SF Giants prospects: SS Marco Luciano returns to game action in Arizona

The SF Giants top power-hitting prospect, shortstop Marco Luciano, has returned to game action at instructs in Arizona.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 8, 2023

SF Giants prospects: SS Marco Luciano returns to game action in Arizona /

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San Francisco Giants

One of the SF Giants most exciting prospects could be back in the fold over the coming weeks. Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters prior to Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies that shortstop Marco Luciano (Giants Top 4 Prospect) appeared in a five-inning game at instructs in Arizona earlier this week. Kapler added that he will appear in a seven-inning game over the next day or two. Luciano has been out since he suffered a hamstring injury on August 10th.

SF Giants shortstop Marco Luciano digs for home plate on an RBI single by Michael Conforto during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oracle Park on July 28, 2023. — SF Giants SS Marco Luciano rounds third base against the Red Sox on July 28, 2023 / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Luciano made his big-league debut in July but was optioned back to the minor leagues shortly after some veteran infielders returned from the injured list. In his brief MLB stint, Luciano went 3-for-11 with a walk and five strikeouts. He has a .244/.320/.422 line with two doubles and two home runs in 50 plate appearances at Triple-A.

The biggest blemish on Luciano's resume has been struggling to stay on the field. He missed the start of this season with a back injury and he returned to the field in May at Double-A. In 56 games prior to a promotion to Triple-A, Luciano hit .228/.339/.451 with 12 doubles and 11 home runs in the pitcher-friendly Eastern League. While those numbers may not jump off the page, he hit .306/.416/.564 with six doubles, six home runs, 18 walks, and 32 strikeouts in his final 26 games at the level.

Luciano has been one of the best prospects in the Giants organization since he was the team's top signing during the 2018-19 international free-agent period. Luciano crushed the Arizona Rookie League in his professional debut, hitting .302/.417/.564 between the Arizona Rookie League Short-Season as a 17-year-old. After the pandemic-canceled 2020 season, Luciano made his full-season debut in 2021 and was one of the best players in the California League.

Last year, Luciano hit .263/.339/.459 with ten home runs in 57 games with the Giants High-A affiliate in Eugene. He missed several weeks in the middle of the season with an injury and was promoted to Double-A for the Flying Squirrels' postseason run. He went 2-for-8 with three strikeouts in a pair of games.

The SF Giants currently have struggled to get production from the shortstop position all season. While rookie Casey Schmitt has begun to show signs of life in the past few weeks, veterans Brandon Crawford and Paul DeJong have both struggled mightily. DeJong, a right-handed hitter who was signed for the big-league minimum last month, seems like a prime candidate to be designated for assignment if the Giants want to get Marco Luciano back on the MLB roster for the stretch run of the regular season.

Published Sep 8, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).