Matthew James Chapman (born April 28, 1993) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. Chapman made his MLB debut with Oakland in 2017. He was traded to the Blue Jays prior to the 2022 season and signed with the Giants as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

before the 2024 season. Renowned for his defense, Chapman has won five

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

s, two Platinum Glove Awards, and three

Fielding Bible Award A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each baseball positions, fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB) based on "statistical analysis, the eye test, and any other factors that anelistswish to utilize." John D ...

s. He also won the

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

in 2018 and was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 2019.

Early life and career

Matthew James Chapman was born on April 28, 1993, in

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...

. Chapman attended

El Toro High School El Toro High School is a public high school in Lake Forest, California, United States. It is one of five high schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) and serves Lake Forest as well as its district of Portola Hills and a ...

Lake Forest, California Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to incorporation, the community had be ...

. In 2011, as a senior, he had a .422

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. Undrafted out of high school in the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the fi ...

, Chapman enrolled at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the sport, athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big W ...

. In 2014, his junior year, he

slashed Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album '' Trailer'' in 1994 and full-lengt ...

.312/.412/.498 with six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 48

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs) in 54 games.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

After the season, the

selected Chapman in the first round of the

2014 MLB draft The 2014 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 5 through June 7, 2014, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The first two rounds were conducted on June 5, followed by rounds three through ten on June 6, and the last 30 round ...

. After signing, Chapman made his professional debut at the rookie level

Arizona League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Mesa, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Athletics organization since 1988. They play thei ...

. After three games, he was promoted to Class-A

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

. In 50 games for Beloit, he batted .237 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. He also played in one game for the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

at the end of the season. His entire 2015 season was spent with the Class A-Advanced

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

where he batted .250 with 23 home runs and 57 RBIs in 80 games. Chapman was invited to major league

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

with the Athletics in 2016. He began the season with Midland, and after slashing .244/.335/.521 with 29 home runs and 83 RBIs in 117 games, he was promoted to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

in August, where he finished the season batting .197 with seven home runs and 13 RBIs in 18 games. He was selected as the Texas League Player of the Year for 2016. Chapman started the 2017 season playing for Nashville. He suffered a wrist injury on a check swing in the first series of the season and spent two weeks on the disabled list. In 49 games for Nashville, he batted .257 with 16 home runs and 30 RBIs.

Oakland Athletics (2017–2021)

The Athletics promoted Chapman to the major leagues on June 15, 2017, to make his MLB debut that night. On June 16, Chapman had his first major league hit and collected three RBIs (including the go-ahead run) against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. On September 6, Chapman was thrown out of a game by umpire Mike Everitt for arguing with

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

catcher

Juan Graterol Juan Jose Graterol Montevideo (born February 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) and former catcher. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los ...

. Chapman took exception to Graterol staring at the Oakland batters, and Graterol felt that the Athletics were trying to steal signs. He spent the remainder of the season with Oakland after his June 15 call-up, batting .234 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs in 84 games. Chapman was placed on the disabled list on June 16, 2018, with a bruised right thumb and activated on July 3. Chapman finished his 2018 campaign batting .278 with 24 home runs and 68 RBIs, offering solid baserunning and excellent defense as well. He underwent ulnar sided

sesamoid bone In anatomy, a sesamoid bone () is a bone embedded within a tendon or a muscle. Its name is derived from the Greek word for 'sesame seed', indicating the small size of most sesamoids. Often, these bones form in response to strain, or can be presen ...

excision surgery on the thumb on October 16 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. On October 29, Chapman received a

. On November 4, Chapman received a

Rawlings Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...

as well as winning the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award with his former high school teammate

Nolan Arenado Nolan James Arenado (; born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arenado is widely recognized as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. He is ...

. He also won the fan vote for the Platinum Glove Award. On December 14, 2018, Chapman underwent left shoulder surgery. In 2019, Chapman excelled offensively, hitting 36 home runs with 91 RBI and .249/.342/.506 slash line in 156 games. He also struck out 147 times in 583 at bats. On September 12, 2020, Chapman decided to opt out for the remainder of the season due to hip tendonitis that would require surgery. In 2020, Chapman batted .232/.276/.535 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs, striking out 54 times in 142 at bats. He last played on September 6 due to hip tendonitis. He underwent labrum surgery that month, ending his season. In 2021, Chapman batted .210/.314/.403 with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs in 151 games. He became the first Athletic to ever strike out 200 times in a season and had the lowest line drive percentage of any major leaguer, at 14.6%. He also took more pitches per plate appearance than any other MLB batter, at 4.29. He received his third career Gold Glove Award.

Toronto Blue Jays (2022–2023)

On March 16, 2022, the Athletics traded Chapman to the

for

Gunnar Hoglund Gunnar Thomas Hoglund (born December 17, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hoglund played college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels and made his MLB debut in 2025. Amateur career ...

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, Zach Logue, and

Kirby Snead William Kirby Snead (born October 7, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blu ...

. On March 22, 2022, Chapman signed a two-year contract worth $25 million with the Blue Jays, avoiding salary arbitration. Chapman hit his first career

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

off of

Reid Detmers Reid Kristien Detmers (born July 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Detmers was born in Nokomis, Illinois, and attended Nokomis High School as well as Glenwood Hi ...

in a 12–11 road victory against the Los Angeles Angels on April 9, 2023. He was named the AL Player of the Month for April after leading all hitters in

OPS OPS may refer to: Organizations * Obscene Publications Squad, a former unit of the Metropolitan Police in London, England * Oceanic Preservation Society * Office of Public Safety, a former US government agency * Orchestre philharmonique de Strasb ...

(1.152), wRC+ (219) and fWAR (2.0). He became a free agent following the season.

San Francisco Giants (2024–present)

On March 3, 2024, Chapman signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the

that also included player options for the 2025 and 2026 seasons and a mutual option for the 2027 season. On September 4, 2024, Chapman signed a six-year, $151 million contract extension.

Player profile

Chapman has a reputation for being an elite defender with exceptional range, arm strength, and arm accuracy. His arm strength allows him to play at a deeper depth to field a hard-hit ball heading down his right side. He uses a two-handed gather on the forehand, and one-handed backhand with a basketball defensive crouch to prevent the ball from sailing.

Personal life

His former

teammate is fellow MLB

. During the off-season, Chapman was roommates with Philadelphia Phillies catcher

Garrett Stubbs Garrett Patrick Stubbs (born May 26, 1993) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros. Stubbs attended the University of Southern California (USC), an ...

in California. Chapman and his wife, Taylor, were married in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in December 2021. Chapman has

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinkin ...

References

External links

*
State Fullerton Baseball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Matt 1993 births Living people American League All-Stars Arizona League Athletics players Baseball players from Orange County, California Baseball players from San Bernardino County, California Beloit Snappers players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players El Toro High School alumni Gold Glove Award winners La Crosse Loggers players Major League Baseball third basemen Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players People with Tourette syndrome Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Sportspeople from Victorville, California Stockton Ports players Toronto Blue Jays players