One of the more interesting early-season story lines in MLB has been the resurgence of Aroldis Chapman.
The Yankees let him go after a lousy 2022 season in which he posted the worst ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career, but Chapman caught on with the Royals and has been working as a setup man to closer Scott Barlow. Chapman has rebounded nicely, thanks in large part to rediscovering the velocity that made him a star earlier in his career.
On Tuesday night in San Diego, he really lit up the radar gun, delivering a fastball to Jake Cronenworth that was clocked at 103.8 mph. That’s tied for the fastest pitch thus far this season and stands alone as the fastest pitch for a strike of 2023. (Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks threw a pitch at 103.8 mph that missed inside.)
