Schmitt flashes promise in Cactus League debut

MESA, Ariz. -- Third-base prospect Casey Schmitt was largely as advertised in the Giants’ Cactus League opener on Saturday afternoon.

Schmitt, who is ranked the club’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, homered and made a spectacular diving play in a 10-8 loss to the Cubs at Sloan Park, showing why the Giants believe the 23-year-old has the potential to develop into an impact contributor in the near future.

Widely viewed as the top defensive player in the Giants’ farm system, Schmitt impressed by snagging a one-hopper off the bat of Dansby Swanson and initiating a 5-4-3 double play in the bottom of the first inning. He added to his highlight reel in the second, when he made a diving backhanded stop on the line and quickly fired to first to rob Brennen Davis of extra bases.

“He looks different than a lot of infielders I’ve played with in the past,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “You can see that just with taking ground balls in practice and stuff like that. He moves a little bit different. His hands just always seem to be in the right spot. Nothing against all the infielders I’ve played with before, it just seems like he’s at another level.”

Manager Gabe Kapler likened Schmitt’s natural instincts to those of Crawford, who has won four Gold Glove Awards at shortstop.

“He’s very balanced. He’s very confident,” Kapler said. “Crawford has all the tricks. The backhand coming through the baseball. Anytime he’s going to his left, he can spin, he can maintain his body position and throw from a lot of those positions. Casey just does all those things. It’s a lot of experience playing third base, but it’s also something that he does naturally. He attacks the baseball, he can throw on the run, he knows when to allow the ball to get to him and he puts his body in really good positions.”

Schmitt made a strong first impression at the plate as well, teaming up with catcher Blake Sabol to crush back-to-back home runs off Cubs right-hander Adrian Sampson in the top of the fourth. Still, it wasn’t a completely flawless game for Schmitt, who was also charged with an error in the bottom of the fourth after misplaying a grounder from Miles Mastrobuoni, one of six defensive miscues for the Giants on Saturday.

“I thought Casey shined because he obviously hit the big bomb to left field and made a spectacular play on the line,” Kapler said. “Also, he showed he still has a ways to go. He’s still got work to do.”

Schmitt is expected to open the season at Triple-A Sacramento, but he appears to be in line to break into the club’s infield mix in 2023 after taking a big step forward last season. While his primary position is third, Schmitt has moonlighted at shortstop and could draw some starts there during Cactus League play.

Worth noting

• Saturday marked the Giants’ first taste of game action with Major League Baseball’s new rules for 2023. The most pronounced change was the arrival of the pitch timer, which resulted in three violations for the Giants: Starter Tristan Beck and left-hander Sam Long were each penalized once on the mound, and Schmitt drew one infraction while in the batter’s box. Still, Giants players expressed confidence that they’ll be able to adjust to the crisper pace in the coming weeks.

“The pace is nice,” Kapler said. “It’s going to be a really good rule for Major League Baseball. It’s going to make things faster, more enjoyable for the fans and a better brand, in my opinion.”

• LaMonte Wade Jr., who started at first base and batted leadoff, crushed the Giants’ first home run of the spring in the third, driving a solo shot out to left-center field off Sampson. Prospect Shane Matheny also went deep in the ninth to cap a four-homer afternoon for San Francisco.

• Beck, 26, gave up one run on four hits and one walk over two innings in his Cactus League debut. His most memorable matchup came against Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, his college roommate at Stanford. Hoerner got the best of his former teammate, lining a single up the middle to lead off the bottom of the first.

“I mean, there are hundreds of baseball players out here throwing against each other, and you step in the box, and it’s roommate vs. roommate right there,” Beck said. “It was pretty fun.”

• Second baseman Thairo Estrada departed after being hit on the knee in the fifth, but Kapler said he’s expected to be fine, and he was removed for precautionary reasons.