San Francisco Giants v Cleveland Guardians | Jeff Dean/GettyImages

Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely are still competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. While Schmitt has had the better camp, it makes sense for the SF Giants to send him to the minors to begin the year.

At this point, Wisely gives the Giants a little more balance in the infield. He is an above-average glove at both middle infield spots, whereas Schmitt has been challenged at shortstop. The utility infielder typically needs to be able to handle shortstop in a pinch.

With that being said, the Giants do not expect this role to need to cover too many innings on the left side of the infield. Matt Chapman and Willy Adames are some of the more durable players in baseball, so there just may not be too many open innings in the first place.

Second base could be the biggest opportunity for playing time. The right-handed-hitting Tyler Fitzgerald is penciled in as the everyday second baseman, so carrying Wisely on the roster would give them a lefty bat to balance out that position. It does not hurt that Wisely has experience in the outfield, but this Giants coaching staff does not seem motivated to leverage that versatility.

In a lot of ways, Wisely is the better for the utility infielder role. Schmitt has had the better spring, slashing .302/.319/.605 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and six runs in 43 plate appearances. On the other hand, Wisely has registered a .314/.385/.400 with zero home runs, three RBI, and three runs in 35 plate appearances. These are respectable numbers.

However, the best thing for Schmitt is to see consistent playing time. With Fitzgerald entrenched as the everyday second baseman, there just may not be many opportunities for playing time. Plus, Bob Melvin does not exactly leverage all of the options on the bench, so players can go days without an at-bat. Is that a good role for Schmitt? Not really.

The Giants called up Schmitt prematurely in 2023, and his aggressive approach was quickly exploited by major league pitching. He showed very modest improvements in that category in 2024. He also showed more power upside than he did in 2023. In 335 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats, he tallied a .274/.343/.469 line (98 wRC+) with 13 home runs, 58 RBI, and 45 runs. This includes a 9.3 percent walk rate, 20.9 percent strikeout rate, and .195 ISO.

As the 98 wRC+ suggests, he was a below-average hitter despite what looks like a strong triple-slash line. The Pacific Coast League is a fertile environment for hitters. The number that stands out is the .195 ISO, which was exactly 60 basis points higher than it was in Triple-A in 2023.

Schmitt has some power upside. He showed that last season when he hit six home runs in 113 plate appearances with the Giants. The right-handed bat has adequate bat speed but his power plays up due to a bat path that gets the ball in the air. He has generally had fly ball rates above 45 percent in the minors. When he struggled in Triple-A in 2023, his fly ball rate sat at 29.2 percent. This looks like a trend he has since corrected.

The Giants know that there is no path to playing time for Schmitt at third base, which is his natural position. There could be a pretty big role for him at second base if Tyler Fitzgerald struggles in the early going.

In the meantime, the best thing for Schmitt is to continue getting everyday reps. That will not happen with the Giants’ current infield alignment to start the year, so it makes sense for him to see time in the minors and be ready when his name is called.