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The best Cuban pitching prospect, Aroldis Chapman, defected


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Remember guys, Cuban ball players routinely have to give up their passports to the government officials that accompany them for such risks. That means for him to set up residancy in whichever country he will do it in is going to be a bit complicated. On top of that the US government will have to clear him to enter the country. This could take until next ST to accomplish.

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QUOTE (chisoxfan09 @ Jul 2, 2009 -> 12:44 PM)
Remember guys, Cuban ball players routinely have to give up their passports to the government officials that accompany them for such risks. That means for him to set up residancy in whichever country he will do it in is going to be a bit complicated. On top of that the US government will have to clear him to enter the country. This could take until next ST to accomplish.

 

So what? As long as you get him into America with no problems comes February 2010, I don't see what the big deal is. You gotta be really desperate if you think a 20 or 21 year old cuban defector is gonna jump in during September and make a huge difference.

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Buster Olney on Chapman

The most intense bidding of the winter will not be over Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. It will not be John Lackey who is going to have the most bidders frothing after him.

 

No, it will be Aroldis Chapman, the 21-year-old pitcher who reportedly defected from Cuba while traveling with the national team in the Netherlands.

 

To put his talent in perspective: Some evaluators view Chapman as a left-handed Stephen Strasburg. "He's pretty special," said one official.

 

He has a fastball clocked at 101 or 102 MPH, and a plus curveball and plus slider, to use the scouts' vernacular.

 

But unlike Strasburg, his market will not be restricted to the one team that drafted him. It may be about six months before his situation is settled to the point where teams will be able to make bids. But when that can happen, you can expect a Daisuke Matsuzaka-like feeding frenzy to ensue.

 

Jose Contreras signed a $32 million deal with the Yankees earlier this decade, but he was much older than Chapman. Matsuzaka was 25-years-old when the Boston Red Sox committed $103 million in a posting fee and contract to sign him. Chapman's situation is incredibly unique, because he's so young, so talented -- all of his best years presumably in front of him -- and so well known among evaluators.

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QUOTE (BearSox @ Jul 2, 2009 -> 04:16 PM)
I don't care what the cost is KW, we got money to spend.... GET IT DONE!!!!!!!!!!

Let's hypothetically say that he gets the offer from the Yankees that Boras wanted for Strasbourg. Would you spend $50 million on him? I wouldn't.

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i know its hypothetical but no way he gets $50.

 

but with our payroll coming down and this depressed market there is no reason not to go out and get all this young elite talent.

 

LHP Noel Argüelles

LHP Aroldis Chapman

SS José Iglesias

 

 

I would love to hear some ML comparisons for these players.

 

I've heard Orlando Cabrera / Ryan Theriot for Iglesias

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QUOTE (chisoxfan09 @ Jul 2, 2009 -> 11:44 AM)
Remember guys, Cuban ball players routinely have to give up their passports to the government officials that accompany them for such risks. That means for him to set up residancy in whichever country he will do it in is going to be a bit complicated. On top of that the US government will have to clear him to enter the country. This could take until next ST to accomplish.

 

 

I think for this guy it won't take long. This is why:

 

1. It looks like the guy helping him know what he is doing.

2. Chapman has the name and pedigree.

3. Owners will influence Selig to declare him a free agent soon. He can sell tickets.

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QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jul 1, 2009 -> 08:49 PM)
Defecting from Cuba doesn't seem as hard as it once was.

 

Players now want out even more so than in the past. Before president Clinton, Cubans could come by boat straight to the USA. A few took advantage of that. Now, they have opened their eyes and leaving. The good thing is that young talent is leaving now unlike in the past where players in their 30's or close to it left. I think they finally got it. If you want to play in MLB and make some cash, come young.

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From Trib:

Extra innings: Jose Contreras and Ramirez concurred with scouting reports on 21-year-old Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman,the top Cuban prospect who defected while in the Netherlands during a tournament. "He throws 103 miles per hour," said Ramirez, who maintains Pedro Lazo is the best pitcher in Cuba.

 

I hope Torres becomes his agent. Cubano, what the scoop on Lazo?

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QUOTE (Stocking @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 04:32 AM)
From Trib:

Extra innings: Jose Contreras and Ramirez concurred with scouting reports on 21-year-old Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman,the top Cuban prospect who defected while in the Netherlands during a tournament. "He throws 103 miles per hour," said Ramirez, who maintains Pedro Lazo is the best pitcher in Cuba.

