New Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker spoke Tuesday about the domestic violence allegations involving star Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman and MLB's policy on the crime.
Troy Machir of Sporting News reported what Baker had to say about the 27-year-old southpaw, as ASAPSports.com transcribed:
Oh, he's a heck of a guy. I mean, a heck of a guy. I'll go on record and say I wouldn't mind having Chapman. No, no, he is a tremendous young man with a great family, mom and dad, and what he went through to get here and what his family had to go through to get here. I was with him through the whole process.
Baker added of MLB's domestic violence policy, "Yeah. I think it's a great thing. I mean, I got a buddy at home that's being abused by his wife. So I think this policy needs to go further than the player. I think the policy should go to whoever's involved. Sometimes abusers don't always have pants on."
Baker would later clarify his comments on MLB Network Radio's "Inside Pitch" on SiriusXM:
Baker oversaw the beginning of Chapman's career with the Reds as the club's former skipper.
Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown and Jeff Passan reported the domestic violence allegations against Chapman on Monday.
According to police reports they obtained, Chapman allegedly fired eight gunshots after an argument with his girlfriend that took place in his Davie, Florida, home on Oct. 30. Chapman's girlfriend told police he pushed her against a wall and choked her, per the report.
Brown and Passan also reported the Reds "were believed to have completed a trade" sending Chapman to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. Once word of the alleged domestic violence incident surfaced, however, the trade was put on hold.
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