trying to score for your team to win an extra inning game the day before and then to score a run the next day when your team is down by 10?
I want to say first does any one know exactly how old Chapman really is? Is it really a fact that he is that age? I gotta say Strasburg because he comes from a country where he is well documented and not a mystery. He is down with surgery yes but he is gonna be back. Look no further than Josh Johnson. As for Liriano, I think he was so dominant because he was snapping his slider more than his elbow was physically able to do. The surgery isn’t going to make your arm do things it is not suppose to do in the first place. I think that Strasburg has the mental toughness and physical will to come back to the best of his abilities after the recovery. Also I think a right hander is much more valuable than a lefty because they (lefties) are a dime a dozen where ace right handers are scarce.
“Also I think a right hander is much more valuable than a lefty because they (lefties) are a dime a dozen where ace right handers are scarce.”
Umm.. I think you have it backwards. There are A LOT more RHP than LHP.
Yeah, lefties are far more rare than righties overall, not completely sure what the spread of aces are based on pitching arm, but they are still more valuable.
You see, the reason a left handed pitcher is more valuable, because you may not know, is because most hitters (non platoon, situational players), for example, Miguel Cabrera has almost three times as many at bats vs righties.
All that aside, I’d be very happy with Aroldis the next 5-6 years, he’s already shown he can pitch against elite competition, and he’s not currently injured.
yea….that last sentence might have been the most idiotic thing i have ever read on this site
I guess what I was trying to say is that shut down ace right handers are more scarce than lefties. Besides Lincecum and Felix how many ace righties can you name. I guess you can throw Wainwright and Josh Johnson in there too. I must say if you think that is the most idiotic thing you read on this site you must not get on here much. Pretty fooking rude thing to say too by the way.
Neftali Feliz.
I’m going to say this right now: I will never be impressed simply by how fast someone can throw a pitch. Not impressed with Strasburg throwing 99, not impressed with Chapman throwing 104. The action on Strasburg’s curve ball? That’s pretty impressive. Can either of them learn to pitch consistently and well over the full course of a major league career? That remains to be seen.
Nobody has even come close to making solid contact on a foul ball…let alone putting the ball in play. Mario Soto has taught many reds pitchers a plus change and he has been working on that. You match that up with the greatest fastball baseball has ever seen and a Plus-Plus slider that has proven to be his put away pitch.
This guy has the arsenal to be the next Randy Johnson. The beauty of his stuff is that he can get away with missing the plate because guys will swing at more stuff off the plate. He still needs control, but not as much as a guy like Greg Maddux needed to have. As long as he can work ahead in the count, he will be untouchable. The only thing that can get in his way are walks.
i could see ardolis chapman almost becoming another oliver perez. when ollie first came up he had electric stuff but his control was so piss poor that batters learned to sit on certain pitches and started raking against him. im not saying chapman will be a bust but i do see similarities that could lead to him faltering if they arent fixed
I think the Reds should probably avoid using the slider so much with Chapman early in his carreer, no matter how much break or tilt it has to it. He’s Tommy John Surgery waiting to happen if it keeps using it like that. I suggest after his stint as a releiver, put him as a starter, and have him work out command issues in the minors, and of course set the innings limit. That’s how the Mariners handled Felix Hernandez and look what a great pitcher he has become. If voters didn’t care about win-loss record, he would have the Cy Young by a landslide. I’m sure Chapman can be a top starting pitcher for the Reds, if they handle him the right way. He has to learn control of his Fastball, and Changeup to be more succesfull, and mix in curveballs. It would also be good if Chapman can add sink to that fastball, make him more complete pitcher.
His changeup is still a work in progress. But all the Reds pitchers work with Mario Soto to improve their Changeups. Soto has helped Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez make their pitches better. And now they are both pretty nasty.
He does have a two-seamer that sinks but the Reds are just wanting him to focus on the location of his Fastball/Slider combo while he’s in the bullpen this year. Also to get MLB experience.
I wouldn’t let him use the slider too much when they decide to use him as a starter though.
It’s a really tough question.
For Strasburg, he’s already a polished pitcher and has proven he can be a dominant starter in the Major Leagues. But Tommy John surgery is terrifying. Some guys, like Chris Carpenter, recover and become Cy Young winners or solid pitchers (Ryan Dempster, Josh Johnson). Others, like Kerry Wood, never recover their pre-surgery form. The odds do seem to be more in favor of recovery than not, however.
