Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Matt Chapman (26) salutes the Giants dugout after hitting a double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
There’s probably no player on the SF Giants right now who’s more of a face of the franchise than Matt Chapman. The reigning Willie Mac Award winner has proven to be a leader inside and outside the clubhouse, locking down the hot corner with his electric glovework and mashing many a homer over the left field fence. So why not bestow him with the honor of becoming team captain?
SF Giants should consider bold move with vocal leader Matt Chapman
Signed to a six-year extension with a full no-trade clause by none other than Buster Posey before he even became President of Baseball Ops, it’s clear that Chapman has the full trust of the new front office and isn’t going anywhere for a long time.
The Giants have entered a new era with Posey in charge. The change of leadership and clubhouse culture will permeate every level of the franchise in the years to come. One of the main changes from the Zaidi era that fans are hoping for is a return to the “memory-making business”. An overreliance on platoons and constant roster churning has led to a lot of rooting for laundry in past seasons, so a return to having core, everyday players whom fans recognize would be huge for the fanbase.
The Giants haven’t had an official team captain since Jack Clark (no, Brandon Belt and his taped-on C was never actually the captain), and only two teams have one with Aaron Judge holding that title for the Yankees and Salvador Pérez for the Kansas City Royals. It’s a purely symbolic title and doesn’t really come with any practical benefits or responsibilities, but it would be a vote of confidence in Chapman that he is someone to look up to in the clubhouse.
There are other candidates for the role, such as Willy Adames, who is a cornerstone in his own right and brings infectious energy to the team. Logan Webb also started his fourth consecutive Opening Day for the team and is another face fans would recognize on a banner. When you think of the culture the Giants want to instill, though, there’s probably no one who brings the right mix of work ethic, talent, and playing every day better than Chapman.
One reason why the Giants anointing a team captain is relatively unlikely, aside from it being an unnecessary declaration, is that Buster Posey himself probably doesn’t see the point in it. It may seem crazy that Posey never held the title himself after being the face of the franchise through multiple championships, but he and Bruce Bochy felt that it was a needless moniker. “How many teams really do that?” Posey had remarked when asked about it in 2021, “I don’t think there’s even a team that does that.”
He was right at the time. Aaron Judge and Salvador Pérez were not anointed by their respective teams until 2023. If Posey himself doesn’t see the merit in having a team captain, though, it’s probably unlikely that Chapman will become one. He will still be a face of the franchise and a perennial clubhouse leader, though, and if Belt does make a miraculous comeback from retirement, all bets are off.
