Matt Chapman had tried an early setup and a leg kick, and neither had made him the MVP candidate he knew he could be. So, this winter, he turned to the last timing mechanism left.
“That was pretty much the only other load I hadn’t tried,” he says, grinning. “So the toe tap it was.”
He’s smiling a lot these days. At 18–11, his Blue Jays are the third-best team in the American League. (Unfortunately the first two also play in the East.) One month into the season, FanGraphs gives them an 85.3% chance of making the playoffs. And much of their success stems from that toe tap: Since he implemented it, Chapman—who at 30 will become a free agent after this season—has been the best position player in the sport.
