The Giants’ best position player really does it all.
There are few things in this world I love more than the San Francisco Giants. They offer plenty to love, from a rich history to a beautiful stadium and, of course, a roster of great players. Unfortunately, I’m not a poet, so all I can do is crudely translate my feelings into our content management system. While Logan Webb is indisputably the best player on the roster (despite his home/road split), my heart has grown two sizes since the team added Matt Chapman. So, can we just talk about how great Matt Chapman is?
When he fields a ball behind the third base bag and begins a 5-3 double play, I feel that. When he hits walk-off home runs, I go wild. When he runs the basepaths with his 75th percentile sprint speed, I’m ecstatic. It’s a pleasure to watch him on the diamond. Is he that true five tool player? Nah, the batting average doesn’t permit that label, but he’s that kind of player who does so much so right so often that it’s hard to fault him for his faults. He’s like pizza or sex: even when he’s bad, he’s still pretty good.
Seriously, few players make me post like this spontaneously:
Great players make great plays 3-4 times a week, but it feels — and I emphasize FEELS — as though Matt Chapman makes 3-4 great plays a game
— Bryan Murphy (@bryanmurphy.bsky.social) 2025-06-07T05:07:01.538Z
Last year, I had a measure of skepticism regarding his long-term extension on the basis of his age.
Usually, 30 is when baseball players hit a wall; but, there are exceptions, such as the truly great players. […] 102 players age 32 or older have had just 1 plate appearance, and only 40 of those have a 100 wRC+ or better.
Chapman hit .275/.313/.615 in the 96 PA following my post’s publication (which coincided with Buster Posey stepping in to sign the 6-year extension) and he’s hitting .243/.360/.452 in his first 272 PA this season. He wins games for the Giants with his glove, his arm, and his bat. I’d like to think he is a great player. At this point, I think we can all agree that he’s a truly great player… right?
I’ll even give him a pass for that mustache — though others might like his Errol Flynn look!
He’s the best position player on the Giants until someone else proves otherwise. Heliot Ramos might be the better high leverage hitter, Jung Hoo Lee might be the most dynamic, and Willy Adames might be his equal on paper, but nobody has done what he’s done series after series over the past two seasons. He’s simply the bee’s knees. The Chap’s Man. The Welcome Matt.
Does that mean he’ll represent the Giants in the All-Star Game this season? Probably not. Unfortunately, Manny Machado outpaces him on offense and has the narrative of history on his side as we enter ballot season. But this isn’t a situation where Giants fans are saying Hydrox cookies are better than Oreos — I’m also not saying that I think Matt Chapman is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. We often rob ourselves of the joy in the moment as baseball fans by looking at projections or finding historical comps.
That’s why I think Matt Chapman is such a great player and a beautiful Giant to behold. I don’t think about any of that stuff while watching him play. He’s a player who in any moment can be the best player for the moment, and I think that’s beautiful.