Since the beginning of his tenure with the Reds, in 2010, Aroldis Chapman has earned his status by throwing heat, lots of heat. The 100-plus-mph velocity quickly earned him his nickname, "The Cuban Missile."

But to earn a spot in the rotation out of camp, he needs to show he can diversify. So during his impressive spring debut, vs. the Rockies on Thursday -- his 25th birthday -- the missile intentionally had lower octane.

Chapman retired all six batters he faced over two innings, with one strikeout. Of the 23 pitches he threw, 19 were strikes.

"I feel really happy about it," Chapman said through interpreter Tomas Vera. "I could locate the pitches where I wanted. The results were good."

According to the scoreboard radar, Chapman's velocity topped out at 93 mph, as he did not appear to be using maximum effort (his career best is 105 mph). But he threw several secondary pitches with success. In the first inning, eight of the nine pitches thrown were strikes.