Schmitt sparks Giants as lineup gaps loom large

With the Giants struggling to find consistent offense in 2026 and sitting fourth in the NL West, Casey Schmitt has emerged as a rare bright spot. After his home run in Wednesday’s series finale against Arizona, the designated hitter is carrying a .293/.337/.52

The Giants can talk all they want about turnaround season plans. but the numbers tell the story: through much of 2026. Rafael Devers. Matt Chapman and Willy Adames haven’t produced enough offense. and San Francisco has started the year around a 20–30 mark while sitting in fourth place in the National League West.

On a day when the lineup still needs something to click, Casey Schmitt has been the closest thing the Giants have found to a steady answer.

Schmitt has served as the team’s designated hitter in 2026. and after a home run in Wednesday’s series finale against Arizona. he’s hitting .293/.337/.529 with an .866 OPS—the highest mark among any Giants regular. Manager Tony Vitello didn’t hesitate when asked about how much that production has mattered. “He’s been one of our best producers for the whole year,” Vitello said.

It’s not just that Schmitt has been effective. The way he’s doing it has changed in the details—details that matter when a team is looking for power to make up ground.

Schmitt has shown he can drive the ball in the air, and the power numbers have followed. In 113 plate appearances in 2024, he posted a .477 slugging percentage. So far in 2026, he’s been even better, posting a .510 expected slugging percentage. He’s also squared the ball up more often: his barrel rate has risen from 9.0% in 2025 to 14.3% in 2026. ranking in the 86th percentile among qualifying hitters. His 47.5% hard-hit rate is a career high.

Those improvements show up differently depending on pitch type, too. Against fastballs, Schmitt is hitting .306 (26-for-85). Against breaking and offspeed pitches, the production climbs sharply. He’s slugging .612 on breaking pitches and .688 on offspeed pitches. with slugging over .800 on sweepers. changeups and cutters. and a .750 SLG against curveballs. At .631, he’s one of seven players with a .600+ combined slugging percentage against offspeed and breaking pitches (minimum 50 plate appearances). Those names include players such as Alvarez (.551), Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (.557), and Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (.563).

Even with all that power, the quiet part of Schmitt’s approach may be what keeps it repeatable. He’s not drawing many walks—his 3.6% walk rate ranks in the fourth percentile of qualifiers. But his strikeout rate, at 20.6%, is a career best.

The tradeoff has been selection. Schmitt has been swinging less overall, and especially less at pitches in the strike zone. After swinging at 38.5% of first pitches in his first three seasons, his first-pitch swing rate in 2026 is 33.3%, closer to the MLB average of 30.2%.

He still chases at a fairly high rate—his 36.1% mark in 2026 ranks in the 16th percentile—but the most noticeable shift has been in contact quality. His whiff rate is down to 22.7%, a career-low that sits in the 62nd percentile of MLB hitters.

“I feel healthy, good, confident,” Schmitt said about his strong start. “Just keeping those things with me was something that I made sure I wanted to key in on this year. Just stay confident in myself and my swing and not try to do too much.”

That confidence has also shown up in where he’s playing. Schmitt has made 19 appearances at second base. 42 at shortstop and 35 at third base in his debut season. and he has seen time at first base beginning in 2025. This year, though, he’s taken on a role that has pushed him out of the comfort zone.

Schmitt entered Friday’s game in West Sacramento as an injury replacement for Heliot Ramos in left field—his first career outfield appearance. He started in left field, moved to shortstop on Monday, and on Wednesday he played the whole game in left.

Vitello’s praise focused on the mental part of it: the willingness to keep it simple when the job changes in the middle of the season. “If you think about it. any kid that’s asked to do that at any level. you don’t really have control over what the coaches think or ask of you. ” Vitello said. “You just have a choice to either be gung-ho about it or you could see it as a detriment or a reason why you might not have success. He obviously hasn’t gone that route at all. He’s just kind of been eager to learn.”.

For a team staring at an uneven season and an uneven offense. that’s the kind of contribution that can’t be measured only in slash lines. With Devers. Chapman and Adames still searching for the kind of output the Giants need. Schmitt’s power. his improved contact. and his ability to step into new roles have given San Francisco something it hasn’t had often enough in 2026: a dependable bat and a dependable presence when the lineup needs stability.

MLB.com’s Maria Guardado contributed reporting to this story.

Casey Schmitt San Francisco Giants Tony Vitello Rafael Devers Matt Chapman Willy Adames NL West designated hitter 2026 MLB season lineup struggles