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SF Giants prospects: 3B/SS Casey Schmitt wins Barney Nugent Award

SF Giants prospect Casey Schmitt won the 2023 Barney Nugent Award, given to the player who was most impressive in their first big-league camp.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants prospects: 3B/SS Casey Schmitt wins Barney Nugent Award
SF Giants prospects: 3B/SS Casey Schmitt wins Barney Nugent Award

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San Francisco Giants

Young infielder Casey Schmitt won the 2023 Barney Nugent Award, given annually to the SF Giants player whose performance on and off the field "best exemplifies the San Francisco Giants spirit." The award is voted on by Giants coaches, players, and members of the training staff. Schmitt, who is the third-best prospect in the Giants system (click here for full scouting report), has been one of several standout prospects throughout spring training.

Drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Schmitt is coming off a breakout minor-league season. Already considered the best infield defender in the farm system, Schmitt hit .293/.365/.489 with 25 doubles and 21 home runs across three minor-league levels last season, including Triple-A. This spring, Schmitt picked up right where he left off, hitting .381/.395/.667 with a pair of doubles, triples, and homers in 43 plate appearances.

Schmitt now joins a list of previous winners that includes future All-Stars like Tim Lincecum and Brandon Belt, alongside career minor leaguers like Mark Minicozzi. Check out the complete list of winners for a trip down Giants memory lane:

All Harry K. Jordan/Barney Nugent Award winners:
2023: Casey Schmitt
2022: Brett Auerbach
2021: Heliot Ramos
2020: N/A
2019: Joey Bart
2018: Chris Shaw
2017: Jae-Gyun Hwang
2016: Trevor Brown
2015: Matt Duffy
2014: Mark Minicozzi
2013: Brock Bond
2012: Dan Otero
2011: Brandon Belt
2010: Darren Ford
2009: Joe Martinez
2008: Brian Bocock
2007: Tim Lincecum
2006: Derin McMains
2005: Scott Munter
2004: Brian Dallimore
2003: Jason Ellison
2002: Felix Escalona
2001: Pedro Feliz
2000: Ben Weber
1999: Damon Minor
1998: Russ Ortiz
1997: Dante Powell
1996: Marvin Bernard
1995: Joe Roselli
1994: J.R. Phillips
1993: Greg Brummett
1992: John Patterson
1991: Mark Leonard
1990: Eric Gunderson
1989: James Steel
1988: Joe Kmak/Francisco Melendez

Barring a late spring injury, Schmitt will start this season at Triple-A. However, Giant president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told broadcasters on Thursday that he believes Schmitt is "very close" to big-league ready. So, his MLB debut could be right around the corner.

The award was originally named after former Giants trainer Harry K. Jordan but was renamed after Barney Nugent. Nugent was a trainer with the Giants from 1993-2003. Nugent had previously spent nearly two decades working in the minor leagues before finding a long-term home in San Francisco. The SF Giants renamed the award in his honor following Nugent's death in 2014 after an eight-month battle with cancer.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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