Aroldis Chapman
Chapman at 38 just turned in the best season of his career, posting a microscopic 1.17 ERA that translates to an ERA+ of 356 — meaning he was more than three times better than league average. For a pitcher who's been elite for over a decade, finding another gear this late in his career defies every aging curve in baseball.
The Cuban flame-thrower has always been about velocity and strikeouts, but his 2025 campaign with Boston represents pure mastery. His 85 strikeouts maintained the dominance that's produced 1,331 career punchouts across 821 innings, while his improved command has pushed his ERA nearly a full run below his career 2.52 mark.
Eight All-Star selections tell the story of sustained excellence, but this latest chapter suggests Chapman isn't just surviving Father Time — he's embarrassing him. The question isn't whether he can maintain this level, but how much longer he wants to prove that elite velocity paired with seasoned guile remains baseball's most lethal combination.
| Date | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | HR | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| May 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | S |
| May 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | S |
| May 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | S |
| May 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| May 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | S |
| May 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | S |
| May 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | S |
| May 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| May 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | S |
Career · Hitting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | — | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2011 | — | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2013 | — | 68 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2014 | — | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2015 | — | 65 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2018 | — | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | — | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | — | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | — | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | — | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2026 | — | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 787 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
21 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | — | 15 | 13.1 | 2 | 2 | 2.03 | — | 19 | 1.05 |
| 2011 | — | 54 | 50.0 | 4 | 1 | 3.60 | — | 71 | 1.30 |
| 2012 | — | 68 | 71.2 | 5 | 5 | 1.51 | — | 122 | 0.81 |
| 2013 | — | 68 | 63.2 | 4 | 5 | 2.54 | — | 112 | 1.04 |
| 2014 | — | 54 | 54.0 | 0 | 3 | 2.00 | — | 106 | 0.83 |
| 2015 | — | 65 | 66.1 | 4 | 4 | 1.63 | — | 116 | 1.15 |
| 2016 | — | 31 | 31.1 | 3 | 0 | 2.01 | — | 44 | 0.89 |
| 2016 | — | 28 | 26.2 | 1 | 1 | 1.01 | — | 46 | 0.83 |
| 2016 | — | 59 | 58.0 | 4 | 1 | 1.55 | — | 90 | 0.86 |
| 2017 | — | 52 | 50.1 | 4 | 3 | 3.22 | — | 69 | 1.13 |
| 2018 | — | 55 | 51.1 | 3 | 0 | 2.45 | — | 93 | 1.05 |
| 2019 | — | 60 | 57.0 | 3 | 2 | 2.21 | — | 85 | 1.11 |
| 2020 | — | 13 | 11.2 | 1 | 1 | 3.09 | — | 22 | 0.86 |
| 2021 | — | 61 | 56.1 | 6 | 4 | 3.36 | — | 97 | 1.31 |
| 2022 | — | 43 | 36.1 | 4 | 4 | 4.46 | — | 43 | 1.43 |
| 2023 | — | 31 | 29.1 | 4 | 2 | 2.45 | — | 53 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | — | 30 | 29.0 | 2 | 3 | 3.72 | — | 50 | 1.28 |
| 2023 | — | 61 | 58.1 | 6 | 5 | 3.09 | — | 103 | 1.25 |
| 2024 | — | 68 | 61.2 | 5 | 5 | 3.79 | — | 98 | 1.35 |
| 2025 | — | 67 | 61.1 | 5 | 3 | 1.17 | — | 85 | 0.70 |
| 2026 | — | 19 | 18.2 | 0 | 1 | 0.48 | — | 25 | 0.86 |
| Career | 1002 | 951.2 | 70 | 55 | — | — | 1549 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.