Chapman blasts Oakland’s late start
single day is, especially when it comes to spring training.
“We were frustrated we weren’t able to start on the 1st. You look around the league and a lot of teams were starting their spring training on the 1st, and a lot of guys were flying into cities days prior to the 1st and getting tested to stay on top of it. I think we were just disappointed our organization took those extra few days and it ended up costing us even more few days when we were all ready to go.”
Manager Bob Melvin chalked up Chapman’s frustrations to his competitiveness, calling him “extremely excitable.”
“He’s a competitor, he wants to get out there, he wants atbats,” Melvin said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Chapman, somewhat cantankerous Thursday, also took a little shot at the A’s attendance issues. Asked about playing in front of no fans during the coronavirus pandemic, Champan said: “I think it’s going to play to our advantage — a lot of our games are pretty quiet in general. We’re used to not having too many fans at the games.
“I think other teams coming in and seeing no fans and a big huge empty stadium and it might be a little cold at night, it just plays to our advantage. We’re used to playing there. We’re used to playing in front of however big or small a crowd is.”
The A’s have another pending issue: They have yet to announce a site for their alternate camp; The Chronicle reported this week that the team is looking at San Jose. Is it a concern that the A’s pool players don’t yet have a place to work out together?
“I think everyone’s a little bit concerned about that,” Melvin said. “It’s just not happening right now. Hopefully, it gets done sooner than later.”
“I think we were just disappointed our organization took those extra few days ... when we were all ready to go.”
Matt Chapman, A’s third baseman