 

I hope Torres becomes his agent. Cubano, what the scoop on Lazo?

 

 

Lazo said he is retiring. He was on of the Pinar del Rio Skyscrappers alongside Contreras. He is old.

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QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 05:55 AM)
Read at another site that the NY times is reporting that Chapman is 26?

 

That is not true. The NY Times is not my favorite newspaper. Too many questionable articles. If Chapman is 26, he would had played in Cuba for more than 4 years throwing 102 MPH. How many Cuban pitchers throw 100 MPH? We had only one, Chapman. He left. We had Mael Rodriguez, but he defected with some injury. Tommy Lasorda loved Mael after seeing him in the Sydney Olympics. Mael could only hit 88 MPH in the USA. He never signed a por contract and had surgery with that famoius guy in Alabama, Dr. James Andrew.

 

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QUOTE (beautox @ Jul 2, 2009 -> 07:27 PM)
i know its hypothetical but no way he gets $50.

 

but with our payroll coming down and this depressed market there is no reason not to go out and get all this young elite talent.

 

LHP Noel Argüelles

LHP Aroldis Chapman

SS José Iglesias

 

 

I would love to hear some ML comparisons for these players.

 

I've heard Orlando Cabrera / Ryan Theriot for Iglesias

 

 

I think he will approach 50 even in this economic enviroment. Contreras got 32 from the Yanks for 4 years and was much older.

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QUOTE (whitesoxbrian @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 08:40 AM)
I doubt KW takes a chance on him with $50m over 5-6 years.

If we could get him in the Viciedo price range, I think we'd push it. I'm just not sure that the Yankees won't come in and beat what everyone else would consider fair market value.

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QUOTE (Stocking @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 05:32 AM)
From Trib:

Extra innings: Jose Contreras and Ramirez concurred with scouting reports on 21-year-old Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman,the top Cuban prospect who defected while in the Netherlands during a tournament. "He throws 103 miles per hour," said Ramirez, who maintains Pedro Lazo is the best pitcher in Cuba.

 

I hope Torres becomes his agent. Cubano, what the scoop on Lazo?

 

If he's 21, how in the hell would Contreras be able to guarantee he throws that hard? He would've been about 15 when Contreras got out of Cuba.

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QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 12:01 PM)
If he's 21, how in the hell would Contreras be able to guarantee he throws that hard? He would've been about 15 when Contreras got out of Cuba.

 

He's still got family and probably friends in Cuba, as well as probably a lot of connections. Plus, he's still probably pays close attention to Cuban baseball and probably has seen him pitch several times.

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QUOTE (BearSox @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 12:03 PM)
He's still got family and probably friends in Cuba, as well as probably a lot of connections. Plus, he's still probably pays close attention to Cuban baseball and probably has seen him pitch several times.

 

Yeah, but so does Cubano and I'd be suspicious if the organization just took his word on it, too. You can't take a guy's word for something he heard from his cousin or saw on TV. I'd take Alexei's word because he likely saw him in person, though.

Edited by Milkman delivers
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My guess is he gets 5/$40 million or so...teams are going to want him locked up for a bit in case it takes him a year or so to break into the Majors, but not too long to where they are saddled with him forever in case he doesn't ever harness that stuff.

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 10:54 AM)
If we could get him in the Viciedo price range, I think we'd push it. I'm just not sure that the Yankees won't come in and beat what everyone else would consider fair market value.

I agree with you, the NYY or Red Sox will push it to around 30-40m IMO

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QUOTE (iamshack @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 01:08 PM)
My guess is he gets 5/$40 million or so...teams are going to want him locked up for a bit in case it takes him a year or so to break into the Majors, but not too long to where they are saddled with him forever in case he doesn't ever harness that stuff.

Wouldn't they still have control over him for 6 years? The Sox still have Alexei and Viciedo for the standard 6 years.

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QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 12:09 PM)
Wouldn't they still have control over him for 6 years? The Sox still have Alexei and Viciedo for the standard 6 years.

 

I don't believe that is true. These are international free agents, not players selected in the amatuer draft. I believe the Sox have control over Alexei through 2011 and Viciedo through 2012.

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