My fondness for Matt Chapman has been a badly kept secret among my friends and loved ones. For years I admired the elite third baseman from afar, first in Oakland, then in Toronto. To see him in the orange and black of San Francisco felt unimaginable, a dream acquisition. Signing him to the Giants roster on MLB The Show was about as close as I could get to it becoming reality.
Chapman entered free-agency at the conclusion of the 2023 season and suddenly his name was linked to the Giants. He was linked a lot. I remained calm and tried to avoid getting my hopes up, to avoid the crushing disappointment of my team missing out on yet another big free-agent. I was right to be cautious, given recent history.
A long and bitter winter dragged on and somehow Chapman was still unsigned. The odds he would join my beloved Giants appeared slimmer with each passing day but whilst his free-agency endured, the hope remained. Then, with much celebration in my household, news broke in early March that Chapman would be joining San Francisco, just in time for the start of Spring Training.
He was going to be a Giant after all.
Reunited with skipper Bob Melvin, who managed him for five seasons with the A’s between 2017-21, the stage was officially set: Chapman would be a middle-of-the-order power bat and the most gifted defender at the hot corner in the Bay Area since… three years ago, when Chapman was last here, just across the bay in Oakland.
Fast forward to mid-August. With the Giants still in the hunt for a wild card spot, Chapman has been the team’s most consistent provider, and a key figure in their push for October baseball.
At the time of writing, Chapman leads San Francisco in almost every major offensive category. It’s actually a bit ridiculous how much he dominates the leaderboards: His 19 home runs, 60 RBI, 111 hits, 30 doubles, 12 stolen bases and 57 walks are all leading the club, as do his 119 games played. Chapman never takes a day off – he’s been exactly what the Giants wanted, the everyday, reliable leader in the clubhouse and on the field.
Baseball Reference appreciates just how valuable the 31-year-old Chapman has been: his 5.6 bWAR puts him in elite company, among the game’s greats, ranking him as the third-best player in the National League in 2024. The only players ahead of him are Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (6.1 bWAR) and Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (5.8 bWAR).
Per Fangraphs, Chapman’s 4.0 fWAR is currently tied for the 12th-highest fWAR in the entire league (alongside Cleveland’s Steven Kwan). If we take a look at only third basemen, Chapman is the best in the National League, and only trails American League sluggers José Ramírez and Rafael Devers in all of MLB. Chapman’s 122 wRC+ ranks well above his third base contemporaries like Manny Machado, Austin Riley, and Nolan Arenado.
Since the All-Star break, Chapman has been on an absolute tear, one of the hottest hitters in the game: in the 25 games played since the Midsummer Classic, Chapman has slashed an impressive .300/.411/.589 (BA/OBP/SLG) for a 1.000 OPS, with 6 homers and 17 RBI along the way.
The Giants can thank Chapman for keeping them in the playoff hunt, leading the way on a daily basis. The man is doing everything in his power to get his team to the postseason. Just look at some of the frankly outrageous plays he is making, on a regular basis.
What Chapman does at the position is not ordinary by any means. When I represent Bristol Baseball Club in our Single-A British baseball league, I predominantly play third base. I try my best to play the position just like Chapman, but what he does with his glove is beyond mere mortals like myself. I don’t really have the arm strength to excel at third base, and my reactions are questionable, even on a good day.
None of that matters when a teammate calls me ‘Chap’.
They might say it for a laugh, an ironic jest; I make far too many mistakes to resemble anything close to Chapman’s level. It doesn’t matter to me, though, not one bit. I’m probably too old to still have ‘favourite’ players, but when a friend compares you to one of your baseball heroes, it’s hard not to smile. It gives you an extra bit of confidence and joy as you take the field.
That’s what baseball is all about, in my opinion: that feeling of child-like happiness.
It’s exactly why the Giants must make it a priority to secure Chapman to a long-term deal as soon as possible. Too long have star players departed for new pastures, too often have household names moved on after just a single season. This cannot continue to happen.
The Giants have an opportunity to secure arguably their most indispensable player, who appears to love playing for the Giants. Whilst he’s in-house, before he can test free-agency, let’s get a deal done. The club cannot let Chapman drift away.
His unique one-year, $18 million deal (which includes player options for future years that will almost certainly be declined) needs to be completely revised and a long-term, permanent contract created. Otherwise they risk letting another star player walk out the door.
Chapman is probably the most important Giant on the roster right now. He could be their most important player for years to come, if a deal can be reached.
Let’s make it happen.
Ash Day is the San Francisco Giants writer for Bat Flips and Nerds. Follow him on X (Twitter) @AshDay29
Photo credit for featured image by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images. Image of Ash Day for Bristol Baseball by Laura Wehner.
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Tom
good stuff