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Oakland A’s: Matt Chapman in terrible slump at the plate

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 21: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum on August 21, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Angels 5-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 21: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum on August 21, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Angels 5-3. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /
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Oakland A’s third baseman Matt Chapman has been mired in a horrific slump at the plate over his past seven games.

Heading into the 2020 season, Matt Chapman was expected to be a major factor in the Oakland A’s success. He had been developing as one of the better third basemen in the game with the bat, a power hitter that the A’s needed in the middle of their lineup.

For the most part, Chapman had been that for the A’s. Entering Sunday’s action, he had produced a solid .236/.280/.543 batting line with ten homers and nine doubles. His 123 OPS+ is third on the team, trailing only Robbie Grossman and Mark Canha.

But that has not been the case as of late. Chapman’s struggles became notable on Saturday when he was 0-5 in the A’s 8-4 victory over the Padres, striking out in each of those plate appearances.

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Chapman has been in a dreadful slump lately. In his last seven games, spanning 25 plate appearances, he has recorded just three hits, although one of those hits was a home run. He has drawn a walk and been hit by a pitch, but has also struck out 15 times.

If the hope was that the A’s COVID related hiatus would help, it has not. Chapman has struck out eight times in his last nine at bats over the two games since the A’s layoff, and even made an error on Saturday.

The A’s need Chapman to right the ship as soon as possible. They are still holding on to the AL West division lead, but are sliding down the overall postseason seeding. The A’s offense has been a major culprit, as they rank in the bottom third of the league in virtually every offensive category.

While it is more than just one player, getting Chapman back on track will be a major boost. He has been one of their better hitters this season, but his slump has coincided with a 3-4 stretch for the A’s. If they are going to start to climb back up the standings, getting Chapman going offensively will help.

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Matt Chapman has been in a dreadful slump over the past seven games. The Oakland A’s need him to snap out of it soon.