Chapman welcomes the company in high-velo club

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Baseball, as you may have heard, is now in the age of ultra-velocity. Triple-digit readings on the radar gun used to accompany a double take, like, “Could that be right?”

There is a science to much of it, as pitchers go to analytics labs and training facilities in the offseason to get their deliveries dissected in an effort to determine how to max out. And most Major League clubs have support staff that will help pitchers to keep those velos up during the season.

Then there is lefty Aroldis Chapman, entering his first season with the Red Sox at the age of 36.

Not only did Chapman start MLB’s heatwave from the mound, but he can still reach back for high-octane gas when he needs it.

One of the main areas the Red Sox identified on their offseason shopping list was more velocity, especially in the bullpen.

Fittingly, they signed the original velo king in Chapman to lead that quest.

On Sept. 24, 2010, making the 11th appearance of his career, Chapman fired a 105.8 mph heater that is still the fastest pitch thrown by anyone in the pitch tracking era (since 2008).

Once the member of a nearly exclusive club, Chapman doesn’t mind that he now has company. But he worries about pitchers sacrificing health for speed.

“I feel like a lot of the injuries that happen are because guys are taking their body to the very limit,” Chapman said. “And I just try to monitor those things so that I don't force it.”

For Chapman, the heat comes from his whip-like arm action and a sculpted body he works hard to maintain. His 6-4, 235-pound frame doesn’t hurt either.

Only three times in Chapman’s lengthy career has he gone on the injured list due to an arm issue. And none of those were long-term injuries.

“I take pride in taking care of my body, taking care of my arm,” Chapman said. “I take care of those two things, as if they were gold, and when I'm on the mound, I try not to take my arm to the limit."

It is fascinating to look at Chapman’s career in stages.

In the first five seasons of his career (2010-14, including postseason), Chapman threw 1,367 pitches at 100 mph or harder. The next-closest pitcher over that span was Kelvin Herrera with 543, which was less than half of Chapman’s triple-digit output. Only 14 pitchers threw 100 pitches at 100 mph over those five years.

During Stage 2, from 2015-19, Chapman threw 1,979 pitches at 100 or harder. Jordan Hicks was second best at 884. There were 15 pitchers in total who reached 100 mph at least 100 times over that span, so not a big change from Chapman’s first five years.

Over Chapman’s last five seasons, he has become less of a novelty, but impressive for his lasting power.

From 2020-24, Chapman fired 770 pitches that made the radar gun light up at 100 or more. He relinquished his crown in Stage 3, ranking fourth. Emmanuel Clase took the crown with 1,199, with Jhoan Duran taking the silver at 1,145 and Hicks grabbing the bronze at 823. Twenty-nine pitchers threw at least 100 pitches at 100 mph or more, nearly doubling he previous five-year increment.

Of course, velocity isn’t the be-all, end-all. Even as he reaches perhaps the final few years of his career, Chapman realizes he needs to be more consistent than he’s been the last couple of seasons to be that lights-out lefty.

“I've been working on what has been my weak point, which is just control,” Chapman said. “Having better command is something that I'm coming into this year really focusing on and working on, but I want to test it out in games and see how it looks.”

The author of 335 career saves, Chapman is in competition with Liam Hendriks and Justin Slaten to break camp as Boston’s closer.

But he isn’t worked up about his role. Chapman would like to add a third World Series trophy to his collection and keep putting the uniform on for as long as his lightning bolt of a left arm will allow him to.

“This is a game that I've played since I was a kid, a game that I've loved, and it's what keeps bringing me back, just the ability to keep playing this game,” Chapman said.

Not to mention his ability to keep up with his expanding number of peers in the high-velo game.

“As long as I’m able to, I want to keep going,” Chapman said.