Catching up with Roman Anthony
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Aroldis Chapman was making sure he was ready to go. The Red Sox closer was going to be in regular-season form by the first week of March in order to put his best foot forward while pitching for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.
And then, last week, the WBC told Chapman, "Nevermind."
So, what happened? Through translator Carlos Villoria-Benitez, Chapman explained after working out at JetBlue Park Tuesday morning.
"I was getting ready to pitch in the World Baseball Classic when my agent called and told me the rules didn’t apply for me because, to be eligible for citizenship from Jamaica, it goes through grandfather and father, but my connection was my great-grandfather," Chapman told WEEI.com.
"I don’t feel disappointed. The only thing that I have is that they waited until the last minute to tell me. I was getting ready. I was ahead of schedule to be in my best shape and be able to perform at the highest level in the tournament. For them to tell me at the last minute was kind of a waste of time because of all the work I put in to get ahead of schedule. At the same time, I’m not disappointed because my priority is the Red Sox. When they release all the rosters and the projected lists, they should do a better job of getting all the information before releasing those. But I’m not too worried about it."
While Chapman said he is ready to face hitters because of the expedited training schedule, the plan now is to draw back a bit with no tournament to prepare for.
The closer, who had been hitting 100 mph in live batting practice sessions last February, wouldn't commit to being in the best shape of his life, but did believe his current conditioning was in the conversation.
"I feel good," Chapman said with a chuckle. "I don’t know if it’s the best shape of my life, but I feel good."