Injuries Not Enough To Slow Chapman
OAKLAND—First, his knee went bad. Then came a wrist injury. Matt Chapman’s first full year as a pro was little more than a mixture of pains.
But somehow, between the ailments, Chapman, 22, managed to show the kind of potential the Athletics envisioned when they made him the 25th overall pick in the 2014 draft. He played impressive defense at third base and socked 23 home runs in only 80 games for high Class A Stockton.
“He began to display the power that we thought was there,” farm director Keith Lieppman said. “He put together 23 home runs in three-quarters of a season. He was able to show opposite field power and pull power. That was the exciting part of his year—to see that was there and he could play at the higher levels.”
So after the year of agony and power, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Chapman says he is completely healthy. He had been ticketed for the Arizona Fall League but had to drop out to have surgery on his left wrist.
“I had surgery in October, rehab in November, then I started getting back to lifting weights,” Chapman said. “I started doing baseball stuff in January, hitting and fielding, and the wrist feels good.”
Even with the injuries, Chapman never stopped working. With the aid of Stockton hitting coach Brian McArn, he rebuilt his swing from his college years at Cal State Fullerton.
“In college, I had a short, compact swing that didn’t allow me to tap into my power,” Chapman said. “I had to make a few small adjustments, nothing too crazy. I just kind of pushed my hands back and tried to find the consistent spot to have my hands at the start of my swing. The smaller the movement you make, the more consistent you can be.”
Tinkering with the swing did add to his strikeouts. He fanned 79 times, a total that Lieppman predicts will diminish as Chapman grows more comfortable with the adjustments he has made. He also drew 39 walks and had a .341 on-base with his .250 average.
Chapman will likely be assigned to Double-A Midland next year, where he will continue to develop the swing the A’s believe will make him into a premium third baseman.
A’s ACORNS
• A’s top prospect Franklin Barreto will play short, second base and center field in 2016. A shortstop by trade, he played center in the Venezuelan Winter League.
• Pitching coordinator Gil Patterson and mental skills instructor Mark Strickland were among the A’s staffers working at the club’s Dominican camp in late January.
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