You know when it is just your time. You worked hard for this moment. You dreamed of finally making it to the top and you get there. You feel like you are invincible. Then you let it all go to your head. And suddenly, you are not who you used to be. So you try and reinvent yourself. But you still aren't there anymore but you act like you are. But in reality, just like that, your moment has passed. This is how I see Aroldis Chapman. He worked hard. He threw hard. And now his time as a dominant closer for this New York Yankees is over.
"In his first outing in five-plus weeks, Chapman walked all three batters he faced before getting pulled in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 13-4 win over the Guardians in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday at Progressive Field," reported The New York Post. It's like Chapman forgot how to pitch. He just does not have his moxie anymore. And the trouble is— it is more mental than physical for Chapman.
“It’s just like, he’s gotta get out there and almost not think in terms of not throwing the ball but just trusting it and letting it rip and then let the results fall where they may,” Boone said between games. “I think he’s guarding against making sure he doesn’t throw a ball, and that’s similar to the mindset I talk a lot about hitters — ‘I want to get a hit,’ and that gets you in trouble. Maybe a little bit similar on the mound. But I think he’s healthy,” reported The Post.
Chapman has been no stranger to the IL since becoming a Yankee. He seems to make a trip every few months during the regular season. This last stint was for an Achilles injury, which he is recovering from, but his mindset is going to take a lot more time, time that perhaps the Yankees are not really interested in investing in anymore for their once-dominant closer.
"A healthy and right Chapman would give them quite the arsenal, but that's no sure thing at this point. He's 34 years old and hasn't proven himself reliable this season," reported CBS Sports.
Do the Yankees move on from Aroldis Chapman after this season? Yes. He will be 35 years old and traditionally the Yankees will go year to year with older players based on performance. His performance has just not lived up to expectations and since they have been able to replace Chapman in the bullpen with guys like Clay Holmes and Michael King, why do they need Chapman? At the start of the season in April, Chapman shared that the Yankees haven’t approached him about an extension and that he’d like to stay in pinstripes. Chapman is set to be a free agent at the season’s end and in my mind, his time has just run out.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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