Concerned About Aroldis Chapman’s Slowing Fastball? He Isn’t

Mitch USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Aroldis Chapman was nicknamed the Cuban Missile for a reason. The Yankees’ lanky left-handed closer from the Caribbean island has long been the most prominent face of the velocity explosion in modern baseball. Ever since he broke into the major leagues in 2010, few pitchers could match his 100-miles-per-hour fastball.

Until last season. A month on the injured list with left knee tendinitis sapped some power, and his average fastball speed dipped slightly from the previous season, to 98.9 m.p.h. He was still among the hardest throwers in baseball, but for the first time since 2013, Chapman was not tops: St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Jordan Hicks, nine…