San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman is struggling at the plate this season. The team began their six-game homestand with a three-game series loss to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, leaving them at the bottom of the NL West with a 14-23 record. Chapman went 0-for-3 in the series finale, adding to his already troubled campaign.
After the series loss, media personnel approached Chapman for a post-game interview. During it, he reflected on the team’s ongoing struggles at the plate this season. Chapman stated that the current situation is worse than a rough start and mentioned that, aside from a few hitters, nobody has gotten going at the plate.
“I definitely would not have predicted that, especially, you know, we had a great spring training. Obviously, spring doesn’t mean too much, but we had a lot of good energy and guys were swinging the bats well. We got off to a rough start, and obviously it’s probably worse than a rough start, last in the major leagues in a lot of offensive categories,” Chapman said.
“Besides a couple guys, nobody’s really gotten it going as a collective. We really haven’t got it going, so I think the good news is there’s a lot of upside in this lineup, and maybe it’s going to be one of those things where we’re all cold at the same time and we all get hot at the same time… It’s just a matter of how we’re going to do that,” he added.
Giants fans took exception to Chapman’s opinion on the team’s ongoing struggles and lashed out at the 2019 All-Star, suggesting he should instead focus on hitting and show some consistency at the plate.
“Shut up, Chappy,” one fan commented.
“Hit the F***** ball, Chapman!! Isn’t that what he’d tell himself?” another fan commented.
“But honestly who besides management expected anything different . He’s only hit above .250 one time and that was 8 years ago . He’s a strikeout ground out machine . You need bats that can continue rallies not end them,” yet another fan commented.
Other fans continued their attack on the ballclub for a lack of cohesion and accountability in both departments of the game. Some even lashed out at management for its carefree approach to the ongoing struggles.
“We are almost 40 games in and it’s pretty sad to watch this entire team go to the plate. It’s one thing if it’s 1 or 2 guys struggling but it’s about 7 right now who cannot hit a thing,” one fan commented.
“I can’t decide whether the team is mutinying against something or just suck at baseball,” another fan commented.
“He doesn’t care, none of them do. They just laugh when the direct deposit hits,” yet another fan commented.
Giants 3B Matt Chapman is Projecting Disappointing Numbers at the Plate This Season
Chapman has a .234 batting average this season, with 1 home run, 12 RBIs, and a .623 OPS across 36 games. He has scored 16 runs from 32 hits in 137 at-bats, including six doubles and one triple. Nevertheless, his 36 strikeouts highlight certain inconsistencies in his plate performance.
Chapman’s projected offensive numbers are worrisome, as current analysis points to the five-time Gold Glover hitting only four home runs and registering 53 RBIs this season, which could truly prove to be his worst season yet in the big leagues. The Giants will continue their homestand, hosting the Pirates for a three-game series beginning Friday night.
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