Matt Chapman didn't leave his heart behind in San Francisco, but it's clear he left something behind after being traded from the Cross Bay Athletics to Toronto before the 2022 season. At the press conference announcing his deal, the 30-year-old California native said the Giants felt like the Giants, even though they were a different team in a different city and league. returna star with “Unfinished Business” written on it.
Once you leave home, you can never return.truer words That's true for one of the A's recent diaspora, but the 2024 San Francisco Giants look to be somewhat close to that. Same state, same metropolitan area, and most importantly, Chapman was under Bob Melvin, who was his starting manager through his first five seasons, and Matt Williams, who was Oakland's third base coach from 2018-2019. He will play in the field — years earned by the young infielder. He won two Gold Glove Awards, one All-Star Award, and consistently finished in the top 10 in American League MVP voting.
I don't blame Chapman for delving into the past for answers. In a way, we all, and he wishes 2019 would come. It appeared to be his last great year before the COVID-19 season was cut short. His whiff rate and K rate hovered around league average in 2018 and 2019, but rose nearly 10 percent in his final two years with the Athletics, lurking near the lowest point in the sport. These trends didn't improve much over the past two seasons in Toronto and began to seriously erode his offensive numbers. He hasn't had a season OPS above .800 since 2020. After he exploded out of the blocks with a .372 BA and 1.150 OPS over 109 PA last April, he lost his footing and stumbled to first base. He batted .205 for the rest of the season with a .659 OPS (wRC+88).
His high whiff rate (31.1% in '23) makes sense given how often he swings at the right pitches (18.9 chase%, 94th percentile) and how consistently he crushes the ball when contact is made. And that must be very frustrating for Chapman. His .319 BABIP last season was a career high, his 56.4 hard-hit percentage was among the top in MLB last season, and his 17.1 barrel percentage, or average exit velocity of 93.4 mph, were both in the 98th percentile among hitters.
These numbers aren't outliers either, and Chapman has kept our senses focused on his bat for most of his career. And these Statcast metrics are pretty solid indicators of success. If it looks and sounds like a hit, it's generally a hit. Big swings and big mistakes are two sides of the same coin, and this is nothing new. When it comes to a batter's profile, the biggest difference between Chapman during his salad days and now is a lower ground ball rate and an increase in fly balls. That's not a bad thing in itself, but it would definitely increase if the launch angle increased a few degrees.The chance of whiffing and the chance that a well-hit ball will stay in the air long enough to be chased or come up. just short of the wall.
Given the sweetness of his contract, 2024 is an opportunity to increase his value, and it makes sense that Chapman would want to stack the odds in his favor. Somewhere in the concrete catacombs of the Coliseum is a familiar spot among trusted leaders with a chance to regain some of the swing he must have left behind. Yes, we know what San Francisco means to Matt Chapman.
But what does Matt Chapman mean to San Francisco?
Ostensibly, the third baseman wasn't going to fill the biggest need on the Giants' roster. Rotation depth was a priority for the Capitals, as was designated hitter and center field, but finding ways to get rid of unnecessary roster baggage were all more pressing concerns. Additionally, there was a pretty promising incumbent at No. 3 in J.D. Davis. During the long offseason, there was a reasonable debate as to whether pursuing Chapman was worth losing Davis. Davis didn't come close to matching Chapman's glove, but he was a viable defensive option last season while being a valid comparison at the plate. Lots of loud contact. Davis was his age, cheaper, was one of the better hitters on the roster, and was under team control, so some could make a strong case for a standing putt.
In the grand scheme of things, no one should say “boo” to Chapman's addition (although Davis' subsequent unceremonious removal is no surprise). San Francisco desperately needed a pop player in the middle of the lineup, and they got it by signing Jorge Soler to a three-year deal and supplementing with Chapman in March.
Chapman hit 39 doubles last year, along with 17 home runs and two triples, and had 13 more extra-base hits than his closest Giants in 2023. His 3.5 fWAR (lowest full-season mark) would have been second. Unique to Tyro Estrada, his platinum glove grounds the left side of the diamond for rotational stalwarts like Logan Webb and Alex Cobb to induce ground balls and create bread.
Perhaps even more important than what Chapman brings to the field is what his contract means for the Giants' front office and their fan base. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's wounds are still healing in the aftermath of recent failed pursuits of Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, the circus surrounding Carlos Correa, and the empty promise of an offseason bounce back. The pep talk opened it up again, making it even more painful. He was bitter about the decision to land in the same state, same league, same division, but just a little further south.
As we watched a season of cost-effective but half-baked play, the community fell into a vicious cycle, blame was pinned, and conspiracies began to brew–but somehow, miraculously, the front office did what it needed to. I started checking off the items. This is Lee Jung Hoo, a Korean star. It's in the center. Recent Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray replaced the much-maligned Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani. Flame-throwing reliever turned starter Jordan Hicks. And Cuban missile Jorge Soler appears as the actual DH!
No, none of these players were like Ohtani. Personally, they weren't the machetes ready to cut through the thicket of mediocrity that the San Francisco Giants have been entangled in for the past seven seasons. But each had points and advantages and seemed to build on the other. Acquiring Chapman, perhaps the most coveted position player in free agency after Cody Bellinger, was an act of sincerity to the fans while acknowledging that there was indeed a plan. With his back against the wall, Farhan Zaidi did not intend to just close his eyes and flap his limbs. He was playing an extended game weeks after the end of the 2023 season when the club hired Bob Melvin as manager. Chapman was in their sights and was eventually courted not only by the coaching staff, but also by the acquisitions they had already made (a team that wants to win, shocking!). Of course, this grand plan culminated in the signing of Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. It may have been a domino that Chapman didn't need to fall, but for a pitcher who truly hates ground balls that find holes, it must have helped.
An offseason that started on the brink of chaos turned into an incredibly successful offseason in terms of improving the Giants' field play. (That said, the off-the-field treatment of certain players and franchise icons still leaves a lot to be desired.) That said, the job is good for both the third baseman and his new team. is not finished yet. Predictions and results are two different things. Each exciting roster addition comes with its own level of uncertainty, question marks over production or health, contract opt-outs, or all three. Could Snell be gone within a year, like Carlos Rodon? Will Soler stay healthy? Will Lee be able to transfer his at-bats from the KBO to the MLB?
Matt Chapman represents the best of all. Even an escape velocity of 100 miles per hour can result in an out.
