Why the SF Giants have performed better without Matt Chapman and Willy Adames

If it feels like the SF Giants have actually played a little better as of late, you’re not crazy. Even if the lineup is full of guys who probably won’t even be in the organization in a few months or at least will likely not be a big part of the roster next year, they have played a scrappy, perhaps even entertaining, brand of baseball.

The last three games are evidence that things have been better as the Giants got their first sweep of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals, coming back from being down 6-1 in the eighth inning to do it on Wednesday.

The Giants actually have a better winning percentage since Matt Chapman and Willy Adames went on the IL. The team was 35-50 before Chapman went on the IL and 52-78 before Adames went on the IL. Since Chapman went on the IL the Giants are 27-35 and since Adames went on the IL the Giants are 10-7.

It may be a small sample size, but that’s not the best sign especially when the Giants have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the two players. So, what’s really going on here?

Well, it’s important to note that both Chapman and Adames were playing through injuries. That certainly impacted their performance this year and it stands to reason that’s a big part of why they both had down years. 

Then there’s the chemistry factor. It’s not crazy to say that the Giants may have better chemistry with this group of youngsters. Logan Webb recently noted how many of the players currently on the roster bonded together in Triple-A Sacramento and how he feels like he’s playing on their team rather than the other way around.

This is a group of young players who have played with each other quite a bit in the minors and have something to prove. They’re trying to earn a spot on next year’s team and are bringing a hunger and tenacity that simply didn't seem to be there for much of the first half of the season at least based on the results and the way the team looked.

Giants may need clubhouse chemistry shift in 2027

That perceived lack of hunger may fall at least somewhat upon Chapman and Adames. The Giants signed those guys to big deals hoping they’d be very productive players, but also because they felt they would be leaders in the clubhouse. It would be unfair to blame all of the team’s bad mojo early this season on them, but when Chapman told Casey Schmitt to catch the ball in a way that made for a bad look and Adames forgot how many outs there were on the bases while joking around with Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, neither instance screamed “leadership.”

Perhaps Chapman and Adames being out has freed manager Tony Vitello up a bit more, too. Maybe he deferred to Chapman and Adames more since he is a rookie manager and they are the ostensible leaders of the team, but with a younger group of players now he may feel more empowered to act like he did as a college coach.

It’s also notable that Rafael Devers has seemingly assumed more of a leadership role in the absence of Chapman and Adames. He too may feel a bit more empowered to be his true self.

This doesn’t mean the Giants need to cut Chapman and Adames loose, but maybe next year the clubhouse dynamic needs to shift a little bit. Perhaps it should be a bit more egalitarian with younger players in the fold so there is a healthier mix of veterans and young guys looking to prove themselves rather than the veteran-heavy roster the Giants began the year with which probably didn’t set Vitello up for success.

It will also help if Chapman and Adames stay healthier which is why Vitello needs to assert more authority and rest them more often rather than let them play through ailments and just make them worse.

The Giants have a bunch of money tied up in these guys so they need to try to get the most out of them going forward otherwise the narrative that the Giants are better off without them is only going to persist.

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