CoCo Better than Chapman? The Stats Say Yes.

If I were to ask you who has been a better closer during their Reds tenure, Chapman or CoCo, you would laugh. Chapman is a two-time all-star with a fastball which reaches 106 mph. CoCo was a disaster waiting to happen. Outrage would run rampant if the Reds traded or released Chapman. Parties were thrown when the Reds did not re-sign CoCo.  What if I were to tell you CoCo was actually the better closer? Blasphemy? Look for yourself:

	Chapman	Cordero           (with Reds)
Saves	69	150
Blown Saves	13	24
Save Percentage	84.1%	86.2%
ERA	2.54	2.95
Whip	1.03	1.295

 

Sure, since Chapman has a 106 mph fastball and CoCo does not, Chapman has a lower ERA and WHIP, but not by a lot. In fact, in CoCo’s last year with the Reds, he had a 2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP (better than Chapman’s career average). The 106 mph fastball gets attention, but does it get the job done? So far, it looks like the answer is no. When it comes to my closer, I care about 1 thing: I gave you the lead in the 9^th inning, did you take us to the clubhouse with the ‘W’. Despite our hatred for him, CoCo actually converted saves 2% better than Chapman has for his career. That is shocking, but true, and it is exactly why I believe the Reds need to trade Chapman in the offseason if he insists on being a closer.