Chapman, of course, has some fairly serious control problems that he will need to reign in to be an effective major-league player, whether as a starter or a reliever. Right now nobody knows him, they’ve never seen him, they’re being completely overwhelmed with some pretty overwhelming pitches. But once they start forcing him to put it in the zone there’s no telling if he does so or how successful he is. It’s also an outstanding question as to whether or not he ever learns that control and what effect it may have on his pitches even if he does. But holy hell! 104mph fastball from ANYBODY is dominating. From a lefty? Hoo boy.
If I have to choose, I’d choose Strasburg. He’s a slightly more known quantity in that he made several starts before his injury versus, what, about 30 pitches so far from Chapman? I also have more faith that he will recover strongly from TJ than I do that Chapman will find his control. And as terrible as it may be, I have to question any Latin player’s age at this point.
The reality, though, is they’re both great choices. They both have ridiculous upside and significant question marks.
I completely understand why so many people are wondering about his true age, but if you look at him up close you can tell he is not older than he says. He actually looks younger.
Honestly, I don’t think he’s lying about his age. The birth date they have for him is from his passport, I believe, which was used when he was with the Cuban team.
Actually, he’s been playing baseball under a false identity while a member of Castro’s secret police. His defection was staged, and now he’s operating under deep cover as a spy for Cuba’s government. Cincinnati, of course, is the 7th closest city with a major league baseball team to our nation’s capitol – just far away enough to avoid suspicion, but close enough to engage in espionage between series. Chapman is actually Che Guevara’s nephew’s son, and is – believe it or not – 23 years old!
There’s no problem with Cuban players lying about their age.
Don’t worry for Chapman issues control because Randy Jonhson had the same problem when it began in the MLB, He get better and will improve his control……..he have good slider, change up, huge fast ball…….What more do you want?……….I think both will have great carrer in the MLB……..I think that Strasburg will recover from his injury and I really want to believe it, I stay with that thought……….I hope so!
Strasburg, I think overall he is a better pitcher at the moment, and although he is going under the knife I guess it is just bound to happen. So many guys have TJ surgery nowadays and they come back and perform well. I like Chapman though and I do believe his control will develop he is only 21 or 22 years old right? I don’t like his delivery though. I’m no expert but the way he brings his arm back just looks uncomfortable and like it produces tension on his shoulder.
The way I see it is Chapman can become the next Randy Johnson or the next Daniel Cabrera while Strasburg can become the next Roger Clemens or the next Mark Prior.
At least with Chapman you will get innings no matter what, plus I believe he’s a bit cheaper.
What do you mean “get innings no matter what”? I hope he is a perennial 200 innings guy, but who knows at this point. He could go down tomorrow and never pick up a baseball again, not to mention, he hasn’t even started a big league game.
Not quite sure where you’re going with that statement. I don’t see any resemblance between Strasburg and Clemens whatsoever, and I agree that “get innings no matter what” statement is odd.
chapman all the way….until i hear tommy john and his name. Hes better off than strasburg tommy john a$$…tuff break big mouth, maybe harper can save you until your ready to strike dudes out in the 7th inning….i got the bullets waiting for you washington; i’ve had them for years being a cubs fan…but you might need them more than me now….who cares how old chapman is as long as hes more durable than strasburg….wrote this a little drunk, so be fair
in all fairness, has any pitcher won any awards or got there team into the playoffs/world series after tommy john????? legit????
John Smoltz?
I’ll go with Strasburg. But a lot of posters here are being very misinformed on him. He needs to fix his delivery. He will not last in this league pitching with the Inverted W. He will have non stop arm problems with the delivery. List of players who had the inverted W before changing it you might ask? Carpenter, Wainwright, Prior, Wood, Burnett, and Smoltz and lots more. notice a pattern? like those pitchers it’s not to late to change the delivery. Just hope he doesn’t get a few line drives off the elbow Prior like.
