Matt Chapman | 3B/RHP
Background
Chapman is an Orange County kid from Trabuco Canyon who went undrafted out of El Toro High School (Austin Romine’s alma mater) in 2011. He hit .285/.380/.413 with seven homers and seven steals in 108 games as a freshman and sophomore at Cal State Fullerton, and so far this spring he has a .318/.417/.511 batting line with six homers, five steals, and nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (23) in 46 games.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 lbs., Chapman stands out for his defense at the hot corner, where he has quick feet, soft hands, and a rocket arm. He has some power in his right-handed swing and a good approach at the plate, but he has struggled against premium velocity throughout his career. Chapman has been classified as a hard-nosed, blue collar player who plays very hard. Although he has not pitched during his three years at Fullerton, Chapman threw 98 mph out of the bullpen with Team USA last summer. He is considered a better prospect as a position player, but the mound is an obvious fallback option.
Miscellany
In their recent rankings, Keith Law (subs. req’d), Baseball America, and MLB.com ranked Chapman as the 54th, 64th, and 77th best prospect in the draft class, respectively. As I mentioned yesterday, scouting director Damon Oppenheimer loves his SoCal prospects, and he has sown an increased affinity for college bats the last two drafts. Chapman appears to be a player the Yankees could target with their top pick, their second rounder (55th overall).
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