Cuban lefty prospect Chapman changes agents
Photo credit: AP | Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba in July 2009 during a tournament in the Netherlands. Separated from his parents, sisters, girlfriend and infant daughter, the 21-year-old left-hander with a 100 mph fastball embarked for a career in the major leagues. (November 12, 2009)
Galleries
Top MLB free agents: A different spin
Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman, coveted by the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets, among other teams, has switched agents.
In a move first reported Friday by the Spanish newspaper El Nuevo Herald and confirmed yesterday, Chapman, 21 - a lefthander whose fastball was clocked at 102 mph during the World Baseball Classic - fired Edwin Mejia of Athletes Premier International and replaced him with Randy and Alan Hendricks of Hendricks Sports Management.
The Yankees know the brothers well, as they represent several high-profile players, including Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and former Yankee Roger Clemens. It remains to be seen if that gives the Yankees a leg up on the Red Sox in negotiations.
Not surprisingly, the two AL East rivals are expected to lock horns over Chapman. The Red Sox had Chapman throw a bullpen session at Fenway Park in late October. Chapman attended the Yankees' clinching victory over the Angels in ALCS Game 6.
Aside from the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets, teams linked to Chapman include the Orioles, Cardinals, Cubs, A's, White Sox, Braves and Tigers.
Chapman is far from a finished product. Scouts who rave about his fastball have expressed concern about his secondary pitches and maturity. He went 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two World Baseball Classic appearances, striking out eight and walking four in 61/3 innings.
Still, officials have said Chapman could receive a deal for as much as $50 million, though no offers are known to have been made.
Chapman defected from the Cuban national team in July during a tournament in the Netherlands. He established residency in Andorra, located on the French-Spanish border, to avoid being subject to the first-year player draft and was declared a free agent by MLB on Sept. 25.
Recently Mejia, who had been Chapman's agent since his defection, took the pitcher on a tour of media outlets such as The Associated Press and ESPN Deportes.
"He's a once-every-40-years player," Mejia said in an AP story Nov. 13.
Mejia's agency released a statement yesterday.
"Athletes Premier International is greatly surprised and deeply disappointed that Aroldis Chapman has decided to change agents,'' the agency said in a statement to ESPN. "The agency has put forth a lot of time and effort towards helping him achieve his goal of becoming a major league pitcher and he gave us no indication that he was unhappy with our advice or the way he was treated. We will have more to say about this matter at a later date, but in the meantime we wish Aroldis luck in his future endeavors.''
