Joe Girardi, You're on the Clock

Aroldis Chapman is in a major funk. There is no way around it. In his last three outings, the Yankees 29-year old closer has surrendered 6 total runs, ballooning his ERA from 3.08 to 4.29. Chapman, who was once as dominant as any closer in the game, is desperately trying to regain his old form. His velocity is still there, as he is consistently hitting 102 and 103 on the radar gun, but opposing hitters have been getting good wood on his pitches.

So, what’s the issue? Maybe it’s dead arm. Many seem to forget that last season the Cubs brought Chapman in mid-season and manager Joe Maddon used him like a mercenary. Maddon had no regard for his closer’s health, as the skipper placed winning a World Series above all else. You can’t really blame him, that’s his job, but now Chapman might be living with the consequences.

Yes, Chapman is still throwing cheddar, but his ball has no life to it. It has no late movement. It is straight on a line, and regardless of how hard a pitcher throws, Major League hitters can sit dead-red and hit a pitch coming 110 miles per hour if it lacks movement. Right now, the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball, and that quite frankly is with or without Chapman. While they want their flame-thrower to be healthy and effective, if he continues to struggle, Joe Girardi has no choice but to revoke his role as the Yankees closer. Yes, they just inked him to a 5 year/$86 million deal this past winter, but the Bronx Bombers find themselves in the midst of an intense pennant race; there’s no time for incompetence.