San Francisco Giants 'Golden Batter' Should Be Slugger Matt Chapman

The San Francisco Giants have multiple options for who their "Golden Batter" would be, but it would be best suited with veteran Matt Chapman.

Sep 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) awaits his turn at bat against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants would have some deliberating to do if MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred came out today and said, "We are instituting the 'Golden Batter' rule for the 2025 season."

It is something that the owners have discussed of late, albeit not to implement as soon as 2025, and it would change the entire landscape of Major League Baseball.

For those unaware, the "Golden Batter" or "Golden At-Bat" rule would allow a team to let any player on their roster hit at any time once a game, even if they are already in the lineup and it is not their turn to do so.

This is a concept that the Savannah Bananas implemented in their exhibition games, along with all of the other wacky rules they have.

For instance, the batter is out if a fan in the stands catches a foul ball. Also, if there is a base on balls, the batter must sprint to first base and advance as far as they can while the defense throws the ball around to each fielder before they can attempt to make the out.

It's great stuff for the Bananas, who are entertaining hundreds of thousands during tours every year. But it would be a huge paradigm shift for MLB.

Think back to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where the final out of the whole shebang came down to (then) teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It could be that situation but on a per-game basis.

For the Giants, their "Mike Trout" in that scenario could be any of Tyler Fitzgerald, Heliot Ramos, or Matt Chapman.

Ramos and Fitzgerald both posted OPS+ numbers that were well above average, with Fitzgerald posting a 136 and Ramos posting a 125. However, Chapman is the veteran with much more Major League experience, and posted a 125 OPS+ in his own right.

For his career, Chapman has batted .241/.329/.462 with 182 home runs, 504 RBI, and a 118 OPS+ across 4,235 plate appearances in 1,022 games. He could certainly be supplanted with one of the younger players, but they have not had the consistent track record of success that Chapman has had so far.

A runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie game and at the bottom of the lineup? Nah, here comes Chapman instead of Wilmer Flores.

Manfred did clarify that the concept is only in the early stages of discussion among himself and the owners. Even with how much baseball has changed during Manfred's tenure as commissioner, this may be a step too far.

Regardless of whether this does come to be or not, it is still a fun discussion to have and an interesting exercise to think of who the "Golden Batter" would be for each team.

For San Francisco, it would take some time to think before coming to the conclusion of Matt Chapman.