Oakland Athletics: What to expect out of Matt Chapman
By Jason Evans
The Oakland Athletics are starting to give more young players a chance to play at the major league level. The next prospect to be given his shot is third baseman Matt Chapman.
The Oakland Athletics currently find themselves at 27-38. They are already 16.5 games out of first place and have the worst record in the American League. When it’s mid June and you find yourself in that kind of predicament, you start to give more and more young players their shot as you figure out who can be a part of a contending team moving forward. The “super two” arbitration deadline has come and gone which plays a big role in that.
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Ryon Healy has developed into a slugger so far this season, however, the A’s don’t want to use him at third. At first base, Yonder Alonso has emerged into the American League leader in first base voting for the All-Star team and a prime trade candidate for a team looking for a rental bat.
With Trevor Plouffe off to just a .215 batting average with a .637 OPS start this year, it was time for a change. That change is for the Oakland Athletics to call up their mlbpipeline.com number four prospect in slugger Matt Chapman.
"As the A’s youth movement continues at the big-league level, top third-base prospect Matt Chapman is set to join the party Thursday.A team source said Chapman will be called up now that gaining “super two” arbitration status is no longer possible. He was not in Triple-A Nashville’s lineup Wednesday night and is expected to be available for Oakland’s home game against the Yankees on Thursday. – San Francisco Chronicle"
Chapman was the A’s first round pick in the 2014 draft. Thus far in Triple-A this season, he’s hitting .259 with a .942 OPS in 48 games.
Between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Chapman hit 36 homers in 135 games. His average was just .235 because of a .197 stint in AAA after being promoted last year.
Defensively, he made 11 errors last year in 118 games. He’s made seven thus far this year, but per his MLBpipeline.com scouting report, he’s a guy with gold glove ability, and in a park that the Oakland Athletics have with all that foul ball territory, defense from the corners is important.
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Chapman is going to get a chance to play, no doubt. It could be a very Aaron Judge like adjustment for Chapman where he may not put up very good numbers this season, but next year is where he takes off, like what he did in a short stint in AAA last year, compared to this year.
If you’re an Oakland Athletics fan, between Healy, Chapman, Jaycob Brugman and Chad Pinder, it’s a group you want to watch now to see what the future holds.