The Cincinnati Reds have seemingly come out of nowhere this season to surprise a lot of people. Led by a talented mixture of youngsters and veterans, they lead the National League Central Division by eight games and are looking for their first playoff birth since 1995.
While Joey Votto continues to make his run at the Triple Crown, (the season leader in home runs, runs batted in and batting average) something that has not been done since 1967, one of the newest Reds is the one in the spotlight. His name is Aroldis Chapman.
The 22-year-old Cuban prospect was granted free agent status last year and the Reds signed him to a six-year contract back in February. Chapman first broke on to the pitching scene for Cuba at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Despite spending almost the entire year in the minors, Chapman got his call up at the end of August and made his big league debut as a reliever on Tuesday.
So what is so special about this youngster that has gone unseen by both players and fans alike?
He has an arm that can bring the heat!
According to MLB scouts, while Chapman was pitching for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, he was clocked throwing 105 mph on two separate occasions, with accuracy. If he could do that in the Major Leagues it would be the fastest pitch ever seen.
The fastest recorded pitch ever thrown, according to the Baseball Almanac came on October 10, 2006. It was clocked at 104.8 mph and was thrown by Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum.
On Wednesday he hit 103 mph on the radar gun two separate times on his way to his first Major League win, when the Reds rallied to a 6-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
I'm really happy to have my first win,'' Chapman told Sports Illustrated through a translator. " I'm very proud of it. I didn't have any expectations about coming to the major leagues. I just wanted to get here and stay here.
It is not quite clear as to why Chapman was brought up so late in the season. Perhaps the Reds thought he was ready, or were overwhelmingly impressed by his minor league stints. No matter what the reason, keep an eye on this kid and you might just see the fastest pitch MLB has ever seen.
