Cincinnati Reds: Dusty Baker Unsure What Role Aroldis Chapman Should Play

As we said in yesterday's post about the Chicago Cubs putting Jeff Samardzija in their starting rotation, a pitcher is worth much more to a baseball team as a starter than a reliever.

No matter how tempting it might be to bring a hard thrower in for the late innings, that player will pitch twice as many innings for his team as a starter. It's much more difficult to find a pitcher who can throw five or six innings and work through an opposing lineup two or three times than one who will face between one and three batters. 

Yet Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker just can't bring himself to make the right move with Aroldis Chapman. 

Even though the rocket-armed Cuban has started four-of-five games this spring, compiling a 2.12 ERA with 18 strikeouts (and only two walks) in 17 innings, Baker isn't willing to commit to giving him the fifth spot in the Reds' starting rotation.

Baker also isn't willing to talk about the dilemma he faces.

“I don’t know, man,” Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay. “We haven’t come up with it yet. We’ll let you know. Quit asking me. Please. Honestly, we haven’t decided yet. There’s more people involved than just Chapman.”

But Chapman doesn't work as a reliever. He showed that last season when he pitched so badly in April and May that the Reds were ready to send him down to Class AAA Louisville. However, it turns out that Chapman had shoulder inflammation, so the team was off the hook for that decision.

Pitching him frequently, sometimes on back-to-back days—something almost all major-league relievers are asked to do at some point during the season—resulted in injury. 

When Chapman returned, Baker pitched him on consecutive days only three times from July to September. Basically, he did it once a month.

Compare that to Francisco Cordero, who appeared in back-to-back games three times in the month of May. Actually, he pitched in three consecutive games on two occasions. 

In Baker's defense, the bullpen might need Chapman. In the span of a week, the Reds have lost two relievers. Ryan Madson is out for the year with a torn ligament in his pitching elbow. Nick Masset will begin the season on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. And though Sean Marshall looks like the natural choice as a fill-in closer, Baker isn't sure he can pitch in back-to-back games.

But Homer Bailey isn't going to pitch in relief. (Or shouldn't.) Neither should Jeff Francis. So that leaves Chapman. 

So Baker might actually have it right this time. But saying "I don't know, man" is infuriating in its lack of insight. Or maybe it's refreshing in its honesty. I haven't figured it out yet.

I don't know, man.