In some ways, Matt Chapman has been a disappointment for the Oakland A’s this season. Now that he is healthy once again following surgery for a torn hip labrum, the expectation was that he would return to stardom in every aspect of the game. That has yet to happen through the first six weeks of the season.
This does not mean that Chapman has been without value. He showed that value on Saturday with an impressive catch over the tarp for the final out of the seventh inning.
Why it's good to have a Platinum Glove Winner😮
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 15, 2021
Matt Chapman with a catch over the tarp with the bases loaded! pic.twitter.com/BH4F85rgp6
Matt Chapman has value to Oakland A’s even when not hitting
Although the A’s would eventually fall 5-4 after a disastrous eighth inning, the score could have been much worse. The Twins had the bases loaded with two out and an excellent contact hitter in Luis Arraez at the plate when Chapman made this catch. The inning could have gone much differently otherwise.
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Chapman has not quite come to life with the bat just yet. Although he does have five homers and 22 walks, he has also struck out 55 times in 163 plate appearances. His .210/.319/.377 batting line is far below what the A’s would have expected, especially since Chapman was considered one of the best all around third basemen in the game after the 2019 season.
Defensive metrics have not been kind to Chapman either. Although he is once again showing above average range and his Platinum Glove caliber defense has been there for the A’s, he is considered to have cost the team six runs already. That number is easily the worst of his career.
In the end, it does not matter what the metrics say. Chapman is making plays such as the one on Saturday, when he is going over the tarp to catch a pop foul to end a threat. Even if the bat takes longer to come around than the A’s would have hoped, he is still providing plenty of value in the lineup.
Matt Chapman showed why he is so valuable to the Oakland A’s on Saturday. Even when he is not hitting, he can make the spectacular seem ordinary.