The San Francisco Giants are trying to finish out their season strong and play spoiler in the National League.
It hasn’t been the year that the Giants were hoping for, as the NL West proved to be to much this season like expected, but one of the major reasons why San Francisco has struggled has been because of their offense.
This will certainly be an area that they look to improve this offseason, and they have started that already.
Recently, the Giants made the decision to lock up third baseman Matt Chapman to a six-year deal.
Chapman’s first season with San Francisco has been a very good one, and the franchise clearly wants him to be a part of the future.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently ranked the Top-50 hitters of 2024 and he ranked the Giants star No. 43.
“Chapman’s calling card remains his Gold Glove-caliber defense, but he’s had a strong season at the plate as well. In his first campaign with the Giants, Chapman has 23 home runs, 72 RBI and 61 walks. The Giants are so pleased with Chapman’s first season in San Francisco that they already reached a new six-year, $151 million extension.”
Chapman being rated in the Top-50 is great to see for the Giants, as he was the only player on the team to make the list.
While he is having an excellent season at the plate this year, he has always been known as a glove-first player.
At 31 years old, Chapman is having arguably one of his best offensive seasons of his career. His oWAR is currently 5.0, which is comparable to his 5.1 oWAR in 2018 with the Oakland Athletics, and also his 4.9 oWAR in 2019, which was the year he made the All-Star team.
With a 6.7 overall WAR this season, Chapman has been one of the better all-around players in baseball. For a San Francisco team that has their eye on the future and money to spend this winter, he is a great two-way player to build around.
In addition to him having a great offensive year, outfielder Heliot Ramos should also be recognized for his performance since being called up in May.
The top prospect has a 3.0 oWAR this season, but will have to improve in the field to get to the overall level of Chapman.
After signing the big contract extension, Chapman will be a building block for the franchise for years to come.
