CINCINNATI — Matt Chapman wasn’t an All-Star last season, and when MVP results were released in November, he had finished 11th in the National League. It was his highest finish in half a decade, but it didn’t quite match up to what the Giants saw every day, everything that led them to give him a massive extension before he could return to the open market.
Chapman finished fifth in the NL in FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement and he was second in Baseball Reference’s calculations, behind only Shohei Ohtani, who did win that MVP award. Those all-encompassing metrics didn’t quite match up with the national perception of the season Chapman had, but if he keeps having games like Sunday’s, perhaps everyone else will catch up.
The box score line in the Giants’ 6-3 win — 1-for-3 with a two-run homer — didn’t jump off the page, but this was a Matt Chapman Game. He made two spectacular plays on defense, both in big spots, leading the Giants to a season-opening series win over a Cincinnati Reds squad that plans to be in the postseason race.
CHAPPY’S GOT HIS FIRST DINGER 💥
— Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcsgiants.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 11:57 AM
“You appreciate it because he makes the tough ones look routine,” starting pitcher Robbie Ray said. “He’s special over there and it’s really fun to watch.”
It’s that nonchalance that perhaps makes it hard sometimes to fully notice just how much Chapman is impacting a game. The best example Sunday was a play he made in the sixth, one batter after Ray’s modest perfect game attempt had been broken up by a single.
An absolute menace at the hot corner 😈
— Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcsgiants.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Find the latest San Francisco Giants news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Blake Dunn hit a chopper down the line and Chapman stabbed it as he went down to one knee. He got up and made a strong throw to first, just getting Dunn, who reached 30.3 feet per second — a mark viewed as elite — while getting down the line.
With some third basemen, that would have been a double. With just about anyone else in baseball, it would have been an infield single, putting two runners on for Austin Wynns, who hit a homer that brought home two runs instead of three. When Matt McLain followed with another solo shot, the Giants still held the lead.
They wouldn’t give it up, in large part because of a double play Chapman turned in the eighth. The Reds put two in scoring position with one out against Tyler Rogers, who induced a grounder to third that Chapman charged. He tagged the lead runner, Dunn, and then in one motion made an off-balance throw to first to end the inning.
Just your average Matt Chapman play 🤷
— Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcsgiants.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Santiago Espinal, the hitter, looked over in disgust. Rogers laughed as he jogged off the field. Chapman never broke stride and sprinted all the way back to a roaring dugout.
“Obviously experience helps and being in-tune with the game, but sometimes if you let the game show you what to do, good things happen,” Chapman said, smiling.
The play reminded manager Bob Melvin of Chapman’s game-ending throw in New York last year. The instincts simply took over as he charged the ball, something he does better than any third baseman in the game.
“Nobody else makes that play, where you even have the presence to think about going to get to the runner and you’re on the run and make that play at first base,” Melvin said. “It was (a three-run game), if they get another at-bat and there’s a run in, a base hit could tie the game. There’s just so much riding on that. He made a play in New York last year that was a game-saver and he does that often, but you can’t get calloused to it because it’s special.”
What excites Chapman the most is that he feels like he’s now surrounded by two-way standouts. Willy Adames is the best example, but Jung Hoo Lee had a strong series on both sides of the ball and Tyler Fitzgerald was all over the field Sunday. It was Heliot Ramos, though, who shared the spotlight in the win.
Neither team had a hit until Ramos homered with one out in the fifth and he later drove in an insurance run. In the ninth, Ramos made a diving grab of a sinking liner, his sunglasses flying off as he hit the ground.
Ramos gets the Giants on the board with his second of the season 💪
— Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcsgiants.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
What a play by Ramos 😱
— Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area (@nbcsgiants.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“It’s huge. I think you’re going to see him take another step forward this season,” Chapman said. “When he’s hitting the way he’s hitting and playing that great defense, it’s just another guy that’s going to help us win a ton of baseball games. I think we have a lot of players on our team that can do things on both sides of the ball. When you have a lot of players like that, you see guys really contribute and help you win games.
“He was obviously an All-Star last year, so we know what he’s capable of. We’ll work on some of those dives and make it a little more graceful.”
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
