The Giants locking down star third baseman Matt Chapman was a bright spot in what has been a bleak 2024 MLB season in the Bay.
Chapman gives his all for San Francisco every day and now is scheduled to continue doing so through 2030.
At 71-74, the Giants are nowhere close to where they want to be. But having Chapman for the future is the type of security that San Francisco has been lacking in recent years, which the legendary Buster Posey recently explained to his former teammate and NBC Sports Bay Area analyst George Kontos..
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“Locking down Matt Chapman is huge for us,” Posey told Kontos. “I was such a huge fan of his when I played against him. Getting to watch him this whole season, [I’m] even more of a fan. He’s the type of guy you want on the field because you know he is going to bust his tail every single day. He’s going to do everything he can do to be on the field.
“Not to mention, he’s supremely talented. But a guy who’s just willing to post out there, I just have so much respect and value for a player like that.”
"I just have so much respect and value for a player like that."
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 11, 2024
Buster Posey tells @g_kontos why he's excited about the Giants' decision to extend Matt Chapman pic.twitter.com/e6ijPD0stV
There initially were concerns Chapman wouldn't stay long when he and the Giants agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract -- with an opt-out after this season -- in December. Nevertheless, the Bay remains home to the Southern California native.
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Posey has watched Chapman hold down the hot corner for years, dating back to when the third baseman was with the Oakland Athletics.
Now, Chapman is in Posey’s old threads -- and will be for a while -- and has played in 141 of 145 games over his first Giants season.
Chapman leads San Francisco with a .334 on-base percentage, 133 hits, 72 RBI, 35 doubles and 23 home runs ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
While Posey is glad Chapman is a Giant for years to come, he knows San Francisco has serious work to do.
“No question, I don’t think anybody’s happy with where we are,” Posey added. “I mean, the goal for us -- we’re the San Francisco Giants -- our goal is to win the division each year and to be in a position in the playoffs to compete for a World Championship. So on that front, nobody’s satisfied whatsoever.”
With 17 games remaining, the Giants are 15 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for first in the NL West and trail the 80-66 New York Mets by eight games for the third and last wild-card spot.
San Francisco has a long hill to climb before it returns to the glory days Posey knows all too well. But for now, the organization can relish in Chapman’s commitment to the organization and city.
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