He made his major league debut on October 6, 1912, the final game of the Chicago Cubs' season, and went 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI (runs batted in).

On December 15 that offseason, Chapman was traded by the Cubs, along with Grover Lowdermilk and future Hall of Famer Joe Tinker, to the Cincinnati Reds for five players.

In 1915, Chapman had the experience of playing for the league champions and had a somewhat more successful season himself, hitting .199 in 62 games with six doubles, three triples, one home run, and 29 RBI.

Chapman died at age 30 in Nevada, Missouri, October 21, 1918, from influenza-induced pneumonia, a victim of the Spanish flu while serving with the U.S. Army.

Chapman was one of eight Major League Baseball players known either to have been killed or died from illness while serving in the armed forces during World War I.