SF Giants Player Review 2026: Is Matt Chapman's decline permanent or an aberration?

There were a lot of disappointing performances from the 2026 season, but third baseman Matt Chapman is right up there with Willy Adames for most disappointing performance. Chapman declined in 2026 and the Giants have to be worried this is the start of a more prolonged decline now that he’s 33 years old.

Chapman’s year didn’t start off great, but it really only got worse as the season went on. There was the episode in San Diego towards the start of the season when he told Casey Schmitt to “catch the bleeping ball” which in retrospect was really not a great look for the veteran especially since Schmitt vastly outplayed him on the year. They reportedly cleared things up and it was water under the bridge so it’s not like it’s something that lingered at least not publicly.

While Fernando Tatis Jr. made a lot of headlines for how long he went without a home run, Chapman had only one home run at the start of June and it was an inside-the-park homer in late March. He hit a dismal .186/.259/.275 in the month of May.

June was much better as the power finally came around and he had a huge game with eight runs batted in against the Chicago Cubs, but it was all underscored by the fact that he was trying to play through a core muscle injury which flared up in Arizona on June 30. He tried to rehab and come back but the issue didn’t go away so he had to undergo surgery which ended his season. He ended the season hitting .235/.324/.368 with seven home runs and 42 runs batted in.

Giants badly need a rebound from Matt Chapman in 2027

Thankfully Chapman’s defense was largely the same at third base so he still brings value to the table that way, but the Giants really need him to recapture his 2024 form at the plate next season if they want to turn things around. Otherwise, Chapman’s trajectory in San Francisco is going to parallel Evan Longoria’s which would be very disappointing since the Giants still have over $100 million committed to Chapman over the next four years.

The main thing is going to be keeping him healthy. Chapman prides himself on playing pretty much every day, but manager Tony Vitello is going to need to assert his authority with Chapman and the other veterans next season. That means more days off so they remain fresher later in the season and no more playing through injuries. Chapman, Adames, and Rafael Devers deserve credit for wanting to be out there because the same can’t be said about other players around MLB, but if they’re going to be valuable to the team they need to be out there and as healthy as possible.

Chapman can still be a productive player in 2027. The guy we saw in early June can still exist but he just has to be managed smarter. Still, players entering their mid-thirties don’t usually get healthier and more productive so there is a real chance that 2026 was the beginning of Chapman’s decline and his contract will end up looking pretty bad. 

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