The San Francisco Giants have gotten a jolt from Casey Schmitt, the slick-fielding 24-year-old infielder whose 15 hits are tied for the third-most in his first nine games in franchise history.
It’s not just been Schmitt; the Giants are getting the majority of their production from other young players. Here’s an age breakdown of their wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs, at 20-23 entering Friday’s series opener against the Nationals.
Age 36+: -0.1 (pitchers: none; position players: -0.1)
Age 31-35: 2.7 (pitchers: 1.6; position players: 1.1)
Age 26-30: 5.2 (pitchers: 0.3; position players: 4.9)
Age 25 and under: 1.2 (pitchers: 0.3; position players: 0.9)
The first position player drafted under Farhan Zaidi to reach the majors, the Giants are hopeful that Schmitt is merely leading the next wave. Who will follow next? Let’s check in with the four most likely candidates.
2023 stats (AAA): 9 starts, 0-2, 4.73 ERA, 26.2 IP, 47 K, 27 BB, .179 AVG
After both players made their debuts in big-league camp this spring, the race was on between Harrison and Schmitt to see who would reach the majors first. A scorching hot start and roster needs resulted in Schmitt winning out, but if Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling continue to scuffle, when could we see the electric lefty out of De La Salle (Concord)?
Probably not until he shows a better command of the strike zone.
With his mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider, Harrison leads the PCL in strikeouts, averaging nearly two per inning. He’s not allowing hits (17 in 26.2 IP) or home runs (he surrendered his first two of the season in his last start). But he is walking the world, a batter per inning.
For the Giants, who value strike-throwing above almost all else when evaluating pitchers, that’s unacceptable, as Zaidi recently explained in no uncertain terms to KNBR.
“For a guy to have the walk number he has, we would not consider calling a guy like that up,” Zaidi said. “He’s got to get better. And I don’t mean that to sound critical, he’s just a really young pitcher who hasn’t had a lot of reps. If you’re walking guys in Triple-A, you’re going to have a hard time getting through five or six innings.”
2023 stats (AA/AAA): 28 games, 120 PA, .276/.358/.419 (.777 OPS), 4 HR, 13 BB, 28 K
The Giants’ catching situation appears settled, for now, with Joey Bart and Blake Sabol. But should either player stumble, they now have their 2020 first-round draft pick (13th overall) waiting in the wings.
Bailey’s defense is already thought to be major-league-caliber, and his bat broke out in the first month of the season at Double-A Richmond (.333/.400/.481), earning him a quick promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. There’s been an expected adjustment period for Bailey, a switch-hitter who has hit .216/.317/.353 in his first 14 games, and the Giants would likely prefer to get him more reps against upper-level pitching, particularly against lefties, whom he has struggled against.
2023 stats (AA/AAA): 33 games, 143 PA, .298/.392/.435 (.827 OPS), 3 HR, 8 2B, 9 SB (4 CS), 13 K, 18 BB
Like Bailey, Matos earned a quick promotion to Triple-A Sacramento, making his debut on Wednesday. A pure contact hitter with elite bat-to-ball skills, the Giants challenged Matos to work on his pitch selection, and he appeared to do that, drawing more walks than strikeouts at Double-A.
Like Schmitt, Matos would immediately become one of the Giants’ best defenders. He was named the top defender in the Arizona Fall League and has already shown off his glove in center field in two games with Sacramento.
Seventh-ranked @SFGiants prospect Luis Matos sports three 55 grades … including his glove!
The 21-year-old goes airborne to take away extra bases for the @RiverCats: pic.twitter.com/jdZ42HDCYW
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 19, 2023
2023 stats: 9 games (6 starts), 0-3, 5.83 ERA, 29.1 IP, 33 K, 16 BB, .328 AVG
Winn’s numbers are inflated from a rough go of it in his most recent start at Reno (2.1 IP, 6 ER), a notoriously tough pitching environment, but prior to that, he had strung together six strong outings (20.2 IP, 6 ER), a 2.61 ERA over a monthlong stretch.
While not as heralded, Winn, with a heater that reaches triple digits and a devastating splitter, might be nearly as nasty as Harrison. His strikeout numbers aren’t prolific (10.13 K/9, still more than one per inning), but neither are his walks. And he’s cleared the additional hurdle of a spot on the 40-man roster, which he already owns, whereas space would need to be made for Harrison.
One thing to note for both pitchers: In 18 combined appearances, Harrison has completed four innings once, while Winn has done it twice. That has less to do with building up arm strength than it does with conserving it; Harrison threw 100 innings in a season for the first time last year, while Winn tossed only 108 while returning from Tommy John surgery. When you’re operating on an innings limit, as most young pitchers are, every pitch thrown at Triple-A in April and May is one that can’t be thrown in the majors in August and September.
AAA – Sacramento River Cats (20-22): IF Tyler Fitzgerald, one possible shortstop of the future, earned PCL Player of the Week honors in his first week at the level. He’s hitting .326 with three home runs in his first 11 games but was placed on the IL on Wednesday. … RHP Luke Jackson (Tommy John surgery) threw a scoreless inning of relief Thursday in his second rehab outing, his first at Triple-A, mixing a 96-mph fastball with a 90-mph slider. He’s eligible to come off the 60-day IL on May 29. … If San Francisco needs bullpen help before then, one option might be 27-year-old RHP Ryan Walker, who has a team-best 0.89 ERA and 23 strikeouts to eight walks in 20.1 IP.
AA – Richmond Flying Squirrels (18-17): OF Wade Meckler (eighth round, Oregon State) became the first 2022 draft pick to reach Double-A, after putting on his best Ted Williams impression at High-A Eugene, batting .456 over his first 20 games. What did he do in his first game at the higher level? Record three more hits, of course. … Returning from knee surgery, OF Vaun Brown made his season debut Thursday after rehab assignments with San Jose and Eugene. … IF Marco Luciano is off to a slow start (.156/.255/.422) but had a big game Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a double and his third homer of the season.
A+ – Eugene Emeralds (20-15): Leading a promising 2022 draft class of arms, LHP Carson Whisenhunt (second round, East Carolina) has continued to dominate since earning a quick promotion from Single-A. In eight starts (31 innings) between both levels, he has a 1.71 ERA, including a 0.54 mark in his first four starts at High-A.
A – San Jose Giants (22-14): Continuing on that theme, San Francisco drafted eight pitchers with its first 10 picks last year, and seven have pitched for San Jose this season. Their combined numbers: 121 IP, 3.20 ERA, 166 K, 52 BB. Pretty good. … The eighth arm in that draft class, two-way player Reggie Crawford (first round, UConn), is getting closer to joining them. Nearing the end of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Crawford has begun hitting and pitching in games in the Arizona Complex League.
