Short Bounce Back Season Earns Giants Second Baseman 'Honorable Mention'

The San Francisco Giants received much better production from a young role player this year, though it came in a small sample size.

Sep 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants designated hitter Casey Schmitt (10) fields a ground ball by St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have many holes on their roster that need to be filled as they continue to try and be competitive in the National League West division.

The pitching staff could be facing a big blow should Blake Snell sign elsewhere after opting out earlier in the offseason. The team also continues to search for power, as they have not had a player hit 30 or more home runs in a single campaign since Barry Bonds knocked 45 in 2004.

The edges of the roster should not see any real improvement until the core is improved, though one role player did see a bounce back in production after a poor showing during his debut season in 2023.

Casey Schmitt's performance is a promising sign for the young role player moving forward, and it was good enough to land him an honorable mention in the last second base power rankings of 2024 from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.

Schmitt did serve time at three different positions on the infield in 2024, second base, shortstop, and third base, though most of his time was spent at the keystone.

For the year, the role player batted .252/.283/.477 with six home runs, 16 RBI, and a 114 OPS+ across 113 plate appearances in 40 games.

Schmitt's power came while he was manning second base this year, batting .209/.239/.558 with four home runs, seven RBI, and a 126 OPS+ across 46 plate appearances in 17 games.

While it was a small sample size, it is a promising development in the young infielder's career, and it could earn him more playing time in 2025.

While Schmitt does not grade out well defensively overall, the majority of his struggles came at shortstop as he seemed overmatched at the position.

Per Baseball Savant, the young infielder accrued a total of -3 Outs Above Average, though at second base he was able to tally a positive one mark.

Had Schmitt played enough to qualify, his positive one Outs Above Average as a second baseman would rank him as one of the top 19 at the position.

Being able to build on the success he had at the plate in 2024 will be a huge boon for the Giants moving forward, as it would allow the team to spend money in free agency to upgrade other positions of need, while Schmitt can serve as a league-minimum asset at the keystone.