Aroldis Chapman: Mr. Untouchable

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Reds relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The Reds are looking for a much needed pitcher to fill out their rotation, because after Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo, there isn't much left. The current Reds rotation has a combined ERA of 3.98 which is weighs down their team ERA of 3.27, 4th best in the National League. The eight pitchers who have thrown in relief for the Reds have combined for 4 of the Reds' 14 losses, while the starting lineup attributes for 10 (9 coming from the 3,4,5 starters). So what should the Reds do with Aroldis Chapman? In my (and Adam's) opinion, they should make Chapman the closer.

For those who are unfamiliar with Aroldis Chapman, he is a 24 year-old, left-handed relief pitcher, who left it all behind in Cuba so he could come to the United States to play baseball. Chapman holds the Major League record for fastest ball thrown at 105 mph, which he has almost broken his own record several times. This season Aroldis has pitched 14 2/3 innings with 2 wins, 25 strikeouts, and an ERA of "0.00." After losing Ryan Madson as their official closer, the Reds are now in a position where they are struggling to find a definite closer, but have one right in front of their eyes. Chapman! Not many players can hit a 100 mph fastball, a dirty slider, and then a 82 mph changeup leaves hitters scratching their heads.

If the Reds put Chapman in the starting rotation, they're asking for a lot of trouble. This season there has been some success in the relief pitcher to starter transition. Pitchers like Neftali Feliz, Lance Lynn, and Chris Sale are all adjusting well into the new role, but success stories aren't always the case. Jeff Samardzija and Daniel Bard are struggling in their new roles, but when you play for the Cubs and Red Sox respectively, your managers really might not have a choice. My favorite example of the untouchable middle-relief pitcher to starter was Joba Chamberlain who has a lifetime 1.94 ERA as a relief pitcher, and a 4.58 ERA as a starter. Ouch. But if the Reds do decide to place Chapman in the starting lineup, he'll probably strain something in the first three innings. Starting pitchers don't throw their fastball 100 mph consistently, not since the "Big Unit" did in the Kingdome back in the '90s. So if the Reds front office ends up reading this: Make. Chapman. The. Closer.