Chaparro has 3-hit performance -- all doubles -- in Major League debut

BALTIMORE -- Two weeks ago, Andrés Chaparro was playing for the D-backs’ Triple-A affiliate when he was informed he had been traded to the Nationals at the Deadline in a deal for Dylan Floro.

Chaparro, 25, left the Reno Aces to join his new teammates on the Rochester Red Wings and continue his goal of reaching the Major Leagues.

On Tuesday, he was in another new clubhouse. This time, it was in the visitors quarters inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where he was welcomed by his name on the back of a Nationals jersey.

After eight seasons in the Minor Leagues, Chaparro had been called up to make his big league debut in the series opener against the Orioles.

“I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never dreamt of this day and how it would go,” Chaparro said, via team translator Octavio Martinez. “As well as it went today, I couldn’t have dreamt a better dream -- especially the fact that I was able to contribute the way I did to help the team win.”

Chaparro became the third player in AL/NL history (since 1901) to hit three doubles in his debut in the Nats’ 9-3 win. He joined Nick Evans (May 24, 2008, NYM) and Ben Grieve (Sept. 3, 1997, OAK) to accomplish the feat.

In the context of Nationals team history (2005-present), Chaparro became the first player to hit multiple doubles and the first to collect three hits in his debut. He is also the third Nats player to collect two extra-base hits in his debut, joining Ian Desmond (Sept. 10, 2009) and Brandon Watson (Aug. 9, 2005) -- both of whom hit a double and a home run.

Chaparro was penciled in at first base and No. 6 in the batting order. He flew out in his first at-bat.

Then he made adjustments.

“I was just trying to stay focused, stay within my zone,” said Chaparro. “Just make hard contact and hopefully things would fall into place.”

Down 0-2 after swinging at a pair of changeups in the fourth, Chaparro sent a line-drive double into left field. He advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Ildemaro Vargas and then scored his first run on a sacrifice fly by Luis García Jr.

“People think he’s fast, but he hit the ball in the gap,” manager Dave Martinez said with a laugh. “But he had good at-bats all day, I loved it. He loves to play, you can see it in his eyes. It was a good day for him.”

Facing righty Bryan Baker in the sixth, Chaparro jumped on a first-pitch slider for his second double. He advanced James Wood to third and was driven in by Vargas, who had a season-high three RBIs on the night.

Chaparro made it a trifecta in the eighth against southpaw Keegan Akin. He drove in Wood with another ground ball into left field.

“It was a lot of fun for me because he had me running every time I got on first,” said Wood, who had a career-high-tying four hits in his first game in his home state of Maryland. “I didn’t really get to do much standing out there.”

Of all his hits on Tuesday, Chaparro considers his first double to be the most significant. It was special for him to be able to share the moment in person with six family members, who traveled from Utah to Baltimore for the occasion.

“I could hear them,” Chaparro said. “I’m just very proud to have them here and excited. I just reflect on all the hard work and all the time that I put in for this moment. I got very emotional at times during the game.”

The plan is for Chaparro, who has the most experience playing third base, to play first base and DH. In a corresponding move, Harold Ramírez was designated for assignment.

Chaparro signed with the Yankees in 2015, reached Triple-A, elected free agency and then joined the D-backs organization in November of 2023 on a Minor League deal.

At the time of his promotion, Chaparro had led all full-season Minor League players in hits, ranked third in total and was tied for third in RBIs. He batted .328 between Reno and Rochester, and he homered in four consecutive games from Aug. 7-9 with the Red Wings.

“He learned a lot about who he is and what he can do,” Martinez said. “He doesn’t really try to pull the ball; he just stays on the ball and tries to use the whole field. When he does that, you see his approach is really good. … His at-bats were good today. If he can stay like that consistently, he’ll hit.”