Two of the Giants’ most exciting prospects, Kyle Harrison and Casey Schmitt, are slated to begin the season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters in Arizona.
Given both prospects’ trajectories and track records of minor-league success, starting at the level closest to the big leagues comes as no surprise. If they succeed with the River Cats, their MLB debuts will be in order.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic was among the reporters on scene to relay Zaidi’s announcement.
Harrison is regarded as the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, and Zaidi had previously said that the organization expects him to factor into the rotation in 2023 — possibly early in the season.
The 21-year-old reached Double-A last year and registered 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings overall. Harrison, the former third round pick, posted a 2.71 ERA last season.
Schmitt, meanwhile, has drawn comparisons to All-Star Matt Chapman. He advanced all the way to Triple-A last year, making his placement with the River Cats somewhat of a lock.
In the minors last year, which started for Schmitt at High-A, the third baseman hit .293 with a .854 OPS. Officials within the organization have raved about his glove at the hot corner, and he even filled in valiantly at shortstop when his Eugene teammate, Marco Luciano, was sidelined with a back strain. He earned an MiLB Gold Glove Award.
Both players will try to break into positions of depth for the Giants. At third base, San Francisco is high on David Villar and also rosters J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores. In the rotation, SF built depth in the offseason and could opt for a six-man rotation at times; Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood and Ross Stripling are the starting core, with Anthony DeSclafani, Sean Manaea, and Jakob Junis also in the mix for either spot-starts, piggyback games or swingman roles.
But if Schmitt and Harrison perform in the spring and early on in Triple-A, they could become undeniable. For a franchise in need of homegrown talent — and potentially homegrown star talent — their assignment one step away from The Show is noteworthy.
