Q&A: Chance Chapman (Part One)
Drafted in the 8th round of the 2007 draft, Chance Chapman began his pro career with Williamsport of the NY-Penn League before joining the BlueClaws for 2008. While with Lakewood, he posted a 2.98 ERA, the best for any Phillies starter in their minor league system, though poor run support led to just a 7-7 record. Training in California, last week he took some time to talk about his 2008 season and more.
Question: Having spent four years in college, you were one of the older players on the team. Did you try to establish a leadership role as one of the veterans?
Chance Chapman: I tried to with some of the younger guys, since they didn’t have as much experience. It wasn’t new to me, since I was a captain my senior year of college and I was older than most of my college teammates too.
Q: Is it harder to lead as a pitcher compared to an everyday player?
CC: It didn’t feel that way. You can lead every day, in the clubhouse or in the dugout, helping them out with advice or certian situations.
Q: You got pretty close to going to the College World Series at Oral Roberts?
CC: Yea, we lost at Clemson two games to none. Originally, I was going to be the game three starter. It was really tough. We were ahead in game two and I was going to pitch in relief to close the game, but the lead was big enough were they decided to save me for game three. Then we ended up losing the lead and the game.
Q: This past year, eight times in 22 starts, you had two runs or less. How tough was that?
CC: Not too bad. Baseball is a funny game. Runs come at funny times. I was concerned with putting our team in a position to win the game. That’s what I felt my job was to do. Whether we won or lost, I tried not to let it frustrate me too much.
Q: Was having significant experience against metal bats an advantage moving into the professional ranks?
CC: I would say yes. Playing at the D1 level, some of those guys can hit very well, especially with the metal bats. I had to learn to make good pitches and quality pitches, knowing that mistakes are getting hit. It does prepare you for pro ball quite well.
Q: What do you think of metal bats?
CC: Well, from a pitcher standpoint, you’d want them outlawed. Some guys can get a hit on a pitch with a metal bat that breaks a wood bat. Outlawing them, it’s very very expensive, because there are so many players and programs. But for me, it made me a better pitcher.
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Stay tuned for part two.
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