Tony Vitello is watching the San Francisco Giants gradually recover after a rough start that included three straight losses. And for those wondering whether Rafael Devers will take over at first base, the answer, for now, is no, with Casey Schmitt handling the role effectively.
Vitello addressed whether Devers is healthy enough to play first base: “I think Raffy is closer. I don’t think it’s anything immediate. The one thing we try to do is get other guys caught up to be able to play at that position to lengthen the options we have at this point. Casey Schmitt has shown the best defense more than anything.”
It’s not as if Devers is struggling. Through seven games with the Giants, he’s hitting .259, a solid mark, while Schmitt is slightly ahead at .273. The offensive gap between the two hasn’t been significant so far.
The plan was always to use Devers and Schmitt
According to Vitello, the original plan was to rotate both players at first base to maximize flexibility. However, with Devers still not fully healthy due to earlier hamstring issues, Schmitt has taken advantage of the opportunity.
“The lineup all along was gonna be Casey and Raffy in there so it just kind of became a switch out as a couple weeks out Raffy had some hamstring issues. Right now Casey’s capable of doing damage with the bat, and defensively he’s shown he’s the best over there,” Vitello said.
Statistically, Schmitt has kept pace with Devers. He doesn’t have a home run yet, but he’s collected six hits in 22 at-bats with two RBIs, an encouraging start, especially compared to his .173 average through the first seven games last season.
