Blue Jays: First Weeks Comparison Between Donaldson and Chapman

It’s been an interesting first two weeks for the Blue Jays organization. Matt Chapman is probably the most exciting third baseman to watch in a Blue Jays uniform since Josh Donaldson. Considering both players came to Toronto via trade from the Oakland Athletics, I can’t help but make the comparisons between both players through their first two weeks with the Blue Jays. To my surprise, there were some similarities, but the difference in others.

Through the first ten games, Chapman collected seven hits, two home runs, seven RBI, and eleven strikeouts.  He hasn’t gotten off to the most impressive start in the batter’s box, however, during this past weekend series against the Oakland Athletics, his performance was a good sign of a possible turnaround. On April 16th, Matt Chapman accepted his 2021 Gold Glove award before the game. It seems as if Chapman played with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to beat his old team, and he responded by getting two hits and driving in two runs. He’s currently hitting .226 but owns a .785 OPS, and I like what I saw from him in the series against the A’s.

The 2015 season is one of Josh Donaldson’s best seasons of his career. Jays fans saw the offensive talent he was in Oakland, but he exploded during his short stint with the Blue Jays. During Donaldson’s first two weeks north of the border, it wasn’t an easy or breathtaking start for the veteran third baseman and eventual MVP winner.

The Blue Jays have acquired both 3B Josh Donaldson and 3B Matt Chapman from the Athletics in recent years, making for a comparison between both players.

In the first ten games of the 2015 season, Donaldson had seven strikeouts, no home runs, and six RBI. It wasn’t until the series against the Tampa Bay Rays that Donaldson began to improve at the plate. In the following series, facing the Atlanta Braves, Donaldson hit his first two home runs as a Blue Jay at the Rogers Centre. It became a turning point because he batted just under .300 to finish out the year and didn’t look back after that. The Florida product earned the 2015 American League MVP and finished the year hitting .297 with 41 home runs and 123 RBI. He also helped the Blue Jays win the American League East Division for the first time since 1993.

On the defensive side, through the first ten games, Josh Donaldson committed two errors, 13 assists, turned one double play, and 11 putouts. As for Matt Chapman, through 10 games, eight putouts, 15 assists, no errors, and no double plays turned. Their numbers on defence are almost parallel to each other through the early weeks of the season, but Chapman is the better defender at third, and Donaldson is the better hitter at third.

Chapman and Donaldson are two ballplayers who made a name for themselves in Oakland, got traded to the Blue Jays and both started the season struggling at the plate. One player ended up becoming an MVP and had great numbers, while the other player is still in progress.