Top Cuban Pitcher Defects
- Submitted by: admin
- international
- Sports
- 07 / 03 / 2009
Chapman, 21, walked out of his hotel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where Cuba was participating in a tournament, and never returned, according to the Spanish-language Web site cubaencuentro.com, which first reported Chapman's defection.
Chapman told the site he was still in Europe, but would not reveal his location for safety reasons.
"I walked out easily, right through the hotel door, and I hopped into a car and left," Chapman told cubaencuentro.com. "It was easy. Now the plan is to sign with a major league team."
A source said Chapman was scheduled to fly to Miami on Thursday.
Chapman would be the most heralded defector since Jose Contreras, who left the national team in 2002 during a tournament in Mexico.
By several estimates, Chapman could garner a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. Contreras, now with the Chicago White Sox, received a four-year, $32 million contract from the New York Yankees in 2003, which at the time was the biggest ever given to a Cuban defector.
"Without a doubt [he is the best player to defect since Contreras]," agent Jaime Torres said Thursday.
Torres, who represented Contreras and is considered the top agent for Cuban defectors, said he has had no contact with Chapman yet.
Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman.
Chapman is not a complete unknown; he pitched for Cuba at the World Baseball Classic this past spring.
"This is shocking," one international scouting director said about the magnitude of the defection.
Yet Chapman is still considered a fairly raw prospect. Though many considered him to be the most talented pitcher on the Cuban squad, Chapman posted only a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings during the WBC. Last year in the National Series in Cuba, Chapman had a 4.03 ERA in 118 1/3 innings.
And though his pitches have been clocked at 100 mph, some consider Chapman's secondary pitches to be only average. For that reason, many believe Chapman likely would have to start his professional career in the minors.
There also might be a question of Chapman's maturity level. Several times at the WBC, Chapman was demonstrative in his displeasure at the umpire's strike zone. At times, several of his teammates had to go to the mound to calm him.
And when he was finally removed in the third inning of a 6-0 loss against Japan in pool play, Chapman did not look at manager Higinio Velez, running straight into the clubhouse without slapping hands with any of his teammates.
Yet in that start, Chapman showed exactly why he will be highly coveted: In the first inning, Chapman threw a 100 mph pitch. Later in that game, Chapman hit 102 mph.
"I think the fastball he showed at the Classic was good enough," Torres said, jokingly.
Chapman also appears to have the charisma to make him a star in the majors. During the WBC, he regularly mugged for cameras and always offered smiles at reporters, though because of Cuba team rules, he was not allowed to speak to any of them.
"I'm very happy," Chapman said on cubaencuentro.com. "Until now everything has come out fine. This is the plan that I had and this was a decision I took. I wanted to test myself in the highest levels of baseball."
Because it's likely Chapman surrendered his passport to Cuban officials after arriving in Europe -- all Cuban players routinely do so, prior to any appearance outside of Cuba -- he will have some complications in establishing residency.
Source: ESPN
Chapman told the site he was still in Europe, but would not reveal his location for safety reasons.
"I walked out easily, right through the hotel door, and I hopped into a car and left," Chapman told cubaencuentro.com. "It was easy. Now the plan is to sign with a major league team."
A source said Chapman was scheduled to fly to Miami on Thursday.
Chapman would be the most heralded defector since Jose Contreras, who left the national team in 2002 during a tournament in Mexico.
By several estimates, Chapman could garner a contract worth anywhere from $30 million to $60 million. Contreras, now with the Chicago White Sox, received a four-year, $32 million contract from the New York Yankees in 2003, which at the time was the biggest ever given to a Cuban defector.
"Without a doubt [he is the best player to defect since Contreras]," agent Jaime Torres said Thursday.
Torres, who represented Contreras and is considered the top agent for Cuban defectors, said he has had no contact with Chapman yet.
Yankees senior vice president Mark Newman, when contacted by ESPN The Magazine, said it's "safe to assume" the Yankees would have interest in Chapman.
Chapman is not a complete unknown; he pitched for Cuba at the World Baseball Classic this past spring.
"This is shocking," one international scouting director said about the magnitude of the defection.
Yet Chapman is still considered a fairly raw prospect. Though many considered him to be the most talented pitcher on the Cuban squad, Chapman posted only a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings during the WBC. Last year in the National Series in Cuba, Chapman had a 4.03 ERA in 118 1/3 innings.
And though his pitches have been clocked at 100 mph, some consider Chapman's secondary pitches to be only average. For that reason, many believe Chapman likely would have to start his professional career in the minors.
There also might be a question of Chapman's maturity level. Several times at the WBC, Chapman was demonstrative in his displeasure at the umpire's strike zone. At times, several of his teammates had to go to the mound to calm him.
And when he was finally removed in the third inning of a 6-0 loss against Japan in pool play, Chapman did not look at manager Higinio Velez, running straight into the clubhouse without slapping hands with any of his teammates.
Yet in that start, Chapman showed exactly why he will be highly coveted: In the first inning, Chapman threw a 100 mph pitch. Later in that game, Chapman hit 102 mph.
"I think the fastball he showed at the Classic was good enough," Torres said, jokingly.
Chapman also appears to have the charisma to make him a star in the majors. During the WBC, he regularly mugged for cameras and always offered smiles at reporters, though because of Cuba team rules, he was not allowed to speak to any of them.
"I'm very happy," Chapman said on cubaencuentro.com. "Until now everything has come out fine. This is the plan that I had and this was a decision I took. I wanted to test myself in the highest levels of baseball."
Because it's likely Chapman surrendered his passport to Cuban officials after arriving in Europe -- all Cuban players routinely do so, prior to any appearance outside of Cuba -- he will have some complications in establishing residency.
Source: ESPN
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