SF Giants promote prospect Casey Schmitt to Triple-A Sacramento

The SF Giants promoted third baseman Casey Schmitt to Triple-A on Saturday. Schmitt was the team's second-round pick in 2020.

The SF Giants promoted third base prospect Casey Schmitt to their Triple-A affiliate (Sacramento River Cats) on Saturday. Schmitt was the team's second-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft and has had an excellent 2022 season. Schmitt has established himself as a consensus top-10 (possibly top-five) prospect in the organization. He will be the first player drafted in rounds 1-3 under Giants amateur scouting director Michael Holmes to reach the highest level of the minors.

Schmitt has had a breakout year in 2022. The third baseman started the season at High-A, where he was one of the best hitters in the Northwest League with the Eugene Emeralds. Schmitt played 93 games at High-A this season, hitting .273/.363/.475 with 17 home runs before he was promoted to Double-A.

While most hitters struggle in their first Double-A experience, particularly in the pitcher-friendly Eastern League environment, Schmitt was productive at the plate from the moment he joined the Richmond Flying Squirrels. In just 31 games, Schmitt racked up 11 doubles, a triple, and three home runs with a .339/.378/.512 triple-slash.

Schmitt was a two-way player in college at San Diego State, where he was the team's starting third baseman and closer from 2018-2020. Schmitt paired a low-90s fastball with an impressive sinker off the mound and showed intriguing power potential at the plate. However, his defensive ability made him stand out to scouts.

The Giants drafted Schmitt and made him a permanent infielder, where he quickly proved to be the best defensive player in the organization's farm system. Arguably an 80-grade defender at third base, Schmitt filled in at shortstop earlier this season and looked surprisingly competent at the most important defensive position on the infield. In fact, Schmitt was voted the best defensive third baseman in the Northwest League.

Despite his defensive prowess, Schmitt struggled at the plate last year, in his first professional season. He hit just .247/.318/.406 at Single-A even though he was roughly a year older than the average player in the league. However, Schmitt continued to put the ball in play at an excellent rate and seemed to suffer from some bad luck, recording a .269 batting average on balls in play. This year, Schmitt's luck has turned around at the plate.

Schmitt's strikeout rate has jumped to 22.5% this year between High-A and Double-A, but that's still significantly above league average. More importantly, Schmitt has tapped into his power potential at a far better rate this season. If he can continue improving, Schmitt has a chance to hit 15-20 homers a year at the big-league level.

Casey Schmitt's glove is good enough to carry him to a big-league role without an excellent bat. But, of course, the SF Giants are hoping his bat can make a big impact as well. Now Schmitt will try to continue his excellent season at Triple-A.