Goodfellas
07-03-2009, 07:26 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- A top Cuban pitching prospect with a 100 mph fastball has defected from the national team while playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
ESPN The Magazine reports that several unidentified sources confirmed that Aroldis Chapman walked out of his hotel room and did not return.
Champman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.
A source told ESPN that Chapman was scheduled to fly to Miami on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Chapman is considered by many scouts to be the No. 1 left-handed prospect in the world. He would be the most prominent Cuban baseball defector since Jose Contreras left during a tournament in Mexico in 2002.
ESPN The Magazine reports that several unidentified sources confirmed that Aroldis Chapman walked out of his hotel room and did not return.
Champman told cubaencuentro.com he was in Europe, but refused to reveal his location.
A source told ESPN that Chapman was scheduled to fly to Miami on Thursday.
The 21-year-old Chapman is considered by many scouts to be the No. 1 left-handed prospect in the world. He would be the most prominent Cuban baseball defector since Jose Contreras left during a tournament in Mexico in 2002.