“Both of those guys give you nice versatility,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said. “Schmitty is obviously great against left-handed pitching. But as the spring went along, I thought his at-bats against right-handed pitchers also got a lot better. He defends well. Koss, the same thing, [and] the versatility of being able to play multiple positions on the infield. You probably can throw him in the outfield if you need to. He’s just that type of player.
“He’s another one that I watched this spring that just carried himself with such confidence at short or third or wherever he was playing. He’s just, to me, the epitome of a baseball player. He’ll go and do anything you ask him to do. We’re excited he’s on the team.”
Wisely’s omission will leave the Giants without a left-handed bat off the bench on most days, though the club is likely to be less reliant on matchups now that its lineup is anchored by regulars like Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos, each of whom should have a chance to play every day.
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“I think we’ve got to show some faith in these guys,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We felt like the best team to bring with us is the team we have here, as opposed to just trying to make it more left-handed. We kind of showed what we felt like was the guys that had the best springs and deserved to make the team. It’s a little right-handed, but we feel good about it.”
Koss was acquired from the Red Sox in a Minor League deal last spring and ended the season at Triple-A Sacramento after batting .299 with an .872 OPS, nine home runs and 13 stolen bases in 88 games across three levels in 2024. He has yet to make his Major League debut, but the Giants believe his speed and glove work will allow him to carve out a valuable role on the roster moving forward.
“He made an impression from day one of camp,” Melvin said. “The style of play that we want to play, he embodies. It was particularly rewarding and fun to be able to tell him that he made the team. I think when he came to camp, he probably just wanted to make an impression. He probably didn’t think he had a chance to make this team. It’s pretty cool when you’re able to reward somebody that plays in the style that you’re wanting to play baseball and that we value here. Like I said, he embodies that. He deserved to make it.”
