Towards the end of the baseball season we heard about a promising left handed pitcher from Cuba named Aroldis Chapman. Naturally, both New York teams were connected to Chapman since there were rumors of a large asking price. When first addressing Chapman, I said it was too risky for the Mets to take the risk, especially if they were working under a strict budget, but perhaps the Yankees could afford to shell out the necessary money. In the end, both teams passed and it was the Cincinnati Red signing Chapman to a 6 year $30 million dollar offer. There is no doubt Chapman is talented. He is young (22 years old), left handed, and possesses a fastball in the high nineties. This combination doesn’t exactly grow on the pitching tree. With that said, it was the right move for both local teams to stay away from the bidding.

Right now all Chapman has is potential. Some believe his lack of quality secondary pitches will eventually lead to a career in the bullpen. Scouts also worry about his maturity and makeup, always a big deal for young pitchers, more so for kids dealing with external pressures when defecting from another country. Add the language, food, and family across the globe to the equation and you are asking a great deal out of a young kid. This won’t be easy in Cincy, much less the crazed baseball city of New York.

Cincinnati is the perfect place for Chapman to master his trade. If they do the right thing, and don’t rush him, he can adjust to the big leagues in relative obscurity of the Midwest. If you look at it from the local’s point of view they can have Cincinnati develop him, after all lefthanders are known to mature late, and then bid for his services when he becomes a free agent in six years. If he is as good as advertise, you can pay top dollar for a finished product in his prime, and save the $30 million it will cost to develop him.

Some will point out the immediate success pitchers such as El Duque and Livan Hernandez. We all know those guys were far beyond their age listed on the back of the baseball card. Chapman appears, from reports, to be every bit the 22 years he claims. It’s clear that Chapman, unlike some of his Cuban predecessors, will need some time to figure this game out. That is why both local teams passing on a very talented, but very questionable, commodity was the right thing to do.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds, El Duque, Livan Hernandez, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Orlando Hernandez