San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Chapman out rest of season
Oakland has depth, grit to make up for sizable loss
This isn’t a dealbreaker. The A’s World Series aspirations were not derailed by the unsettling news that Matt Chapman is out for the season. But it’s a blow, with damage inflicted not so much in the standings, but in the heart.
If you had to pick someone who represents the A’s spirit, competitiveness and eye for topflight talent in the draft, Chapman is your man. Baseball insiders around the country have come to believe in Oakland as a
powerhouse, and the talk always starts with the third baseman who savors a leadership role, defends like Nolan Arenado — there is no higher compliment — and hammers the ball with a pure righthanded stroke.
“Big voice in the clubhouse, big voice on the field,” as manager Bob Melvin described him during his Saturday Zoom call.
It doesn’t seem fair that the A’s could reach such heights in this bizarre, twisted season and lose such a treasured mainstay. Then again, it probably doesn’t seem fair to the American League that the A’s could be 13 games over .500 with Chapman having a subpar season — hitting just .232 with a .276 onbase percentage and .812 OPS.
That’s the thing about Chapman, though. Has anyone really noticed those numbers? As if they’re cause for any concern? Put him on the field, and he’s a towering presence.
Depth has been a strength of the A’s roster, and it’s going to be crucial now. Tommy La Stella has primarily been a second baseman in his eightyear career, but he’s played 121 games at third, and that Aug. 29 trade (sending Franklin Barreto to the Angels) looks especially timely. Chad Pinder (scratched before the nightcap with a hamstring strain) is one of the most valuable utility players in either league, and the A’s think highly of rookie Vimael Machin, who started both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against Texas.
As far as offensive production, it’s a simple fact that when the A’s have been carried — as in, putting a team on one’s back — Matt Olson has done the heavy lifting. Going into the doubleheader he’d homered three times in his previous four games, with 10 RBIs, and that’s a trend Melvin would like to see continue straight into October.
Yes, in case you’ve been paying only casual attention, the postseason is a lock. There’s no way the A’s are going to blow a 61⁄2game lead over Houston with 15 games to play. The Astros looked shaky and vulnerable from the very start, hinting at a dramatic shift of fortunes in the AL West, and there’s no longer any doubt. Injuries, offyears and a suspect bullpen have changed everything in Houston, but whatever the particulars, the A’s have unquestionably become the superior team.
The most interesting aspect of the stretch drive, if you can call it that, will be the American League seedings. It bears repeating: The top three seeds go to the three firstplace teams, in order of record. That’s looking like Tampa Bay, Oakland and a Central Division tossup (White Sox, Twins, Indians), with the winloss records showing no clear separation. Even if the A’s hit a cold streak, though, it could work in their favor.
The No. 1 seed draws the No. 8, and at the moment, that’s the Yankees — vastly disappointing all season but still loaded with talent. If the A’s fell to No. 3, that would mean facing No. 6, and quite possibly a more attractive draw. Almost anything sounds better than going up against Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton (each injured but expected back soon) and the rest of the Yanks’ explosive lineup.
So much for speculation. There’s no way of predicting anything in a season that saw the coronavirusridden St. Louis Cardinals go 17 days without playing. For now, the pressing issue is Chapman’s longterm health. It was smart for the A’s to line up the surgery now, rather than watch him try to battle through a damaged hip the rest of the way.
Everyone focuses on the hands, the wrists and swing variations when it comes to hitting, but it all starts in the hips. I vividly recall a scene in the Yankee Stadium parking lot years ago, Reggie Jackson in street clothes holding court with a couple of reporters. Pretending to take a batting stance, rotating toward an imaginary pitch, “It’s all in the hips,” he said.
Buster Posey knows the feeling. He had surgery on his right hip (same as Chapman’s) in August 2018, and it wasn’t until this spring that he felt his leg drive, balance and offfield power returning in full measure. There is precedent for a much quicker return — especially for an infielder, rather than someone whose legs have been worn down from years of catching — and the A’s are counting on that.
April for Chapman, October for teammates still thinking big.