San Francisco Giants fans have been waiting a long time for this. For over a decade, the Giants haven't had a position player prospect come through their minor league system and become an impact player. There's no guarantee that Schmitt will break that stretch of futility, but he sure did provide a spark in last night's Giants win over the Nationals, going 2 for 4 with a booming home run and a single up the middle.

Schmitt is best known for his elite glove, and in the last 12 months he's added shortstop and, more recently, second base to his arsenal. Schmitt was originally drafted by the Giants as a third baseman, but played short when Marco Luciano was injured in High-A Eugene last year. He was impressive enough that the SF Giants gave Schmitt more looks there in spring, and that continued at the start of the Triple-A season. Now, with Brandon Crawford on the IL, Schmitt looks like the everyday shortstop until Crawford returns.

Once Crawford is back, will the SF Giants simply ship Schmitt back to Triple-A? Probably not, according to Gabe Kapler. Schmitt is here to get a legitimate shot, and Kapler said the Giants are in need of someone who can fill in at short, second, and third. Schmitt is the only player on the roster who can do that, provided that Thairo Estrada and J.D. Davis are already lineup fixtures. In other words, the Casey Schmitt era has begun for the San Francisco Giants, and a wave of talent that includes top pitching prospect Kyle Harrison is not far behind.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

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