SAN FRANCISCO — If the most important things in life are family, health, wealth, and the respect of your peers, then Matt Chapman is having his best month ever.
He signed a six-year, $151 million contract extension. He and his wife, Taylor, welcomed their first child. And the respect component arrived on Friday when Chapman’s teammates, coaches and training staff voted him the recipient of the Willie Mac Award, which honors the team’s player who displays the most competitive spirit, ability and leadership.
“It’s been a great month with my daughter and the contract and getting this award,” Chapman said. “I just feel blessed.”
But Chapman pointed out that this month could’ve been even better. The Giants could be gearing up for the postseason.
“That’s my goal, and I’m going to work this offseason to make that possible next year,” Chapman said.
It was one of the least surprising Willie Mac results in recent memory. The Giants didn’t agree to terms with Chapman until midway through spring training but he quickly set a standard for professionalism and formed an important clubhouse conduit for manager Bob Melvin, who had been Chapman’s skipper for five seasons in Oakland.
Chapman, 31, led by example on the field with his production and durability. He started 151 of the team’s 160 games — missing four of those games this month while either on the paternity list or because he was taking a physical before signing his contract — and has played 93.7 percent of the team’s defensive innings at third base, where he will be a leading candidate to win his fourth Gold Glove Award.
Last night, Matt Chapman became the first Giant to hit an inside-the-park home run and a triple in the same game since 1953!
(#SFGiants x @CoronaUSA) pic.twitter.com/LuZy7Y0KgG
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 24, 2024
Chapman also was the Giants’ most productive hitter. He leads the team in home runs (27), runs (96), doubles (36), RBI (78), and his 65 extra-base hits are the most by a Giant since Brandon Belt finished with 66 in 2016. Always considered a smart and efficient baserunner, Chapman’s average sprint speed of 28.7 feet per second ranks in the 84th percentile among major-league players and is his best since he was a 24-year-old rookie in 2017. He entered the year with 11 stolen bases over seven seasons but has swiped 15 this year.
Chapman has been worth 7.0 bWAR. Among National League players, only the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani has generated more value.
Melvin called Chapman into the visiting manager’s office earlier this week in Arizona to deliver the news.
“The more I learn about it, the more I see the significance of this award and how important it is to the organization,” Chapman said. “And the fact that it’s voted on people that I care about, and that they care about me like that, it’s pretty cool.”
Upon signing with the Giants, Chapman said he wouldn’t assert himself and instead would let any leadership role develop naturally. That’s precisely what happened. From creating clubhouse traditions after victories — Chapman wears a referee shirt and designates a player of the game to shoot a free throw with a mini basketball — to guiding a roster populated with young players, it became clear in short order that teammates were eager to take their cues from their strong-armed third baseman.
“I just feel like I’m being myself,” Chapman said. “I think people understand that I really care and I really want to win, and that I’m willing to put other people first, put my teammates first. It’s just kind of in my nature. I do whatever I can to win. I’ve never come in and demanded to be a leader. I just try to motivate my teammates and be the best teammate I can be. The way I go about my business and the way I try to handle interactions with my teammates is all directed towards trying to get the best out of everybody. That’s what I’m going to continue to try to do, because I feel like that’s how you win.
“And when we get the right group of guys and it all falls in line, I really think that we’ll be able to just keep this thing rolling and it’s going to be continued success.”
That process will be even easier next season, Chapman said. The Giants won’t be adjusting to a first-year manager. And Chapman will be there from the very start to help set a tone.
“It was a year of building relationships with these guys,” Chapman said. “They’re more comfortable with each other. We have more respect for each other. We’ve been through it together. So some of the things that we had to go through this year, we don’t have to necessarily go through as much of that (next) year and we can take it to another level.
“I don’t know exactly how that it’s all going to work out, but I know that I’m going to be here for a long time. And I can really sink my teeth into trying to bring the best out of this team.”
In addition to current Giants and former winners LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski, and broadcaster Mike Krukow, the Giants introduced former Willie Mac winners Marvin Benard, Dave Dravecky, Mike Felder, Larry Herndon, Hunter Pence, J.T. Snow, and Chris Speier.
(Photo: Justin Berl / Getty Images)
