NY YANKEES: WHAT TO DO WITH AROLDIS CHAPMAN?
NY YANKEES: WHAT TO DO WITH AROLDIS CHAPMAN?
By: Matthew Blittner
DEMOTE HIM!
No more excuses! No more misguided loyalty! No more anything!
It's time to make a move. The Yankees need to remove Aroldis Chapman from the closer's role if they wish to make any sort of run this season.
Chapman, once the premiere closer in baseball, is now a shell of his former-self, and that's putting it lightly.
For the second time in as many appearances, Chapman gave up a home run to a rookie.
Sunday night it was a game-tying blast to Red Sox rookie Rafael Devers. Tonight, it was a two-run shot off the bat of Mets' rookie Amed Rosario that took a 5-2 Yankees lead and turned it into a 5-4 nail-biter.
Chapman recorded his 16th save in 20 chances, but it's what he did during the save that inspired this article.
A closer cannot be serving up home runs on a golden platter to the opposition. As YES Network announcer David Cone pointed out, "Chapman's fastball, which was getting a swing-and-miss rate of 19% throughout his career, has fallen to a 12% swing-and-miss rate this season."
When a fastball pitcher -- who routinely throws the pitch in excess of 100mph -- gets hit on a consistent basis, it's worth wondering what's wrong?
His slider doesn't slide -- there's no depth to it -- and his heater can no longer survive on its' own. Yes Aroldis suffered a shoulder injury earlier this season. Yes it appears that he injured himself on the last out of the save tonight. But whether he's hurt or not, this needs to be the last time he pitches in a save situation for a long, long time.
Joe Girardi, the most misguided manager in the MLB, cannot defend his pitcher anymore. There can't be any further quotes -- like his comment in the New York Post -- stating that, "He's my closer."
Girardi needs to wake up and see the reality that is smacking him in the face. He has a pitcher who is hurting the team. The Yanks are slipping in the AL East race and have a barely existent lead in the AL Wild Card race.
They cannot afford to lose many more games, let alone blow leads in games that they should win.
The time is now Girardi, remove Chapman from the closer's role and install either David Robertson or Dellin Betances as the new closer. Both have experience in pitching the 9th-inning, and both are All-Stars.
The Yankees have a newly revamped bullpen. The embarrassment of riches that the team possesses -- Robertson, Betances, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Adam Warren, and Chapman -- is one of the best bullpens that can be put together on paper.
It's time for Girardi to stop ignoring a problem that can derail the Yanks' season. Chapman is in the first-year of a five-year deal, and maybe you can salvage the remainder of that contract. But in the here and now, that contract needs to be forgotten and Chapman needs to be removed from the closer's role and treated like any other pitcher.
WAKE UP GIRARDI! It's time to win, and Chapman no longer gives you the best chance to do that!
It's time for a change. Not tomorrow, but today. It's time for the Yankees to save their season, and the only way to do that is to remove Chapman from the closer's role for the foreseeable future.
Girardi needs to wake up and see the reality that is smacking him in the face. He has a pitcher who is hurting the team. The Yanks are slipping in the AL East race and have a barely existent lead in the AL Wild Card race.
They cannot afford to lose many more games, let alone blow leads in games that they should win.
The time is now Girardi, remove Chapman from the closer's role and install either David Robertson or Dellin Betances as the new closer. Both have experience in pitching the 9th-inning, and both are All-Stars.
The Yankees have a newly revamped bullpen. The embarrassment of riches that the team possesses -- Robertson, Betances, Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, Adam Warren, and Chapman -- is one of the best bullpens that can be put together on paper.
It's time for Girardi to stop ignoring a problem that can derail the Yanks' season. Chapman is in the first-year of a five-year deal, and maybe you can salvage the remainder of that contract. But in the here and now, that contract needs to be forgotten and Chapman needs to be removed from the closer's role and treated like any other pitcher.
WAKE UP GIRARDI! It's time to win, and Chapman no longer gives you the best chance to do that!
It's time for a change. Not tomorrow, but today. It's time for the Yankees to save their season, and the only way to do that is to remove Chapman from the closer's role for the foreseeable future.
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