It looks like Matt Chapman has finally figured things out.
After a slow start to the 2024 MLB season, his first with the Giants, the All-Star third baseman flipped the script on his campaign. Chapman has been crying lately, something Giants hitting coach Pat Burrell largely attributes to none other than San Francisco legend Barry Bonds.
“I’d like to say I have something to do with all of this,” Burrell said Friday morning on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus.” “He’s worked a lot with Barry at home. He’s worked a lot with Justin Viele, the other hitting coach. They spend a lot of time together in the cage and they found a way to get him back on top of the fastball, especially away from home. he, if you’ve seen the last two nights, he’s really been able to master some high pitches over the plate. His top hand is really working very well.
“I can’t say enough about how hard he’s worked. At home games, Barry is there quite a bit and he and Chappy over the last few months have formed a pretty good relationship and I think it’s really helped him a lot. So I want to make sure I give Barry some credit for that because I know it’s due.”
Through May 15, the 31-year-old was hitting just .205, but since then he has gone 13-for-20 (.650), raising his average to .249.
Chapman spoke with 95.7 The Game’s Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky on “The Morning Roast” about his early struggles and when asked if he was trying too hard, he attributed his start to several things.
“I’m sure it’s a little bit of everything,” Chapman said. “New division. New team. New teammates. I also think part of that was that I hit the ball hard and had no luck. So I think my numbers didn’t reflect how I was playing, to be honest, but also definitely think that you want to get in and make an impact right away. You want to help be one of the guys leading the charge.
“I’m no stranger to putting too much pressure on myself. But once you start to get comfortable, and I start to feel like I’m starting to play like myself, get into the flow of things a little bit, you gain a little more confidence and you can be yourself.
Chapman has now gone deep in three straight games entering Friday’s game against the New York Mets, and is hitting .565/.655/1.174 with three home runs, eight RBI, 11 runs and 13 hits over the past week. The Giants are 6-1 in that span.
Burrell understands that slumps come and go in a season for every hitter, but his focus now is trying to keep Chapman’s hot streak going as long as possible.
“He’s a very physical, strong kid. So when he hits it, he’s going to hit it hard. And that’s fine. We want to encourage him to just have good hits and get there on time. When he breaks down a little bit, he tends to branch out and chase a little bit. and then you get behind the 8 ball. So the way it’s going now, you just don’t fail as a hitter, you go through ups and downs every season. And when everything’s going well, you just want to ride it as long as possible.
“So we’re doing everything we can to keep him feeling that way. The goal for us is just to keep him doing what he’s doing.”
The momentum he gained at the plate carried over to his glove on the field, making several big plays on both offense and defense in San Francisco’s most recent series over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
And Chapman (and the Giants) surely hope the momentum flows into San Francisco’s three-game set against the Mets at Citi Field.
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