Schmidt was the grizzled veteran among the Bears' three catchers last year, and tied for second on the team with six homers despite being ninth on the club in at bats.

He received the bulk of the playing time for the Silver Hawks in the early going, starting four straight games in his first full professional season. Once Sean Coughlin brought his hot bat into the Cove, playing time was scarce for Schmidt until he got promoted to Visalia in July.