Projected Giants Opening Day lineup after Matt Chapman signing
The San Francisco Giants made another late-offseason move, signing Matt Chapman to a three-year deal worth $54 million, a deal far cheaper than anyone could've predicted that the four-time Gold Glover would've received entering the winter.
Chapman has a reputation for being one of the best defensive third basemen in the league, but even with a rough platform season, he can be a major offensive force. The 30-year-old has a career 117 OPS+ in his seven MLB seasons thus far and has hit as many as 36 home runs in a single year. Even this past season when he was not at his best, Chapman had a 108 OPS+ and hit 17 home runs.
The strikeouts and overall streakiness offensively are things Giants fans will have to get used to, but he has tons of power, is an elite defender, and happens to be incredibly durable as well. While Chapman's insertion does not make the Giants better than teams like the Dodgers or Diamondbacks in their own division, it does put them right in the thick of what should be an entertaining NL Wild Card race. Here's what the Giants lineup will presumably look like on Opening Day assuming health.
Projecting the Giants Opening Day lineup with Matt Chapman in it
- Jung Hoo Lee - CF
- Thairo Estrada - 2B
- LaMonte Wade Jr. - 1B
- Jorge Soler - DH
- Matt Chapman - 3B
- Michael Conforto - LF
- Patrick Bailey - C
- Mike Yastrzemski - RF
- Marco Luciano - SS
What the Matt Chapman signing gives San Francisco is a ton of depth. With Chapman being their new everyday third baseman, the Giants will have one of, if not the best bench in the league barring an additional move.
Players like Wilmer Flores, J.D. Davis, and Austin Slater should see plenty of time, but to begin the year they might play mostly against left-handed pitching, platooning with guys like Lamonte Wade Jr., Michael Conforto, and Mike Yastrzemski - all left-handed hitters.
New manager Bob Melvin even has the option to potentially use Flores at first base and move Wade to a corner outfield spot. There's a lot of depth and flexibility on this team.
This lineup does not have a superstar opposing teams will fear, but it does have something it lacked last season. Power. Lots of it. Soler and Chapman might not hit for high averages, but they can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any given moment, even at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. With those two etched into the middle of the order and new $113 million man Jung Hoo Lee leading off, suddenly this lineup can be a lot more potent than they were last season. San Francisco missed the playoffs last season in large part because they were just 24th in runs scored.
This lineup is constructed pretty well with the top three in the order acting as table setters and the following three being the big power bats. The bottom of the order is suspect, but Bailey had some good moments in his rookie year, and Luciano is one of baseball's top prospects entering his rookie year.
While their defense will only get better with Chapman in the fold, it'll be interesting to see how this Giants offense performs. If Chapman bounces back at the plate and players like Soler and Lee make good first impressions as Giants, this team can seriously compete for one of the three Wild Card spots.
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