Farhan Zaidi believes rookies Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey were "blissfully ignorant" to the uncertainty surrounding the Giants' 2023 season.
San Francisco's president of baseball operations joined MLB Network Radio's "Front Office Show" with Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette on Sunday, where he was asked what impact youngsters such as Schmitt and Bailey have made with the big league team.
"They've brought that youthful energy," Zaidi said. "We've all seen it many times through the years. That infusion of young players, especially with a welcoming veteran group, we've got a lot of great character guys on our team who have really helped us with the transition."
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After finishing the 2022 season with a mediocre 81-81 record, the Giants went into the offseason looking to make a big splash. San Francisco swung and missed on New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and ultimately could not put pen to paper with Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa after a medical concern derailed the initial agreement.
Heading into the 2023 campaign after a frustrating offseason, expectations for the Giants were low as the fanbase became increasingly pessimistic about the team's chances to contend for a playoff spot. While the majority of San Francisco's roster might have been aware of the growing frustration, Zaidi believes rookies such as Schmitt and Bailey were not burdened with that pressure.
"We had a great season in 2021, a bit of a disappointing season in 2022 and we had a very eventful offseason. I think that created a little bit of uncertainty coming into the season and about what type of team we would be and what type of atmosphere we would have in the clubhouse," Zaidi explained.
"The young guys sort of have the blissful ignorance. They're just excited to be in the big leagues and they want to help move the ball forward. Definitely Casey Schmitt coming up, he's done a wonderful job offensively, defensively. Pat Bailey, our 2020 first-round pick, with Joey Bart injured has done a great job behind the plate."
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In 25 and 14 games respectively this season, Schmitt and Bailey have provided a spark with their bats and their gloves, helping fuel the team's recent success throughout the month of May.
In the weeks and months to follow, the Giants will continue to lean on their young core as they continue to prove their many doubters wrong.