Matt Chapman

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #3 prospect in 2017
  A knee injury and then a wrist injury that eventually necessitated surgery truncated Chapman's first full season. But fully healthy in 2016, he blasted 36 homers at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville, ranking third overall in the minors. In 2015, Chapman reworked his swing with high Class A Stockton hitting coach Brian McArn to tap into his power, and it has worked, with 59 homers the last two seasons. Chapman was more of a gap-to-gap hitter in college, but he has moved his hands back a little and found a consistent spot to start and trigger his swing. He has above-average raw power and can drive the ball out to all fields. His swing retains some rigidity and length, so he'll strike out a lot and is a below-average hitter. He has solid average pitch recognition and draws walks. Chapman showcases at least 70 arm strength with carry on the 20-80 scouting scale. He projects to be a plus defender at third base. While the A's have other third-base options such as Healy and Renato Nunez, Chapman is the best defender of the group. He likely will return to Triple-A Nashville to start 2017, but once ready he should push Healy off the hot corner in Oakland.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #3 prospect in 2016
  Injuries plagued Chapman's first full season as a pro, which ended with him needing wrist surgery, but he tore up the high Class A California League when healthy. Despite being limited to 80 games, Chapman led Stockton with 23 homers, nearly doubling the 13 he hit over three seasons as a regular at Cal State Fullerton, where he was the 25th overall pick in the 2014 draft and signed for $1.75 million. Chapman came into pro ball with a gap-to-gap hitting approach. He has learned to drive balls with more regularity and can still go to right-center field when he needs to. He should continue to be an annual 20-25 homer threat at higher levels. Although he's not an undisciplined hitter, the A's would like him to be more selective to give him a better chance to hit for average. Some moving parts in his swing don't help, either. Chapman shines on defense, where he can range well to either side and has a plus throwing arm. He makes his share of errors--19 last season--as he'll sometimes try to throw rockets when he doesn't need to and can get careless on routine plays, but the tools are there for him to be a top-flight defensive third baseman. His surgery was done early enough that he should be good to go for spring training and then an assignment to Double-A Midland. Given Brett Lawrie's underwhelming debut campaign with Oakland, the A's third-base job could be Chapman's come 2017.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #4 prospect in 2015
  Chapman went undrafted out of high school yet quickly earned an everyday role with powerhouse Cal State Fullerton as a freshman. He went on to earn third-team All-America honors as a junior in 2014 when the Athletics made him the 25th overall pick in the draft and signed him for $1.75 million. Chapman might have had a future on the mound--he left scouts buzzing after making a couple pitching appearances with USA Baseball's College National Team in 2013--but he prefers hitting and the A's were adamant when they selected him that they want him for his bat. He has a physical frame and big raw power, though his in-game power plays closer to average since he hits with a line-drive, gap-to-gap style. The A's would like him to be less upright in his stance so he can create more leverage, but he stays on balls well and has a knack for driving them to right-center field. Chapman is a premium defender at the hot corner, showing good reactions, clean footwork and a cannon arm--he threw 98 mph off the mound. The A's love his polished makeup and see a future clubhouse leader as well. Chapman's profile as a third baseman suffers if he doesn't tap into more power, but he does just about everything else. He probably will begin the 2015 season at high Class A Stockton, while Renato Nunez gets reps at Midland.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #64 prospect in 2014 draft
  Chapman has been an infield mainstay for three years at Cal State Fullerton, and he led USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team with 20 RBIs last summer. He also generated a buzz in two mound appearances for Team USA, running his fastball up to 98 mph, but he has not pitched in three seasons for the Titans. Chapman's plus-plus is a major asset at the hot corner, where he has the actions and instincts to be an above-average defender. He has plenty of strength in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame, projecting for average power, but his line-drive swing is more tailored for driving doubles from gap-to-gap. Chapman has a disciplined approach and walks about as often as he strikes out. Scouts like his hard-nosed, blue-collar mentality and sound baseball instincts. And his premium arm makes pitching an intriguing fallback option should his bat eventually sputter.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #14 prospect in 2017
  Chapman always has struck out frequently, and that rate shows no sign of abating. He whiffed 31 percent of the time while at Nashville and held that rate after being called up to the Athletics on June 15. Chapman's power is plus-plus, particularly to his pull side, and he demonstrates the patience to stay away from pitches out of the zone. "He is so strong that when he can at least touch the ball with the barrel, great things happen," Nashville manager Ryan Christenson said. While Chapman is a below-average hitter for average, his power, defense and arm--which grades at the top of the scale--are impact big league tools. "His athletic ability is unbelievable," Christenson said. "He's one of the best third basemen I've ever seen."
• 
  Ranked Texas League #6 prospect in 2016
  Chapman's game is all power, all the time. Promoted to Triple-A Nashville in mid-August, he still led the TL with 29 home runs and earned league MVP honors. Despite his home-run exploits, his truly exceptional throwing arm is his greatest tool and earns him top-of-the-scale grades from some scouts. Chapman has power to all fields, but it comes with a well below-average hit tool. He has a solid understanding of the strike zone and recognizes pitches well, but his swing features a deep load and apparent stiffness, making him a projected fringe-average hitter. Defensively, Chapman has few peers at third base. He has a chance to be a 70-grade defender on the 20-80 scouting scale.
• 
  Ranked California League #12 prospect in 2015
  Chapman finished the season as Stockton's leading home run hitter despite being limited to 80 games by a couple of nagging injuries. He has a prototype third baseman's build, and he began to answer doubts about his power by smashing 23 homers. Chapman had employed more of a gap approach at Cal State Fullerton, but now he generates good leverage in his swing and balls jump off his bat to all fields. Chapman has very little pre-swing movement and doesn't have much rhythm at the plate. His pitch recognition needs to be sharper, but his swing is short to the ball and he still managed to draw a healthy number of walks. Chapman's cannon arm continued to draw raves around the Cal League. He needs to take better angles on groundballs, but he does show good first-step quickness and ranges well in all directions. Beyond his physical tools, Chapman's vocal leadership ability drew around the league.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #94 prospect in 2017

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: A knee injury and then a wrist injury that eventually necessitated surgery truncated Chapman's first full season. But fully healthy in 2016, he blasted 36 homers at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville, ranking third overall in the minors. In 2015, Chapman reworked his swing with high Class A Stockton hitting coach Brian McArn to tap into his power, and it has worked, with 59 homers the last two seasons. Scouting Report: Chapman was more of a gap-to-gap hitter in college, but he has moved his hands back a little and found a consistent spot to start and trigger his swing. He has above-average raw power and can drive the ball out to all fields. His swing retains some rigidity and length, so he'll strike out a lot and is a below-average hitter. He has solid average pitch recognition and draws walks. Chapman showcases at least 70 arm strength with carry on the 20-80 scouting scale. He projects to be a plus defender at third base.
  
  The Future: While the A's have other third-base options such as Healy and Renato Nunez, Chapman is the best defender of the group. He likely will return to Triple-A Nashville to start 2017 after finishing there in 2016, but once ready, he should push Healy off the hot corner in Oakland.