this is ridiculous.a couple weeks ago, everyone’s saying that Strasburg’s the best thing since sliced bread, and now that he’s hurt, and Chapman has two (very) good 1-inning outings, everyone jumps onto a new bandwagon.There is little doubt in my mind that Strasburg is, and always will be a better starting pitcher than Chapman.I don’t totally buy Chapman’s control, I know how well he’s pitched in his… 2 innings of work… but I’ll wait to see how he pitches this year, and next year.If Chapman stays in relieve, I could see him becoming a better version of Carlos Marmol… I have no idea how good he’ll be as a starter, especially considering his struggles in triple A as one. .Strasburg on the other hand has always had good control, and is somewhat proven to be a good starter in the majors, although now with the injury, he’ll miss the rest of this year, the entire 2011 season, and be on an innings limit in 2012, and he may struggle a little (it being his first season back from Tommy John), although it shouldn’t effect him much… it will only be in 2013 that Strasburg truly establishes himself as an elite pitcher (or a bust) Chapman however, will most likely start 2011 as a starter (on an innings limit), then he’ll have 2012 to establish himself….of course they both could take an additional year (or even two) to fully develop (although that seems unlikely at this point, but David Price is a good example)
It is just the way people work. They love the “great new thing”. A movie comes out and they watch it and it is the greatest movie ever, then another comes out a month later and it takes that title and so on. If this poll was before Chapman threw 105 and after Strasburg had TJ I think Strasburg would have won (and he should).
I’ll definitely take a healthy Strasburg! Chapman reminds me a lot of Daniel Bard except he hits over 100. Both have crazy heat and nasty sliders with decent control and are currently relievers in mlb. Strasburg has shown he can absolutely dominate with serious heat and 2 great offspeed pitches with better control as a starter in mlb!
Strasburg has also proven that he has bad mechanics.
Chapman….hard throwing lefty and that slider is so devastating…he was making righties look stupid…both still have a lot to prove though
What a ridiculous question posed on this site, so essentially you’re asking us if we’d rather have Strasburg whom is injured and will miss a considerable amount of time, or a lefty that’s throwing 100+ and is healthy….ARE YOU GUYS CURRENTLY HIRING? I could use another easy job.
You couldn’t do this job because you obviously think a injury means the end of Strasburg and the fact that Chapman throws 100+ makes him the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Strasburg has pin point control and he is about as well rounded as a young pitcher can be. He has at least 3 plus pitches. Yeah Chapman has that slider but notice how he’s just beginning, major league hitters WILL adjust to him. Also he has faced the bottom of the order in both appearances.
We’ll see but I’ll take the well rounded starter any day of the week.
Chapman + Dusty Baker = Dr Andrews is getting a new set of golf clubs
Pretty much..
Dusty Baker is old school. He comes from the age where starters throw 9 innings and all sports injuries can be healed with a little Robetussin. So Mr. Chapman if your arm feels like it’s going to fall off then suck it up and rub some ‘Tussin on it. I can see it now. (Chapman walks into his local CVS drug store) “Hola. ¿En qué isla se puede encontrar algunos Robetussin y te lo venden a granel”?
translation: “Hello. In what isle can I find some Robetussin and do you sell it in bulk”?
Chapman is going to need a wading pool full of tussin once Dusty is done with him!
All kidding aside, I read an article a year or so ago (wish I could find it again) about the physics of pitching and Chapman’s speeds are basically at the breaking point and the human limit. The torque he puts on his arm is devastating to his ligaments and tendons. I wonder if that actually had anything to do with all the big teams bowing out of the bidding on him? Hes like a ticking timebomb. Its not IF he blows out his arm, its when.
At least he will be really fun to watch while he lasts.
Please find that article!!! That’s a quite humorus statement!! He’s like a ticking timebomb. Wanna take a guess who blew first?? I’ll tell ya……Strasburg!!
As a fan of high K rate pitchers, (blasphemy, I know!) I love them both. Strasburg with his great command of all of his pitches looked great before his injury. Chapman’s slider was downright pure filth and the fastball looks like it runs in. It is rare indeed to see a pitcher touch one hundred, especially a left hander.
Just an aside, could it be that so many lefties have control/command problems because virtually their whole life they have been taught by others that are mostly right handed? I ask that question because I have a niece who is eight years old, and try as she might, she just couldn’t figure out how to tie her own shoes. Ol’ grandpa finally took her aside and taught her in about 5 minutes time. He was left handed, as was she.
Well said Sir!!