Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Blue Jays' Matt Chapman Toe Tapping To New Heights
As teammates tossed equipment into boxes and packed up their personals, Matt Chapman had eyes on the offseason.
It was the third time Chapman's season ended with a crushing wild-card round loss, zero playoff wins in his career. Standing by his locker, seething with motivation after Toronto's Game 2 defeat, Chapman vowed improvement—and he already knew how to achieve it.
By the end of 2022, Chapman decided he would revamp the “load” portion of his swing, ditching the subtle leg kick he found inefficient and inconsistent, at times. Over the offseason, Chapman replaced the kick with an even subtler toe tap, gently pushing off the ground before sliding forward into attack position. The results have been immediate, as Toronto's hot corner has toe tapped his way to the hottest start in baseball.
"I feel like I am better than I was playing," Chapman said. "I feel like now I'm playing like the old me, more accustomed to playing like I did in 2018, '19. That's like the player I know I am."
The way Chapman discusses his 2022, you'd think he hit below the Mendoza line. In fact, the third basemen hit .229 with 27 homers and a park-adjust OPS that graded out 14% better than average. But he wants to be the guy that earned back-to-back MVP votes with 60 homers and an .856 OPS across two seasons in Oakland.
Last year, Chapman found himself "stretched out" at the plate. He would step forward out of his leg kick too far, throwing his swing off balance and pushing his bat path under the ball. He became the king of the warning track fly-out, posting the lowest HR/FB% of his career. The 2023 toe tap shortens him up, skimming his front foot along the dirt into the desired plant location. Every tap isn't identical, but Chapman's got more room for error now than with the kick.
"I think that's when he flourishes more," Blue Jays Assistant Hitting Coach Hunter Mense said. "Being closer to the ground."
Tigers catcher Eric Haase flashed his glove on the outside edge of the zone on Wednesday and Eduardo Rodriguez placed a sinker exactly where his backstop wanted. Chapman waited back on the pitch, swiftly taping his left foot, stepping forward, and lashing out at the ball. His front shoulder stayed closed on the pitch, part of a concerted effort to hit balls to the opposite field more this year, and Chapman's barrel struck baseball flush. A pitch that may have been a flyout in 2022 was launched on a 102.7 MPH rope to right field, bouncing off the wall for a double.
The new mechanics allow Chapman to stay "on top" of the baseball, resulting, so far, in a heavy dose of line drives. His 33.3% line-drive rate would be his highest single-season mark ever and the 61.5% hard-contact rate is 20% higher than his career norm. Through 15 games, Chapman is hitting .453 with 15 RBI, rocking a league-leading 1.291 OPS.
Chapman's spring numbers didn't foreshadow this hot start, with a .538 OPS in 18 games, but the 3B never doubted the tweaks. His work in the cage felt great, he said, and he was willing to bet on the results translating to the field when the games started to matter. He wagered correctly.
"Guys make changes in the offseason all the time. Then the season starts, it doesn't go well, they'll revert back to what they did the previous year," Mense said. "So it's good, he's pretty convinced that what he's doing is the right thing."
It helps that Chapman's not trying to reinvent himself. The toe tap was a minor adjustment to get him back to what he was, winning Gold Gloves and pushing for MVPs. The Chapman Toronto got in 2022 was a productive cornerstone on a contending team. The toe-tapping slugger they've seen this year is a game-changer.
"Obviously I'm not going to hit .400 all season," Chapman said. "Well, who knows? Knock on wood, maybe I will. But I can always look back at the video from the beginning of the season. What was I feeling there? What was I doing? I feel like that'll help get me back on track."
