One of the newest members of the organization, Andrés Chaparro will likely be the next AAA call-up to Washington. Not only is he swinging a hot bat, with four home runs in his last four games, the Nats could use some power in the lineup. Acquired in the Dylan Floro trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks just over a week ago, Chaparro has taken advantage of his opportunity thus far.
Chaparro is hitting .332 with 23 home runs, 84 RBI, and 27 doubles, according to mlb.com. The 25-year-old is proving AAA to be no contest and pushing the Nats' front office to call him up. Third base hasn't been a strong suit for Washington since Anthony Rendon's departure (who coincidentally had three hits in his return to D.C. last night), and Chaparro deserves a shot at the position. With José Tena already having been on the 40 man roster, it made sense for the Nationals to give him the first chance to be the fix at the hot corner. But should Tena struggle, Chaparro seems ready and could even get reps at DH in the meantime.
Chaparro has not yet made his MLB debut and will be under team control for years. He has also played first base and batted as the designated hitter at AAA. Last season, Chaparro hit 25 home runs and drove in 89 runs but hit just .247, which could have been why he was held at AAA. It has been a different season for him in this campaign however as Andrés has put his swing together in 2024, posting a .988 OPS.
While an argument could be made that Dylan Crews deserves the call, I believe Chaparro will be the next man up from AAA. The argument for Crews is valid, but Chaparro's stats speak for themselves. While Crews is a top prospect in baseball, Chaparro has torn up AAA pitching. Though it is worth mentioning that Crews has shown much more power since his call-up to AAA, matching his home run total of five in 13 fewer games.
Another argument favoring Chaparro is the recent play of Alex Call, who has split time between both center and right field and provided a key walk-off hit last night against the Angels. The Nats can give Call until the end of the month to extend his hot streak and then bring Crews up for September when rosters expand.
Chaparro isn't new to the minor leagues. Signed by the Yankees in 2015, Andrés began his career in the Dominican Summer League and rookie ball during his first two seasons. In his first four minor league seasons, Chaparro hit just 17 home runs. Andrés struggled to adjust to professional pitching like many prospects do when advancing to pro ball. 2019 wasn't a great season for Chaparro either, hitting just three home runs and driving in 22 runs in 57 games. He returned home ready to prepare for the 2020 season, but little did he know COVID-19 would take the 2020 Minor League season away entirely. This harmed lots of prospects, but it seems to have done the opposite to Chaparro. Andrés posted a .849 OPS in 2021, a career-high by over .125 points. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 73 RBI, nearly matching his previous four-year totals in just one season. Chaparro increased his home run total by five from 2021-2023, changing his identity as a hitter from a streaky-contact hitter to a legitimate slugger.
Last season was an odd season for Chaparro. While his production was above average, his strikeout totals were above his career averages. He struck out 131 times, 38 more than his career high in the 2021 season. He played a career-high in games which factor into the high strikeout total, but Chaparro's approach was boom-or-bust. That approach has been altered this season, striking out 78 times in 103 games played. He's on pace to set career highs in all statistical categories, but let's hope he gets the call to Washington before he can do that.
Andrés Chapparo is ready for his shot in the Major Leagues. Did Mike Rizzo find another hidden gem in a trade deadline transaction? Only time will tell, but Chapparo should be on his way to D.C. soon.