A Fantastic Read on Aroldis Chapman

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We are a few days late getting mention of this up, but over the weekend ESPN did an interesting profile of Aroldis Chapman that all my fellow Reds fans should see.

If you missed it, you might never learn the following:

  • Aroldis Chapman smokes Marlboro Reds, regularly.
  • He owns a swimming pool that he cannot enjoy, because he does not know how to swim.
  • He routinely spends the entire day in his room, often waking around dinner time.
  • Chapman longs for life back in Cuba, specifically the ‘craziness’ of his home country.
  • Chapman seems bored with life despite being independently wealthy.
  • A professional might even say that Aroldis Chapman is depressed.

I don’t want to make too much of this – ESPN would not generate many page clicks or buzz by writing a fluff piece of the Reds closer about him visiting the sick in a hospital (though the article gives mention in passing to this towards the end).

As someone who has closely followed Chapman since the beginning of his incredible career, we get the feeling that this might not end well. It might end with a high speed chase. It might end with Chapman suddenly not wanting to play anymore. It could end with him waking up one day, and it’s all gone – just like Mark Wohlers. It could end with Chapman fading into Miami Marlboro-smoking obscurity. But you get the feeling that this wild ride could someday soon come to it’s sudden and abrupt end.

That’s because talents like Chapman often fade and flicker just as quickly as they burst onto the scene. We’re simply trying to enjoy this while it’s here, because it might not be long for the baseball world.