Blue Jays’ Chapman, Cardinals’ Arenado have more in common than being the platinum standard of third basemen

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/05/2022 (1252 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. LOUIS—There must be something in the water at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif. A school of about 2,000 students in a town of just over 85,000 right outside Los Angeles has produced the best two third basemen currently playing in major league baseball, maybe ever.

First Nolan Arenado, then Matt Chapman two years later.

And now here they are, together again, manning the hot corner for the Cardinals and Blue Jays, respectively, in a two-game series by the banks of the mighty Mississippi.

Rivalry? More like a mutual admiration society.

“He’s one of the best players probably ever to play the game of baseball,” said the Jays’ Chapman of Arenado as he got ready to, what else, go out and take ground balls at third base ahead of the series finale against the Cards. “It’s a lot of fun to just watch him compete.”

“I just appreciate his game,” said Arenado of Chapman. “If I didn’t know him, I would still say the same thing, that this guy’s a stud. He’s one of the best, if not the best.”

The people agree.

In 2011, the Platinum Glove Award was established. It goes to the best defensive player in each league, regardless of position. Chapman has a pair, to go with his three American League Gold Gloves at third base. Arenado has won five in a row. He also has nine National League Gold Gloves, one for each of his nine seasons in the bigs.

It’s a special thing to see them play against each other.

“There are a few guys in the league,” noted Blue Jays’ bench coach John Schneider, “who you look at at a certain position and you go ‘wow, that’s a little bit different’, and you say it with Chappy and you say it with Nolan.”

And they say it about each other.

“When I see him,” beamed Arenado, “I think how impressed I am with his work, the way he goes about his business and obviously the way he plays the game. His first-step quickness is really good. In his ready position, he’s wider than me. I think his arm’s better than mine.”

Chapman appreciates how they take different routes to get to the same result. Establishing their position as one where nearly every ground ball hit gets turned into an out.

“I think we’re different kinds of athletes in our own way,” said the 29-year-old. “Some things that we have in common are good hands, strong arms and good footwork. He’s a little bigger than I am and he doesn’t get as low.”

Luis Rivera, the long-time Blue Jays third base coach and former big-league infielder, says Chapman’s game is more textbook.

“If you have a kid who you need to show how to field a ground ball,” said Rivera after watching the two go toe-to-toe, “how to play third base, I would show Chapman. They’re both really, really good.”

“There’s no one even close to them,” raved Jays pitcher Ross Stripling, who was an NL West rival of Arenado’s for the four and a half seasons he played for the Dodgers while Arenado was with Colorado. “They’re like 1A and 1B and then it’s everyone else. They make the plays that nobody else makes look easy look easy. They’re just on a planet by themselves defensively, maybe two of the best defenders who ever played our game.”

The modest Arenado has heard that before.

“I think people will say that (we’re the top two),” said the 31-year-old. And to be fair, the only reason people say that is because it’s absolutely true. “He’s a little younger than me, so I’m just trying to keep up with him.

“One would say I’m proud (of Chapman), but I don’t want to say I’m proud like I’m (looking) down on him or anything, I don’t want to say that.”

Arenado may not be looking down on Chapman, but the Jays’ third sacker doesn’t see him as an equal.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Jen Zoratti | Next

Wednesdays

What's next in arts, life and pop culture.

Sign up for Jen Zoratti | Next

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“I’ve always looked up to him,” said Chapman, “and been excited to take the field against him. It’s just fun to watch what he does and I know there’s a mutual respect there, for sure. I think I’ve learned a lot from Nolan without him even knowing it.”

So, is it the water at El Toro? Probably not.

“A lot of credit goes to Mike Gonzales, our head coach,” Chapman said. “He gave me and Nolan the opportunity to work as much as we wanted to. He was always there to hit us ground balls and help us out.”

Gonzales is in his 22nd year coaching the Chargers. His players have won ten league championships, as well as 12 Gold Gloves and seven Platinum Gloves in the big leagues. But only two of them did that last part.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness