Series Preview: SF Giants at Twins - the rookies have arrived

The 22-24 SF Giants visit old teammate Carlos Correa and the 25-22 Twins in an interleague bout. Can the Giants keep their hot streak rolling in Minneapolis?

The SF Giants will head to Minnesota to face ex-teammate Carlos Correa for the first time since his departure. This fact is pretty immaterial to anything that will (well, should) happen during the upcoming Twins series, but it has to be mentioned nonetheless. Why? Because these things stick with a franchise as inflection points for years, if not decades. We still talk about Giancarlo Stanton picking the Yankees over the Giants, except the Aaron Judge stole the spotlight after doing the same thing. San Francisco struck out on Bryce Harper, which we mention a little less often because of the fact that he was right and won a ring somewhere else. So, unfortunately, yes, people are going to point out the whole Carlos Correa saga whenever the Giants play the Twins for decades. Which, given the fact that I know who Johnnie LeMaster is, might just be a baseball thing.

That said, Correa is hitting .206 with an OPS under .700, which puts his impact this year somewhere between Joey Bart and Michael Conforto. He might put a charge in one against the team that once signed him, but he's not who Giants fans will be watching most intently. No, that'll be the cadre of rookies that have recently been promoted and have made immediate impacts on the big-league club. 

In fact, it's not that hard to argue that these rookies have been carrying the club in the past few series. The five major free agent signings of the 2022-2023 offseason (Conforto, Haniger, Rogers Ta., Stripling, Manaea) have combined for -2.2 WAR on the season. Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey, and Ryan Walker have already combined for 1.1 WAR, per Baseball Reference. I absolutely would not have believed you if you told me the rookies would be tripling the veterans' production back in March, but the promise of these prospects has been obvious to anyone who's watched them play.

Schmitt, Bailey, and Walker represent the tip of the spear insofar as the Giants' farm system is related, but they're not the only true rookies to have made an impact on the roster. Let's take a peek at each one, see how they've done so far, and measure what to expect from them going forward. Plus, of course, dreaming on Kyle Harrison and what a difference it would make to add a rookie MadBum to the back of the rotation.

Casey Schmitt, SS/3B - .383/.383/.586, 2 HR, 1 SB

I saw Schmitt play in Sacramento a couple weeks ago, right before his imminent promotion, and came away with the impression of a solid player who could get called up in September and contribute a bit while taking his lumps at the big league level. Anyways, Casey Schmitt is far and away the best player on the San Francisco Giants, and he's made it look easy. He's making a ton of contact, doing so with real power, and playing exceptional defense on the left side of the diamond. Schmitt might be here for the next decade, and if he is, you'd hear few complaints.

Patrick Bailey, C - .333/.333/.833, 1 HR

The Giants' 2020 first-round pick, Patrick Bailey has ridden an elite command of the catching position all the way up to the big leagues last week, joining Schmitt as a 1-2 prospect punch. How the switch-hitting Bailey's bat would play in the majors was always a big question, but Bailey took Jesus Luzardo deep from his weak side in yesterday's 7-5 win over the Marlins, notching his first big-league home run. If Bailey can provide the expected stability behind the plate without falling off at it, he should be here to stay.

Ryan Walker, RHP - 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 3.49 FIP

Walker, a 2018 31st-round(!!) pick, made his debut on Sunday, notching a clean inning despite a trio of singles (two of the infield variety). He's a welcome injection of talent into a bullpen that's third-to-last in the majors with a 5.22 ERA, even after a dominant homestand. Walker's high heat (he hit 98 MPH in his debut) combined with his funky crossfire delivery is capable of vexing even talented hitters, but Walker's bar is simply to post an ERA under 5.00. If he can do that, his debut will have been a success. 

Blake Sabol, C/LF - .277/.333/.468, 5 HR, 2 SB

Three players on this list weren't drafted by San Francisco, starting with Sabol, who was acquired from Pittsburgh in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. Most Rule 5 picks flame out, as they're generally mid-minors picks that must be kept on the active roster all season, but Sabol's broken out with some tremendous offensive utility. He's proven he can hold his own against major league pitching, although his defense is a work in progress. If he can get more time in a corner outfield spot while Bart and Bailey form a tandem, he could really thrive in San Francisco.

Tristan Beck, RHP - 5.71 ERA, 17.1 IP, 3.50 K/BB

Originally drafted by Atlanta, Beck has finally made his debut for the Giants after being acquired in the Mark Melancon trade in 2019. The hard-throwing Beck hasn't had a terrific start to the season, although he's limited walks during his time in the bullpen. His role has been inconsistent as well, with appearances as short as 1.0 IP and as long as 5.1 IP. Beck's already been sent back down to Sacramento once, which makes him a candidate to be moved around to make room for other roster moves. 

Brett Wisely, 2B/CF - .154/.185/.231, 1 HR, 2 SB

The Giants signed Trevor Rosenthal last year, who they then traded for prospect Tristan Peters, who they then traded for Brett Wisely. The former Ray hasn't found much success at the big league level, despite being a versatile defender who can play in multiple spots up the middle. He's only 24, though, so his developmental path is likely to stretch far beyond the 2023 season - whether or not that's with the Giants remains to be seen.

Series details:

Who: SF Giants at Minnesota Twins
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: May 22-24, Monday (4:40 PM), Tuesday (4:40 PM), and Wednesday (10:10 AM). All times Pacific.

Giants' current streak: W1, 6-4 in last 10

Twins' current streak: L1, 5-5 in last 10

Projected starters:

Monday: John Brebbia (2-0, 4.26 ERA) vs. Bailey Ober (3-0, 1.78 ERA)

Tuesday: Alex Cobb (3-1, 1.94 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (4-0, 1.64 ERA)

Wednesday: Anthony DeSclafani (3-3, 3.09 ERA) vs. Joe Gray (6-1, 2.25 ERA)

*Indicates LHP

How to watch, listen:

• SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
• Twins broadcast: Bally Sports North, WCCO 830/The Wolf 102.9 FM
• National broadcasts: FS1 (Monday)