Almost two thirds of the way through the season, Chapman has proved to be a difference maker.
Since first-half 2018 Craig Kimbrel (maybe even before then), most of Red Sox Nation has been praying for a consistent closer who makes the 9th inning easy work. Experiments with Matt Barnes, Brandon Workman, Ryan Brasier, and closer by committee all felt like fails of epic proportions. Each of them either fell off the hill or never made it up to the top of the hill to begin with. Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck rotated into that committee as well, but playing around with their roles for so long seemed to have broken the peaks of each of these guys. Whitlock has finally settled in as a late-innings guy, but Houck can’t catch a break this year after a career-best 2024 in the starting rotation. Two years of Kenley Jansen were fine, but it still felt like an uphill battle most times he came out on the bump. Were we getting shutdown Kenley or meltdown Kenley? His stats look good in his tenure in Boston in hindsight, but watching him was one rollercoaster of an experience.
Well, we’ve been dreaming of days like this with Aroldis Chapman at the helm in 2025.
This feels extremely weird to say considering how many years we took advantage of Chapman as a Yankee, and what our expectations for him were coming into the season. A 37-year-old closer with fantastic velocity but extremely erratic control — would he be fixable? Would signing another old reliever to close leads lead to drama-filled 9th innings again? It turns out, the pitching lab did phenomenal work.
So what’s changed?
Primarily, they fixed Chapman’s sinker and are letting him use it. It’s no longer just a four-seam fastball at 99 and a slider in the mid-to-high-80s. Chapman how has a consistent secondary fastball that tunnels just like his four-seamer, has the same speed as his four-seamer, but instead of four inches of rise has two inches of dip. Instead of his four-seamer leaking out over the plate for a hot-and-heavy meatball, he’s been able to dial it in much more on the glove-side and use his sinker-arm side. It keeps hitters on their toes so when that slider comes, making it even more effective. The slider is far and away Chapman’s put-away pitch at 47.6% and a 52.6% whiff rate, but his sinker is second with a 27.7% put-away and an astonishing 41.7% whiff percentage. Fixing his fastballs truly has changed Chapman.
Last season, Chappy’s fastball run value was 13th percentile in the Majors; just putrid. This season so far? 93rd percentile. That’s without any change to his fastball velocity too, 98th percentile both last year and this year. His control is leading to fewer walks: 9th percentile last year to 63rd this year. His chase rate went from the 23rd percentile to 94th He’s given himself much more leeway for throwaway pitches because batters are just throwing wood in the zone and hoping they get something on it.
You wanna know when Chapman gave up his last earned run? May 27th in Milwaukee.
He’s earned all the milestones he’s hit this season: 350+ career saves and now just the third reliever to 1,300 strikeouts. He’s stared down almost every tough moment and came out on top.
Juliet encapsulated a perfect pressure moment of Chappy going up against Rafael Devers and winning that battle in San Francisco. Hot young star Elly De La Cruz? Three pitches, goodbye.
Back in Yankee Stadium—a place that used to love you that now boos you at every opportunity after joining their mortal enemies? Maybe a little drama with the spill at first base, but a save is a save.
The weight of the world on your shoulders for the first possible one-run win for the Red Sox since June 13th? He’s got it.
Aroldis Chapman has been the genuine deal for the Boston Red Sox in 2025. It’s time to give him his flowers as he heads to Atlanta as an All Star.