MESA, Ariz. — When Matt Chapman was a sophomore in high school, he was stuck on the bench because El Toro in Orange County had a pretty good shortstop named Nolan Arenado.
“I sat and watched him play,” Chapman said. “I learned as much as I could from him defensively.”
Flash forward nine years, and Chapman, the A’s top prospect, is drawing comparisons to friend and former teammate Arenado, the Rockies’ All-Star third baseman.
“He reminds me of Nolan,” Oakland shortstop Marcus Semien said. “He’s worked with him in the offseason, and that’s who he strives to be like.