Giants Commit To Casey Schmitt At Third Base

Casey Schmitt racked up 23 saves to go with a 2.48 ERA in three years at San Diego State.

Schmitt’s day job, though, was as a third baseman.

The Giants selected the 22-year-old in the second round last year. The organization is high on Schmitt’s power potential and defense.

So when Kyle Haines was asked if the Giants have toyed with the idea of using Schmitt as a two-way player, the Giants’ farm director was adamant.

“Never once have we even considered putting him on the mound,” Haines said. “He has a chance to be too good of a third baseman.”

Schmitt said he looks at the Giants’ decision to keep him off the mound “as a compliment. Doing both is really tough . . . It’s definitely cool to just worry about playing one position.”

Haines said Schmitt, who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, has “a chance to be an above-average defender . . . His arm strength’s very apparent.”

Schmitt’s power projection was not very apparent from his college stats. The righthanded batter hit six homers in 444 career at-bats. Schmitt believes injuries accounted for some of that relatively low power production.

He hit one homer in 182 at-bats as a freshman, but he was playing with a torn ligament in his left wrist.  “I was just grinding through it,” Schmitt said.

After that season, he had surgery to repair the wrist. Recovery from the operation took about half a year. He responded with a solid sophomore season—five homers in 200 at-bats—then he finally felt fully healthy during a stint in the Cape Cod League.

“I started feel like myself again with my swing,” Schmitt said. “I started to feel more fluid, more confident.”

He hit five homers in 129 at-bats for Cotuit.

A right-knee problem contributed to Schmitt going homerless in 62 at-bats in the shortened 2020 season, but he feels 100% healthy now.

Haines is excited about the future for Schmitt.

“Usually, power is the last thing to develop for a player,” Haines said, “and this is the type of guy who fits that mold to a T.”

 

GIANTICS

— Among the non-roster invitees to the Giants’ big league camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., were some of their most highly regarded prospects, including shortstops Marco Luciano and Will Wilson and first baseman Logan Wyatt, outfielders Heliot Ramos and Hunter Bishop, catcher Patrick Bailey and righthanders Tristan Beck and Sean Hjelle.

— The Giants acquired lefthanded-hitting outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. from the Twins for righthander Shaun Anderson on Feb. 4. Wade, 27, played in 42 major league games over the past two seasons with a .211/.336/.347 slash line.