Matt Chapman, Oakland Athletics
Oakland’s surprising 97-65 record from last season wouldn’t have been possible without Matt Chapman leading the way. He posted 6.5 fWAR in his first full big-league season off the strength of above-average offensive production (.864 OPS, 137 wRC+, 24 homers, 68 RBI, 100 runs scored) and elite defense (29 DRS in 1,273.2 innings).
The two defenders who were closest to what Chapman did in the DRS department were Andrelton Simmons and Nick Ahmed, who both finished with 21. So, the gap between Chapman and second place (8 DRS) was as big as it was from second place to 13th place (Addison Russell, 13).
He did finish seventh in American League MVP voting in 2018, and he can thank a big second half for that happening. After posting a .776 OPS and 116 wRC+ through 330 first-half plate appearances, his final 286 trips to the plate resulted in a .961 OPS and 162 wRC+. That included more homers (14), RBI (39), and runs scored (52) following the All-Star Break despite fewer plate appearances (10, 29, and 48, respectively, in the first half).
Chapman has most certainly put himself on many radars thanks to his breakout campaign, but with a Junior Circuit full of talent — while also playing in the same division as Mike Trout — it’ll be tough for the A’s third baseman to come out as a frontrunner for this award.
About Matt Musico
Matt Musico currently manages Chin Music Baseball and contributes to The Sports Daily. His past work has been featured at numberFire, Yahoo! Sports and Bleacher Report. He’s also written a book and created an online class about how to get started as a sports blogger. You can sign up for his email newsletter here.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
