Mysticism and moxie
Can third baseman Matt Chapman’s talent and charisma bring the A’s organization back from obscurity?
It’s shortly after 2 p.m. at the A’s new corporate offices in downtown Oakland. Pitchers and catchers don’t report for another month, but runway models are needed right this second: The A’s are about to unveil their new uniforms for 2018.
With former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden serving as the tongue-incheek emcee, shortstop Marcus Semien and first baseman Matt Olson trudge across the office carpet. They do so with all the enthusiasm of someone heading out to grab the mail.
And then it’s Matt Chapman’s turn.
The brash third baseman bursts through the swinging glass doors like Derek Zoolander on a Mardi Gras bender. At the top of his turn, Chapman runs a slow finger beneath the “Oakland” on his jersey and raises a finger to his pouty lips to signal, “Shhhhhh.” Then he turns and flexes until the cameras capture the name on the back of the uniform.
This kid is going to be fine. You know, once he gets over his shyness.
“I kind of just went by how it felt,’’ Chapman, 24, deadpanned when asked to assess his routine. “I think that there’s room for improvement there.”
Here’s the boldest fashion statement of all: A’s fans should go ahead and buy one of those No. 26 jerseys. Chapman won’t be eligible for free agency until 2024.
And if the A’s follow through (this time) on their pledge to sign promising players to long-term contracts, the 2014 first-round pick ought to keep a pen handy. In terms of potential and personality, he has the makings of a face-of-a-franchise type.
“He’s the guy where if something tough happens, he’s going to tell everyone it’s going to be all right,’’ pitcher Kendall Graveman said.
“If there’s an error made, he’s going to say, ‘Hey, give me another one. I want to make the play.’ He’s a go-getter. He’s an enforcer. He’s everything you’d want in a baseball player in my eyes. He speaks volumes not only with his talent but the way he carries himself.”
There’s a mysticism to the way Chapman plays defense. For all his strutting and goofball humor off the field, the kid is Yoda with a Wilson model glove at the hot corner. He’s tapping into an unseen force.
Chapman vanishes into a hyper-alert state thanks to a prepitch routine that considers what pitch is coming, how that pitch is working for the pitcher, the previous swings from the batter at the plate ...
... and he winds up so connected to the moment that he simply feels what will happen next.
“Defensively, it’s just kind of moving with the ball, flowing with the ball,’’ Chapman explained. “You can just get in tune with the game.
“It’s something that’s hard to explain. But when you’re on defense, especially if a guy is working fast and throwing a lot of strikes, there’s a lot of action going on. It’s easy to get into rhythm and go.”
His reaction time is the stuff of highlight tapes from Fullerton to Midland to Beloit and every other place where Chapman’s range has been measured in zip codes. This season he’ll patrol Oakland, 94621, with its vast foul territory and its man-eating tarps. Forget the new ballpark: This is Chapman’s kind of place.
During the second half of last season, the rookie averaged 3.57 total chances per nine innings, the best mark ever by an Oakland third baseman with 40 or more games played.
Braden, who played with Eric Chavez, said Chapman looks ready to follow in the diving footsteps of the six-time Gold Glove winner. Braden has already seen enough flashes of greatness.
“Those aren’t flashes,’’ Braden said. “Guys who are really good at their job, they practice greatness. And you get that from Chapman, watching him play.”
Chapman led AL third baseman in Ultimate Zone Rating among players with at least 700 defensive innings, according to FanGraphs.
Graveman didn’t need the stats, just his eyes. “There’s not many like him,’’ he said. “I’ve never seen anybody in person who plays defense like he does.”
“A moment would come, and then another, and then another. These moments would be his life.” — Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding
Chapman vanishes into a hyper-alert state thanks to a prepitch routine that considers what pitch is coming, how that pitch is working for the pitcher, the previous swings from the batter at the plate ... ... and he winds up so connected to the moment that he simply feels what will happen next.
While Chapman’s bat will continue to vacillate between hot and cold like a broken motel shower, his glove alone makes him a must-watch player heading into his first full season.
“When I came over to this organization (in 2016), I heard people mention Matt Chapman and his power and his defense,’’ pitcher Andrew Triggs said. “But getting to see it just as a spectator is fantastic.”
In all, Chapman looks like a worthy heir to the A’s royal lineage at third base: Chavez, Sal Bando, Carney Lansford and Josh Donaldson. (Heck, even Wayne Gross made an All-Star Game in 1977.)
Is Chapman next? And could it be in 2018? After making his debut last June 15, he went on to lead major league rookies in doubles (21) and extra-base hits (37) after the All-Star break. During that span, Chapman also ranked third among rookies in home runs (14) and RBIs (37).
There could be more pop to come. Rick Vanderhook, who coached Chapman at Cal State Fullerton, ran into Chapman and a handful of other young pros taking batting practice at Fullerton during the off-season. He said Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers was there, and Garrett Stubbs of the Houston Astros, too.
“And Chapman is hitting balls out of sight,’’ Vanderhook said. “We didn’t let them break out brand new batting practice balls till they left. Because no one was going to chase them.”
“Baseball was an art, but to excel at it you had to become a machine. It didn’t matter how beautifully you performed SOMETIMES ... it wasn’t just your masterpieces that counted.” — The Art of Fielding
Matt Williams won four Gold Gloves at third base. He won lots of other stuff, too, but keep your mitts off those Gold Gloves.
