Travis Chapman’s twisting journey from a single big league at-bat to Yankees defensive guru
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Travis Chapman doesn’t remember exactly where he was when he watched the Yankees play the White Sox on TV in the Field of Dreams game last year.
As the organization’s minor league infield coordinator, though, he knows he was on the road somewhere. Once a high school baseball coach and history teacher, Chapman, 44, was hired by the Yankees as a minor league defensive assistant almost a decade ago, and has been with the organization ever since. This past offseason, he was promoted to the major league staff.
“It wasn’t my end goal,” Chapman said. “[But] I love baseball. I love teaching. I love coaching.”
Indeed, Chapman didn’t envision reaching the majors as a coach, but as a player. And he did, albeit as practically a modern-day Moonlight Graham.