What has led to Casey Schmitt's breakout start for the SF Giants in 2026?

Casey Schmitt has been one of the few bright spots for the SF Giants in 2026. He is excelling at pulling the ball in the air more than he has in the past, and the results have followed.

What has led to Casey Schmitt's breakout start for the SF Giants in 2026?

The Giants will have to work through some roster complexity with the arrival of Bryce Eldridge. The Giants hope that after 458 plate appearances in Triple-A, that he is here to stay.

This should put pressure on the rest of the lineup to perform. None of the Giants' large investments are living up to the expectations that come with that. This includes Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman.

The Giants spent a lot of money on those three, and do not have any viable alternative, so the only approach they can really take is to ride this one out. Eldridge should be in the lineup every day. There is no reason to bring him up if that is not the case.

That will lead to some more creative lineups. However, one thing remains true, and it is that Casey Schmitt should be in the lineup.

The right-handed bat is hitting .308/.354/.519 (145 wRC+) with four home runs, 15 RBI, and 12 runs in 113 plate appearances. This includes a 3.5 percent walk rate, 19.5 percent strikeout rate, and .212 ISO. He leads the club in just about every meaningful offensive category.

When a player performs like this, I usually measure the topline numbers against his quality of contact metrics. It is hard to predict what a hitter will look like four months down the road, but the quality of contact metrics are consistent with his topline numbers. He is hitting the ball well, and his numbers up until this point are not a fluke.

The 27-year-old infielder has been a completely different hitter this year, so what has changed? The answer seems to be something he did well previously. That is, pulling the ball in the air. In 2026, Schmitt is doing that more than most hitters.

In fact, he has pulled the ball in the air in 31.3 percent of batted-ball events. That ranks seventh among all qualified hitters. It is also a sizable increase from the 26.2 percent rate he posted just last year.

Pulling the ball in the air is the best batted-ball outcome. Hitters have a 377 wRC+ when they pull the ball in the air this year. The goal is to maximize those outcomes, and Schmitt has done it more frequently than many hitters. The results have followed.

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