Plenty of ties for Chapman and Arenado
Nolan Arenado will make his first playoff appearance Wednesday night when the Rockies play the National League wildcard game in Arizona.
“He definitely deserves this,” A’s rookie Matt Chapman said. “I know how competitive he is. He’s a winner. He works his butt off, man. The desire and passion are there. For him to be able to play in the playoffs, it’s a dream come true for him.”
Chapman knows better than most. He and Arenado knew each other as kids. Opposed each other in a Little League championship game. Were teammates in high school. Shortstops then. Third basemen now.
It’s Arenado’s fifth big-league season and the first in which the Rockies produced a winning record. Playoff games are rare in Colorado. In fact, the previous playoff appearance was in 2009, when Arenado was a senior at El Toro High School in Orange County, a teammate of Chapman, who was a sophomore.
“It’s fun to come to the park every day,” Arenado said during the Rockies’ late-September visit to San Francisco. “Put it this way: I wake up in the morning, and I can’t wait to go to the ballpark. Last year, it was, ‘Man, I can’t wait to go to the beach. Let’s get this offseason going.’ ”
Chapman is pulling for Arenado, his fellow third baseman and a player he admired growing up. It took a while for Chapman to physically develop. He didn’t get drafted out of high school like Arenado, who was a second-round selection and started his pro career at 18. Chapman went to Cal State Fullerton and evolved into an A’s first-round pick, 25th overall.
“He was a late bloomer,” Arenado said. “I knew he had talent. We all knew he was talented. It was a matter of him getting it together and getting stronger.”
Chapman broke into the majors this season and had 14 homers and 40 RBIs in 84 games. Arenado has won four Gold Gloves, and Chapman certainly has played Gold Glove-caliber defense. They probably have the best arms among big-league third basemen.
“He’s always had a good arm,” Arenado said. “I’m very happy for him. It’s cool to see guys from your hometown in the same boat and have success.”
Both were happy to recall their Little League days in Lake Forest, a half-hour from Anaheim Stadium. As a 12-year-old, Arenado played for the Braves. Chapman, two years younger, was a Padre. Both teams made the playoffs, and each won several games throughout the district to reach the final of the Tournament of Champions.
“Two teams from our Little League met in the championship, so everyone in Lake Forest, our whole city, was watching the two teams go at it,” Chapman said. “It was wild.”
The Padres led 1-0 with one out to go, but a kid on the Braves hit a ball to the outfield that could have been caught but dropped for a two-run, insidethe-park home run. Game over.
“We beat them in the championship game,” Arenado said. “It was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been through.”
“We had them beat,” Chapman said.
When they were high school teammates, Arenado was a star on a senior-dominated team, and Chapman hadn’t yet cracked the lineup. According to the roster listed on MaxPreps, Arenado was 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Chapman 5-10 and 160. Chapman said his growth spurt came later in high school.
Chapman followed in Arenado’s footstops in Little League, high school and the pro ranks. Chapman said he wants the next step, which Arenado is finally experiencing, to be the playoffs.
“That’s why I’m here,” Chapman said. “I want to win. I want to win championships. I think our team has a lot of potential. It’s a fun time. We have a chance to play some meaningful games at this time of year for years to come. That excites me. That motivates me.”