Let Me Introduce Matt Chapman: America’s Sweetheart

When thinking of America’s team, the Oakland Athletics do not come to mind immediately. Yonder Alonso represented the A’s in the 2017 All-Star Game, but the team as a whole has a lot of fun and interesting pieces.

Brushing past the Matt Joyce’s and Khris Davis’ and getting to the heartland of the Oakland A’s, you’ll find a native Californian manning the hot corner. America’s Sweetheart Matt Chapman can do it all.

A bona fide wizard with the glove, Chapman drove his value with defense, but a blossoming bat could put him on the cusp of fantasy baseball stardom. He caught fire entering August and the residuals have resulted in a .429/.529/.786 slash line chipping in five runs batted in and three runs scored as well.

Those owners who stuck with Chapman through a .193 batting average in July have begun to reap major benefits. Even in July, he produced at an above average clip with a wOBA of .334 and an ISO of .357 (ML average for the month of July .323 and .197 respectively).

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From July to August, Chapman’s exit velocity rose 5.9 mph to 94 mph. Chapman’s rising exit velocity could be attributed to becoming acclimated to Major League pitching in the same way he improved after his second stint in AAA.

In 2016, AAA he had a 101 wRC+ over 85 plate appearances, and when he returned to AAA this year, Chapman’s wRC+ rose to 130 over 204 plate appearances, which gave the A’s every excuse to call him up to the Majors.

Chapman’s plate discipline profile looks very similar to Eric Thames. Both have a swinging strike rate of around 13% and nearly identical contact% (Thames is 68.6 and Chapman is at 68.7). The two have very similar Swing% as well with Thames swinging at 42.8% of pitches and Chapman swinging at 41.6%. Thames is in a different level of power this year (26.9% HR/FB ratio); however, Chapman still is at a very good 16% HR/FB.

Chapman’s profile screams of “.250 and a 30 rack” as my friends would put it. With that being said, a .250 batting average should stay in play as his exit velocity rises and BABIP begin to rise. With the raw power to hit 30 homers (36 home runs combined across all levels in 2016), he oozes dynasty value as his glove is good enough to get him consistent at-bats for the A’s.

Chapman should be a useful player for years to come in almost all formats of fantasy baseball as he could find himself with Mark Trumbo-esque fantasy value.  For now, in most standard scoring leagues, Chapman represents a cheap power option for owners willing to sacrifice their batting average.

Still not convinced on America’s Sweetheart? Click here to erase your doubts. Chapman has seven home runs on the year with six of the seven traveling more than 400 feet. Averaging 105.7 mph EV on home runs, Chapman has flashed exciting power in games and is beginning to garner the attention of the fantasy baseball world.

Next: Arodys Vizcaino: New closer in Atlanta?

Breathtaking glove work, grassroots-fundamental base running, and Matt Chapman home runs from sea to shining sea! That is the essence of Americana. Here’s to you, Matt Chapman: America’s Sweetheart.