Well ok then!
Schmitt was most definitely happening yesterday. The Giants returned to their old classic trope of announcing a whole mess of moves just hours after I posted the week’s transactions. And this time it really included a big one! Casey Schmitt got the call!
I’ve written a good bit this year about the positives (excellent contact skills) and less positives (fairly aggressive swing decisions, not much power) of Schmitt’s year at the plate. But he’s a dynamic presence who can play a lot of infield positions — with his 3b work being especially impactful. He’s also a dynamic presence, a bit of a goofy live wire, who plays with a real joie de vivre and has long had a reputation for keeping things loose and fun for his teammates. And he might be exactly what this fanbase has been thirsting for!
There was a time when Farhan Zaidi was adamant about giving top prospects 500-600 at bats in the upper minors before bringing them up to the majors. But if you remember, when David B. Fleming was good enough to join the podcast last Fall, he mentioned that in talking with Zaidi and Farm Director Kyle Haines late in the year, he got the impression that the club would look to move their prospects more aggressively in the future — and we’ve certainly seen that happen in the season’s first month.
Certainly he put a thrill into Oracle Park in his first game, becoming, as the graphic helpfully informed us, the youngest Giant to homer for his first hit in the majors since Will Clark! That’s keeping good company, kid!
In one game in the majors, he thus matched his total longballs for the season in Sacramento, picking on a low and in fastball and taking it out to the deepest part of the park, a 103.6 mph fall ball that he really elevated (30° launch angle). If you’re interested, that 104 EV came quite close to his 90th percentile EV while was in Sacramento.
What an amazing moment for a really great, fun, big goofball of a kid — and for his family, which packed the house for his debut, for his Dad, who spent hours feeding Schmitt batting practice off a cheap Walmart pitching machine during the pandemic, and for all the many, many Schmitts who made their way from San Diego to San Francisco for last night’s debut.
Schmitt became the first position player drafted by Zaidi to make the majors, the second player drafted by Zaidi to make the Giants (following Cole Waites), and the third overall (Caleb Kilian being the first). And for all the angst that the Farhan Era drafts have caused among the fanbase, it’s worth taking a moment to consider just how good the pandemic shortened 2020 draft is looking for the Giants. With second round Schmitt now in the majors and the first and third rounders (Patrick Bailey and Kyle Harrison) both in Sacramento making a final push on reaching that level as well, that draft class is starting to look like it could be a real boon for the franchise. And the other pieces of the class (Nick Swiney, Ryan Murphy, R.J. Dabovich, Jimmy Glowenke) have all shown abilities as well (we’d almost certainly be seeing Dabovich this year if his achy hip didn’t keep causing him difficulties).
Given the incredibly complicated hurdles that surrounded that year’s draft, with relatively few opportunities to see players live in any venue that year, that’s a pretty great job by Michael Holmes’ Scouting Department, and they all deserve a cheer and a thought of thanks!
Schmitt has arrived! And hopefully he’ll stick around for good. And it feels like this is the year that the roster starts benefitting from a wave of young talent. It’s worth noting that five of the Giants’ ten starters last night were products of their farm system (and a sixth, Brett Wisely, made his big league debut with the club). Every pitcher who took the mound on the night was signed and developed by the Giants: 2014 4th round pick Logan Webb, 2013 10th rounder Tyler Rogers, and 2015 international signee Camilo Doval.
The lead time on these stories may be long, the journeys arduous, but there R truly Giants growing up on the farm. Someday soon, the big moment might arrive for any of the guys we talk about here today! So enjoy the moment, Casey! And enjoy the thrill Giants’ fans. These are the things we remember. These are the things that bind us together.
HITTER of the NIGHT: Thomas Gavello (SJ), 3 for 3, 2 HR (5), 3 R, 4 RBI, HBP
(ok, Gavello was great! But really it was Schmitt)
PITCHER of the NIGHT: Eric Silva (Eug), 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
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