Casey

Schmitt

Schmitt draws his second consecutive start atop San Francisco’s lineup after going 3-for-6 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base during Sunday’s showdown against the Rockies. The 27-year-old has been one of this season’s most impactful waiver wire additions, delivering elite fantasy production at both second and third base, slashing .294/.332/.548 with 27 runs scored, 12 homers, 33 RBI and five thefts in 211 plate appearances through 51 games.

Schmitt was held hitless for the first time in four games as his sizzling-hot stretch came to an end after three multi-hit performances during that span. The 27-year-old has homered four times in his last seven games and left the yard a whopping eight times in 23 games since the start of May. He’s making significantly more hard contact, barreling the ball at a career-best rate, and getting it in the air more frequently this season, which has fueled his recent power surge.

Schmitt put the Giants on the board with a solo homer off Eduardo Rodriguez in the first inning, then drove in a run with a base hit in the third. The 27-year-old slugger is enjoying a red-hot May, with his sixth homer in the last ten games and eighth this month. Schmitt is up to 12 on the season while hitting .298/.339/.567 with 26 runs scored and 31 RBI across 192 plate appearances.

Schmitt’s homer was his fifth in the past eight games as he continues to stuff the stat sheet. He began the year at the bottom of the Giants’ order, but he’s hit 2-4 in every May start and is sporting the highest wRC+ on the team. Recent IL trips for Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee have cleared a logjam San Francisco had after promoting Bryce Eldridge. Expect Schmitt to continue hitting in the heart of the order when the Giants begin a three-game series against the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Schmitt put the Giants on the board with a sacrifice in the fourth inning to drive in a run. He followed with a two-run blast off Erick Fedde in the fifth inning. The home run was his tenth of the season, making him the first Giant to reach double-digits. The 27-year-old slugger is hitting .291/.331/.533 with 22 runs scored and 26 RBI across 178 plate appearances.

It was Schmitt’s only hit of the game as San Francisco was swept, falling 10 games under .500 this season. The homer was his ninth, and he’s been the team’s most productive hitter. Schmitt has career-bests in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and most of his expected stats. The one nitpick is that his walk rate has fallen this year too, but fantasy managers will take the tradeoff for now. He opened the year buried at the bottom of the Giants’ lineup, but he’s hit fourth or higher in each of his starts since May began.

Just when it looked like Schmitt might be in line to lose some playing time with Bryce Eldridge up, he responded with his best game to date this season. The homers off Luis Severino were his seventh and eighth of the year. He entered the night 3-for-24 in his last seven games, but he just hasn’t done anything to signal that he’s about to lose his usefulness in shallow leagues.

The Giants are off on Thursday, so the Giants will sit Arraez for the second straight game in the hopes that he’s ready to go on Friday. Casey Schmitt will start at second base and bat third with Bryce Eldridge in the lineup at designated hitter.

Eldridge will get another shot after batting .333/.445/.518 for Sacramento, but his return really complicates things, what with his replacement, Casey Schmitt, being arguably the Giants’ best player to date. All of the team’s veteran infielders are used to being everyday players, and it’s hard to imagine any will be happy sitting once or twice per week to make room for Eldridge at first and DH, even if it’s the right call for the team. Rodriguez has started at catcher, second base and in left field this year, so he offers a lot more versatility than Eldridge and will be an easier fit. Still, we’re not sure either rates a pickup in mixed leagues at this point. Eldridge has the potential, but he’ll stay the bench against lefties and possibly the occasional righty.

With the score tied 3-3, Schmitt unleashed on an Andrew Nardi offering with a pair of runners on to give the Giants a 6-3 lead and ultimately the victory. He’s been one of the bright spots of the San Francisco offense, as that homer along with a walk has him slashing .296/.348/.543 over the first 28 games of the season. He has shown flashes of being an offensive weapon in the past, but it’s understandable if fantasy managers remain skeptical.