San Francisco Giants Offseason Addition Predicted to Become Clubhouse Leader

With a bunch of new faces infused into this clubhouse, the San Francisco Giants could see their offseason addition become their new leader.

May 12, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) celebrates with infielder Matt Chapman (26) after hitting a two run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants decided to become aggressive in the offseason and add high-profile players to their roster in an attempt to get back into the playoffs.

It's always tricky when a front office does that as new blood in the clubhouse can be a boost to the team, or can derail things because of a potential change in culture.

However, the Giants figured it would be worth the risk, especially with Bob Melvin coming in for his first year as their new manager.

Many people expected the best third baseman on the free agency market to come to San Francisco and rejoin his manager from their days with the Oakland Athletics. Ultimately that did happen when they handed Matt Chapman a three-year, $54 million deal.

So far, things haven't quite lived up to expectation, but the 31-year-old has started producing at a much higher level at the plate.

With a season-long slash line of .246/.311/.424, he has taken his game up a notch by going 12-24 during his last seven games with two homers and five RBI entering Thursday.

Alex Pavlovic and Cole Kuiper of NBC Sports Bay Area discussed what they've seen recently out of Chapman and think this is something that can occur for the rest of the year.

"I think that is more sustainable than a lot of the things we've talked about on this podcast. I think once Chapman gets moving, takes advantage of a series like [against the Colorado Rockies], finds his swing, finds his success, I think we're going to get more of what the Giants hoped for and expected out of him through the rest of the year," Kuiper said on "Giants Talk."

That would certainly be a huge positive for this team after their offense has not been able to deliver, especially when they get men on base. Lack of run production has been a major reason why they haven't been able to sustain success and are fighting an uphill battle to be playing postseason baseball.

And while offensive production by Chapman would certainly be welcomed, Pavlovic thinks he's going to have an even more important role.

"He's as good a bet as any just to lead this team. He's the veteran guy ... [Brandon] Crawford's gone. [Brandon] Belt's gone ... I think if you had to pick one guy where you're like 'get that guy going,' it's Matt Chapman," he said.

Leading is certainly much easier to do when performing well, especially in a new clubhouse.

Hopefully for everyone, the elite third baseman is able to keep up this level of production and provide stability for a team who has been rocked with inconsistent play and injuries.