Aroldis Chapman’s fastball could make some history

MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon notes that, since the introduction of Pitch F/X in 2006, no pitcher has ever finished a season averaging 100 MPH on his fastball. Chapman, however, currently sits with a 100.3 MPH average and could be the first to make it to the finish line with triple digits if he can keep it up for one more month.

It gets more astounding. From Sheldon:

According to BaseballSavant.com, there have been 14 Major League pitchers who have reached 100 mph this season on a combined 469 pitches. Entering Sunday, Chapman had thrown 325 of those pitches. He had thrown 767 pitches over 43 appearances, meaning 42 percent of his total pitches have been 100 mph or higher.

Not only that, but among qualified relievers, Chapman is lapping the competition in strikeout rate. His 52.1 percent K-rate is nearly 11 percent higher than that of noted flamethrower Craig Kimbrel in second place and 11.5 percent higher than Andrew Miller in third place.

Chapman, who missed the first six weeks of the season after being struck in the head with a Salvador Perez line drive late in spring training, owns a 2.44 ERA with a 87/19 K/BB ratio in 43 1/3 innings. He’s 29-for-31 in save opportunities.

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