Schmitt’s debut a major milestone for Giants

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Giants have been waiting a long time for their farm system to begin to graduate several of their top young prospects. They got their first glimpse into the future on Tuesday night, when slick-fielding infielder Casey Schmitt set Oracle Park abuzz by homering in his Major League debut against the Nationals.

It was a special moment for the 24-year-old Schmitt, who had over 40 friends and family members in the stands to see him realize his childhood dream. But there was plenty to celebrate for the entire Giants organization, as well.

Schmitt, a 2020 second-round Draft pick out of San Diego State, is the first position player drafted and developed by the Farhan Zaidi regime to reach the Majors. Manager Gabe Kapler said he spent some time thinking about the significance of that milestone after watching Schmitt make an instant impact for the Giants on Tuesday.

"I think it's a moment to honor and respect the work that [farm director] Kyle Haines has been doing at the Minor League level for us, and all of the staff at the Minor League level that touched Casey on the way up, including Dave Brundage at his last stop [at Triple-A Sacramento]," Kapler said. "When a player makes it to the Major Leagues, he deserves all the credit. He puts all the work in. But there are a lot of people there to support him along the way. Having been a part of player development for a really long time, I know how celebrated these moments are."

The Giants are hoping Schmitt will be only the first of a new generation of homegrown players who appear poised to break into the Majors in 2023. He seems likely to be followed by left-hander Kyle Harrison and catcher Patrick Bailey, two other members of the Giants’ truncated 2020 Draft class. Shortstop Marco Luciano, outfielder Luis Matos and infielder Tyler Fitzgerald might not be far away, either.

Given their struggles to attract marquee free agents in recent years, the best way for the Giants to find the next face of their franchise will likely be to develop their own superstar in-house.

Schmitt, who entered Saturday 9-for-16 (.563) with two home runs, three doubles and five RBIs over his first four games, is already flashing some elite tools that could make him a mainstay in San Francisco’s infield for years to come, but the Giants will need other prospects to make a similar leap and continue to spark the club moving forward.

“I have a strong belief that when you’re winning championships, you’re winning divisions, you’re a playoff-caliber team, a lot of that has to do with the contributions that are made by the players that come up from the Minor Leagues,” Kapler said.

“Sometimes they’re homegrown players like Casey, other times they’re players we signed as Minor League free agents. One thing that players often say who are part of championship teams is it takes 40. It’s not [26], but 40 that win.”