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Can Aroldis Chapman Maintain His Improved Walk Rate in 2026?
Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman was utterly dominant in 2025, recording five wins, 32 saves, and 85 strikeouts across 61 1/3 innings while pitching to a 1.17 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP. Chapman has always been an excellent source of strikeouts, and he delivered with a 37.3% strikeout rate last year. The more surprising aspect of his profile was his massively improved command. After posting four consecutive seasons with a walk rate of at least 14.5%, the 38-year-old slashed his walk rate to 6.6% in 2025, by far the best mark of his 16-season MLB career. It seems likely that Chapman's walk rate will regress towards his career norm to some degree in 2026. Still, he can remain an elite fantasy closer even if he allows free passes to somewhere around 10% of the batters he faces. Barring a complete collapse in his skills in his age-38 season, Chapman should have a chance to provide high-end fantasy production for the second straight year.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
