I was already blown away when I heard that Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman clocked in at 102mph on the radar gun back in March. The amount of people on the planet who can throw 100mph or greater is scarce, and even still, 102 is going pretty well beyond 100. But 105? I didn’t think that was possible. At least if you weren’t driving a car.
FanHouse MLB reporter Ed Price says Chapman hit 105 in his Triple-A game Friday night and sat at 103mph. That’s so absurd it actually has me worried. My first inclination is to believe that the radar gun was juiced up and giving out high readings. Even if it were, throwing 103mph is ridiculous. I honestly don’t believe our appendages were meant to do that and have that much strain. Any wonder why Joel Zumaya’s arm fell off and Strasburg’s elbow gave out? Throwing that kind of heat is not good for the body.
Chapman’s accomplishment also signifies an athletic change in baseball. Much like in football and track, bigger, stronger, and faster players keep developing. We’re reaching athletic levels that were previously unthinkable. 15 years ago, there were maybe two or three guys who could hit triple digits. Between guys like Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Verlander, Strasburg, Zumaya, Matt Lindstrom, Billy Wagner, Felix Hernandez, Bobby Parnell, Bobby Jenks and probably a few others, the list of 100mph pitchers is growing.
If you’re wondering why pitching has been dominating this year, aside from drug testing, the development of hard-throwing pitchers has played a huge role. Chapman will be up with Cincinnati in September. Sucks to be a hitter.
