The 2019 AL MVP will be donning Green & Gold
With 2018 in the rear view mirror, the Oakland A’s hope that 2019 will not only bring banners, but also hardware for their electric 3rd baseman.
After his first full season in the bigs, Matt Chapman not only made a name for himself, but he’s putting the league on notice.
Player A: G: 64/ AB: 259/ HR: 14/ RBI: 39/ BA: .309/ OBP: .371
Player B: G: 58/ AB: 219/ HR: 9/ RBI: 29/ BA: 329/ OBP: .425
If one was to look at these statistics one would say player A and player B are pretty compareable. Difference in OBP (On Base Pecentage) being the only significant discrepancy. Well what one was to show that player A was Matt Chapman numbers after the all-star break and player B was 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts numbers after the all-star break.
Showing that Matt Chapman isn’t far behind.
In 2018, the Oakland Athletics chose Matt Chapman to be the everyday third baseman at the end of spring training. All he has done since then was lead the league in DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) with 29. Which led him becoming a recipient of a Gold Glove in 2018.
With the addition of second baseman Jurickson Profar and the emergence of speedsters Nick Martini and Ramon Laureano, will be able to draw walks and wreck havoc on the base paths allowing Matt Chapman do what he does best; drive in runs. Matt Chapman slugging percentage in 2018 was .508 sixth among all third baseman. In addition to having Khris Davis, who led the league with 48 home runs in 2018, Matt Chapman will continue to have a good selection of pitches to hit.
“The scary part is that there’s a lot of room for growth. Offensively, you saw the adjustments and the strides he made from the first to second half of the year. It all came with the adjustment of laying off that ball, off the plate away,” said Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin .
It’s with these consistent adjustments and improvements that make Matt Chapman a perennial AL MVP. Arguements can be made for Mike Trout who has displayed unworldly talent and done so for an extensive amount of time. But Matt Chapman display of excellence at a position in which demands it the most is nothing short of awe inspiring.
In order for Oakland Athletics to return to playoff prominence they will not only need Chapman to continue playing stellar defense, but also allow him to continue his progression of becoming an elite offensive force. Last year, he had a WAR of 8.2, that was third in the league, only emphasizing how impactful Matt Chapman is for the A’s.With 2019 becoming his second full season in the league, Matt Chapman is ready to show the league, what he’s all about.
