San Francisco Giants Need To Make Decision On Top Prospect Soon

The Giants are trying to contend as soon as possible, but they have to make a choice on their young shortstop.

May 19, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Marco Luciano (37) shakes hands with a teammate after scoring a run against the Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants made a lot of moves to continue forward in their pursuit of contention before the 2024 season. Bringing in two former Cy Young winners, signing Jung Hoo Lee to a long term deal, as well as inking Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler to multi-year deals, they revamped the whole roster. However, they still have a question at one of the most important positions on the field, shortstop.

All offseason, it seemed that Marco Luciano was the presumptive starter. The team's top prospect for multiple years, Giant's brass wanted him to win the job and be the next long-term answer after Brandon Crawford.

He was given the chance during Spring Training, but couldn't hold onto the job. He hit .227 with a .796 OPS and two homers, ultimately losing the job to Nick Ahmed before being optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Luciano has only played 13 big league games, so it made sense that he might need more minor league seasoning.

Luciano played 34 games at Triple-A, with a slash line of .266/.399/.344 with one home run and 20 RBI to start the year. Along with seven doubles, his lack of power was a little concerning, but the 22-year-old looked like he had been improving his plate discipline.

When Ahmed hit the injured list, Luciano was called up on May 14. In his 10 games of action, he started seven of them before getting hurt and being optioned back to Sacramento. Luciano hit well, hitting .345 with a .986 OPS, with three extra base hits, one RBI, but no home runs. A small sample, but still encouraging.

However, he was struggling defensively. With a -3 OAA, it seemed that he was going to start losing playing time to Brett Wisely, who was hitting well and playing solid defense, before the injury. Once Ahmed came back, he was promptly sent back down. So now, it begs the question: what is his future with the Giants?

It has become pretty clear that the team does not trust him at shortstop. In that case, the easy answer is to move him off of the position. That's easier said than done, though. Matt Chapman has third base locked down, LaMonte Wade will take over at first when he's healthy, and the outfield is crowded.

A corner outfield spot makes a lot of sense for Luciano going forward, given who he is as a power hitter that won't be at short in the long term. Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are upcoming free agents, after all. Yet, the Giants still need a shortstop of the future. If it's not going to be Luciano, they need to act soon.

Either Luciano needs to continue to work on his defense in Triple-A or start playing a new position everyday, or he may need to be part of a package that brings in another shortstop. With the trade deadline fast approaching, San Francisco has been named as a suitor for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette.

Bichette is under team control until after the 2026 season, so it would take a lot to get him. In all likelihood, Luciano would need to be a part of that package with Toronto losing a shortstop, too.

The team clearly likes Luciano, especially his bat, but a choice needs to be made. Even though they don't trust his glove, if they like his bat enough they need to find a way to get him in the lineup. The Giants have seen what everyday at-bats can do for a young player after what Heliot Ramos has done this year. Something like that needs to be done with Luciano as well, or it will be time to move on.