“They’re my pride and joy,’’ Williams, now 52, said. “There’s been a lot of things — Silver Slugger, Manager of the Year. But Gold Gloves are the basis by which you play the game, for me, anyway.”
Williams, best known for his Giants days from 1987-96, enters his first season as the A’s third
base coach. He will also coach an actual third baseman.
“I’m excited. And I know he’s excited,’’ the five-time All-Star said of tutoring Chapman. “He has a really bright future.”
To Braden, this is a match made in heaven. Chapman (6-foot, 210), like Williams (6-2, 205) is a sturdy defender with massive power and the range of a lithe shortstop. Both bring an intense mental approach to the position — the hot corner is also the thought corner.
“Chapman got better the minute they hired Matt Williams,’’ said Braden, now an analyst for NBC Bay Area. “It’s going to make him that much better just to be able to learn from a Bay Area legend like that.
“(Williams) will give him some tutelage in that everyday, grinder mentality. You have to embrace this grind. You have to love the grind. And I think that’s something Matt Williams can absolutely project upon a guy like Matt Chapman. They are one and the same.”
Williams can also teach Chapman about weathering the occasional dry spell at the plate. Williams batted just .197 with 181 strikeouts over his first 693 big league at-bats. But his glove allowed him to make at least a minor contribution to both the 1987 division winners and ‘89 World Series team.
“It’s important to separate them,’’ Williams said of the bat and the glove, “because it’s very easy in the human mind to have one affect the other — good or bad. But you can help the team in many ways. It’s the old adage: If I’m not getting any hits, nobody else is, either.”
“When your moment came, you had to be ready, because if you (messed) up, everyone would know whose fault it was. What other sport not only kept a stat as cruel as the error but posted it on the scoreboard for everyone to see?” — The Art of Fielding
“Chapman got better the minute they hired Matt Williams,’’ said Braden, now an analyst for NBC Bay Area. “It’s going to make him that much better just to be able to learn from a Bay Area legend like that.
Chapman struck out in 28.2 percent of his plate appearances last season, about the same rate as noted swing-through machine Khris Davis (29.9 percent).
But both sluggers make the most of their contact. Of Chapman’s 68 hits, 39 went for extra bases (57.4 percent). In A’s history, only one player with 250 or more plate appearances had a higher such percentage: Mark McGwire, at 58.8 percent, in 1995.
Hot or cold, Chapman’s confidence remains unshakable.
“I have to commend him because I’ve seen him go through some pretty serious slumps,’’ said A’s bench coach Ryan Christenson, who managed Chapman at Double-A Midland. “To his credit, he has the same demeanor every single day he walks back into the clubhouse . ... I think he has the ability to flush the previous day, no matter what happened. That has always been an attribute.”
Slumps never faze Chapman. But errors? Cover your ears.
“I’m still working on that,’’ Chapman said with a laugh. “Those definitely stick with you a lot more than a strikeout or a bad at-bat, because you almost feel like they’re a little more controllable. Especially when you make one that might be a stupid throwing error. Those are really tough to swallow. “
Defense was a priority for him, even as a youth player. His parents made sure of that. Jim and Lisa had the video camera rolling the first time little Matt toddled around with a plastic bat. Jim tossed him a Wiffle ball, and the kid whacked it into a distant room faster than you can say “exit velocity.” Mom and Dad looked at each other as if to say, “What just happened here?”
Jim, who played four years at Cal Poly Pomona, helped guide his child prodigy through the baseball-rich competition around Lake Forest (Orange County). Dad took the long view the whole way.
“When I was younger, I used to
only pitch and catch. My dad decided to have me play the infield,’’ Matt said. “He kind of taught me the basics. It kind of came naturally for me. It’s not something I had to think too much about.”
Matt starred at El Toro High School, even if he had to wait. As a sophomore in 2009, Chapman rode the bench behind Nolan Arenado, who would grow up to be a star for the Colorado Rockies.
Arenado has five Gold Gloves in five major league seasons. Chapman admires him most not for his hardware but for his hard work.
“He knows he can get better. He continues to work, and he’s never satisfied,’’ Chapman said. “For him to keep getting better and better, it’s just so impressive.”
Chapman wants to get better, too, although that would have been hard to imagine last July 28. In the third inning at the Coliseum, Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins ripped a hot shot down the third-base line that StatCast
Matt starred at El Toro High School, even if he had to wait. As a sophomore in 2009, Chapman rode the bench behind Nolan Arenado, who would grow up to be a star for the Colorado Rockies.
measured at 110 mph.
Chapman snared that streaking comet with a dive to his right, then spun for an accurate throw to start a 5-4-3 double play. Replays showed A’s pitcher Daniel Gossett shaking his head is if he’d just been pranked.
“The most incredible double play I’ve ever seen,’’ Christenson called it.
Two days later, Chapman sprinted across the spacious foul territory to make a catch on a dead run. He then hurdled over a fortress of Gatorade jugs and into the A’s dugout.
“He stuck the landing,’’ Braden said. “That’s the kind of stuff where you can tell he’s thinking about it before it happens.” Of course he was.
“I was aware that the (Gatorade jugs) were coming up,’’ he said that day, “and I just kind of planned in my head that, ‘Well, I either I barrel into them, or I jump over them.’”