SF Giants ace thrilled about Chapman extension for reason other than baseball
A nice reminder that baseball is much more than just a game.
Many SF Giants fans were excited when it was announced that the team had signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a 6-year extension. So was staff ace Logan Webb who was thrilled for reasons both on and off the field.
Chapman has been great for the Giants this season. He has played excellent defense and has been very solid at the plate as well. He has also been very reliable for the team, only missing a handful of games.
He is a key piece that the Giants can build around going forward. Chapman is also an attractive player for potential free agents who would surely like to play with a player with Chapman's skills and reputation.
Logan Webb thrilled about Matt Chapman extension for reasons other than baseball
Logan Webb has certainly enjoyed having Chapman behind him playing defense this season. Webb is a sinkerballer who induces many ground balls so it certainly helps having one of the best third basemen in all of baseball playing behind you.
Webb was thrilled when he found out about Chapman's extension for obvious baseball reasons, but he also shared a more personal reason he was excited about Chapman sticking around in San Francisco for the foreseeable future in an interview with Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic (subscription required):
"I told him, ‘The coolest part for me is our kids get to grow up together now.’ That’s awesome. We live five minutes away from each other in the offseason. I couldn’t be more excited for him, for his family, and selfishly, for myself. It’s going to be great."
It is very cool that Webb and Chapman, who are under contract until 2028 and 2030 respectively, will have this opportunity for their families to be close together like this. Chapman and his wife Taylor welcomed their baby girl Gia Alexander Chapman into the world recently and Webb and his wife Sharidan are expecting a child in early October.
Sometimes we can forget that the players we yell at through our TV screens are human beings with lives and families. It is a great reminder of the humanity of baseball and the unique opportunity that Chapman and Webb are afforded by having stable contract situations.
Webb and Chapman are the two undisputed leaders on the team going forward so it is really great and heartwarming that they can bond off the field with both of their families expanding. The Chapman extension was good for many reasons, but Webb's heartwarming personal reason for his excitement over the deal makes it that much better.