Aroldis Chapman

Beast (sports.yahoo.com (Photogrpaher))

My personal career hero is Aroldis Chapman. He defected from Cuba and immediately started trying out for Major League Baseball. He is a tall, strong man who throws the ball with extreme velocity. He is 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 205 pounds. He is a major league pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He is nicknamed the Cuban Missile because he defected from Cuba and he throws extremely hard for someone in Major League Baseball. I first became aware of this great man when he was being scouted by all the teams who were looking to sign him to a contract. Most major league baseball teams were looking at him or holding a tryout for him. He attracts me because he is a lefty thrower like me and he throws extremely hard and blows hitters away. Right now as a high school pitcher, I want to strive to be where he is in the pros. I would like to be in the Major League Baseball one day because I could think of no better job.

One day I would like to be into Major League Baseball. It is a very hard thing to achieve, but most players that make it, end up making very good money. The job related tasks is a lot of training. Baseball is a lot of repetition and sometimes it can get very boring. For example, pitchers are constantly working on their mechanics and making sure that when they are pitching that they are going to be doing the most efficient thing for their arm so it does not get hurt. There are no educational requirements, but if you want to play in college you must have a good GPA. To get into a lot of NCAA division 1 baseball schools, you must have at least 2.5 GPA and to stay on the team you must keep that GPA where it is. Salary can range from less than 500,000 a year rookies in the minor leagues, or 24 million a year for the most elite players such as Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw. Also, players just starting I the minors can make less than a tenth of all this. Similar related careers would be being a baseball coach in high school or even little league. An average Major League Baseball career is around 5.6 years. A lot of people are wearing protective arm guards as a recent development to protect from getting hit by a pitch in the elbow. Also a lot of pitchers are wearing Kevlar baseball hats to protect from line drives hitting them in the head. "An MLB executive told "Outside the Lines" on Sunday Apr 13, 2015 that it was looking into the use of the Dome inserts and was reserving comment. Pitchers are free to wear protective headgear of their choice, as long as it doesn't interfere with competition or with MLB licensing agreements. This is going to help pitchers protect themselves from line drives to their head so they can have a longer and healthier career.

en.wikipedia.org (Photographer)

Traits and aptitudes needed to go into this career are perseverance, dedication, and talent. I found a quote from Ted Williams in the 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia (Pete Palmer, Sterling Publishers, 02/25/2006, Page 5) that states "Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." One, you need perseverance so you can always keep pushing ahead when the times get tough. For my player, he had to defect from Cuba and he did not succeed the first couple time and so he has to keep persevering. A lot of times in baseball, you get into slumps and you have to work very hard to get out them. My player did not go to college. He defected from Cuba and was drafted straight out of Cuba without going to spring training or anything because of how hard he threw. The Milestones he has reached are, he has thrown the fastest pitch in MLB history. He threw milestone pitch at the speed of 106 miles per hour on July 11, 2014 to Pirates centerfielder Andrew Mccutchen. Aroldis is a very successful pitcher but he has not won any awards. In my opinion, I think he should have won some. Aroldis these days is still blowing away hitters.

While not active in community service, Chapman inspires Reds fans and those all over the country. He helps the Reds win games all the time and he is a very well-liked person all around the league. He has always been a class act in the clubhouse and in the organization. In spring training of 2014 he was struck in the head with a comebacker off the bat of Royals catcher Salvador Perez. Chapman said through interpreter Tomas Vera on 3/22/2014 "After I watched the video -- and I have been watching the video, repeating it many, many, many times and every time that I see it I feel really happy because this could be something worse," ESPN's William Weinbaum and ESPNChicago.com reporter Jesse Rogers contributed to this report. After he was struck in the head, he had such good thoughts about what had happened and how it could have been much worse. For someone to get hit in the head and come back two months later is a very courageous thing. I don't think I could go back on the mound and have the same confidence I had before I was hit.

Beastly (www.opposingviews.com- (Photogrpaher))

In high school, I plan to take accelerated classes to challenge myself so I can be the best I possibly can and colleges like when you take accelerate classes and challenge yourself and take a plethora of extra-curricular activities such as baseball and football and many clubs and activities. I plan to play baseball and football all four years of high school and be a multi- sport athlete. I want to excel in school while still playing both sports. In college I want to attend a Division 1 baseball school with a part scholarship or a full ride. I would love to go to UCI or Cal State Fullerton That is my biggest goal. I want to major in Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy. I want to graduate from a 4 year school and get drafted into the MLB. Aroldis Chapman relates to me because he is a left handed pitcher like me. He does exactly what I want to do in the MLB. He goes out there every day and strikes out hitters and makes big bucks. Also, Chapman's injuries make me appreciate the doctors who took care of him. After my career in the MLB I plan to pursue something in the sports medicine degree.