Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz

Albertin Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz known as the "Cuban Missile" is a left-handed Cuban-Andorran pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Cincinnati Reds.

Chapman bats and throws left-handed. He is 6'4" (193 cm) tall and weighs 195 pounds (88 kg). He holds the record for the fastest pitch in Major League Baseball, throwing 105.1 mph (169.1 km/h); however, the accuracy of this record is somewhat questionable. He also has a pitch measured by a radar gun at 106 mph (170.6 km/h) in a game against Pittsburgh, though there is also discussion about the actual velocity of

Chapman was a member of Cuba's national team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In Cuba he played for the Holguín team in the national series.

After a failed attempt to emigrate from Cuba in 2008, he did not participate in the Beijing Olympics but rejoined the National Series and participated in the World Baseball Classic.

While in Rotterdam, Chapman left the team on July 1st, 2009 when playing in the World Port Tournament. Chapman walked out the front door of the hotel where the team was staying and got into a car driven by an acquaintance.

Chapman established temporary residency in Andorra and requested that Major League Baseball consider him as a free agent.

On January 10, 2010, Chapman signed a long-term contract with the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds announced that Chapman had signed a six-year deal worth $30.25 million according to MLB sources.

The Associated Press reported that the total check is $16.25 million, paid annually over 11 years, with an additional payment if he becomes eligible for salary arbitration in 2012 or 2013.

Chapman began the 2010 season assigned to Triple-A Louisville Bats, and made his professional debut with Louisville Bats on Sunday, April 11 against the Toledo Mud Hens where he pitched 4.2 innings, gave up one unearned run and struck out 9 batters.

Chapman made his Major League debut on August 31, 2010, in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers; his first pitch was 98 mph (158 km/h) and was a strike and in the same inning he threw a pitch of 103 mph (166 km/h). With nine pitches he retired the side. He won his first Major League game on September 1st after pitching a relief inning against the Brewers.

In Game 2 of the 2010 NLDS vs Philadelphia Phillies, Chapman allowed 3 runs (all unearned) due to errors by the outfielders. Chapman would suffer his first postseason loss and the Reds would lose the division to the Phillies in 3 games.

[edit]Playing style

Sports writer Joe Posnanski describes Chapman in the following way: "There is no violence in his movements; he is the anti-Bob Gibson. Just a slow start, a fluid motion, and there goes the ball released like a bullet."

On September 24, 2010, playing against the San Diego Padres, a pitch of 105.1 mph (169.1 km/h) was registered, according to PITCHf/x, which is the fastest pitch ever recorded in Major League Baseball.

On April 18, 2011, Chapman threw a pitch to Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh that the scoreboard at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati registered at 106 mph (171 km/h), although the Fox Sports Ohio broadcast team said it was 105 mph (169 km/h) and the pitchf/x system calculated an exit velocity of 102.4 mph (164.8 km/h). The difference between the velocities has been much discussed and questioned.

When Chapman emigrated he left behind in Cuba his father, mother, two sisters, his girlfriend, Raidelmis Mendosa Santiestelas, and a newborn son, Ashanti Brianna. His father is a boxing trainer.

The nights became electric at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati thanks to Chapman's spectacular pitches. The left-hander from Holguín struck out an astounding 122 batters in 71 and two-thirds innings, against only 23 walks issued. He pitched to an earned run average of just 1.51, and his fastball, always hovering around 100 miles per hour, made his name come up among the candidates for the Cy Young Award, as the best pitcher of the year.

However, Chapman's final statistics do not tell everything about his magnificent season with the Reds. His dominance was so spectacular that Cincinnati fans ended up on their feet in ecstasy with each appearance of the best Cuban pitcher of the moment.

Although the Reds manager did not give him the official closer position until May 20, Chapman finished third in the National League with 38 saves in 43 attempts. Along the way, between June 26 and September 4, he set a new club record by successfully closing 27 consecutive games. The pitcher from Holguín was a key factor in his team reaching the postseason. Success, however, comes with a dilemma: will the Reds keep Chapman as closer next season, or will they move him to the team's starting rotation?