SF Giants news: Torpedo Bats incoming, Schmitt experiment, Posey's impact

The SF Giants are off to a hot start in the 2025 season. Let's take a gander at some of the more interesting news nuggets surrounding the team right now ahead of today's home opener at the beautiful Oracle Park.

SF Giants news nuggets ahead of home opener

Torpedo Bats coming in hot

Arguably the biggest star of this young MLB season has been the so-called "Torpedo Bats" made popular by the New York Yankees who have been on a power surge to begin the season. The bowling-pin shape is meant to provide more mass to the bat's sweet spot.

The success hitters have had with it thus far has sparked a lot of curiosity amongst players. As of right now, no players on the Giants are using the bats. That could be changing soon.

According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the Giants may be getting some Torpedo Bats soon. He did not provide a ton of detail, but perhaps we will see players on the Giants experimenting with the bats in the not-too-distant future.

Schmitt experiment

The Giants are currently conducting an interesting experiment at first base by having Casey Schmitt, an infielder who prior to the last few days had only ever played at third base, second base, and shortstop in his big league career, start against left-handed pitchers.

It still does not make complete sense why manager Bob Melvin would not have veteran first baseman Wilmer Flores start at first base against lefties while having Schmitt serve as the designated hitter. Maybe Melvin wants to preserve Flores' health as much as possible by having him primarily be the DH, but it still seems a bit risky to have a player with so little first base experience out there.

The decision has not cost the Giants yet. There was a hot ground ball that ate Schmitt up in Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros and led to two runs scoring but the official scorer changed it from an error to a hit by the end of the game. Schmitt tried to backhand the ball when he may have been better served trying to get in front of it and smother it to prevent it from reaching the outfield especially since it was hit pretty much directly at him.

Yet, some growing pains are to be expected from a player learning a new position. Let's just hope Schmitt is a fast learner and does not make any defensive mistakes that cost the team a game.

Buster Posey's impact

The return of Buster Posey to the organization in his new capacity as president of baseball operations has been felt by everyone since the beginning of camp. The morale and vibes are different and Posey deserves credit for resetting things from the top of the organization.

His return has ignited the fanbase, and so far it has ignited the Giants on the field as well. Of course, it is still incredibly early in the season. We are only one five-game skid away from KNBR hosts roasting Posey for not doing enough in the offseason.

But for right now, things feel good. The Giants are winning and they are playing as a team with a team chemistry that was palpable even in spring training. There will inevitably be bumps in the road, but one cannot help but feel that Posey's hand has played an important role in the team's great start.