Marco Luciano, the highly touted former number-one prospect for the San Francisco Giants, was once ranked as the fifth-best prospect in all of Major League Baseball, trailing only Adley Rutschman (C/Baltimore Orioles), Julio Rodríguez (OF/Seattle Mariners), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS/Kansas City Royals), and Spencer Torkelson (1B/Detroit Tigers), according to MLB.com’s 2021 midseason rankings. Since the publication of this list, each of the four players ahead of Luciano has made their debut in the majors and secured a consistent spot in their teams’ lineups.
Initially, there was considerable buzz during Spring Training suggesting that Luciano might start as the Opening Day shortstop, replacing the four-time Gold Glover, three-time All-Star, and three-time World Series champion Brandon Crawford. Instead, the Giants opted for veteran Nick Ahmed, a fellow Gold Glover (2018, 2019) and a former Arizona Diamondback.
Luciano began the season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and went on to hit .250 with 10 home runs before being recalled on September 3rd. In 26 games for the Giants this season, he has struggled, batting just .219 with no home runs. With Luciano in the starting lineup, the Giants have a team record of 12-14 (.461 winning percentage). While Luciano is undoubtedly a talented player, he currently lacks a clear path to reclaim his position from Tyler Fitzgerald.
Giants Prospect Marco Luciano Has Yet to Pan Out
Will the Real Shortstop Please Suit Up?
The true shortstop of the future for the Giants was never included on MLB’s top 100 prospect list, nor did he break into the top 10 of the Giants’ top 30 prospects. Tyler Fitzgerald, drafted in 2019 by Farhan Zaidi, reached as high as the 16th spot in the Giants’ prospect rankings to start 2024 (per McCovey Chronicles). Fitzgerald has played in a way that many Giants fans hoped Luciano would.
As Nick Ahmed’s average dipped to around .190, the Giants turned back to Luciano, who also struggled. Once both players faltered, Fitzgerald capitalized on his opportunity, injecting some much-needed energy into an otherwise lackluster season. With Fitzgerald in the lineup, the Giants posted a record of 41-45 (.476 winning percentage). His best stretch came in July, during which he batted .321 with 17 hits, eight homers, and 15 RBI. Though he has cooled off somewhat, he remains a top offensive performer with a current batting average of .290 and 14 home runs.
Marco Luciano and Tyler Fitzgerald exchanged words in the dugout after colliding on an infield fly that resulted in an error and two runs scoring pic.twitter.com/TSqPZR5JFd
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 8, 2024
When Will the Giants Move On from Luciano?
Are the Giants still hopeful that Luciano will find his footing next season? If so, it seems unlikely he will return to shortstop, leaving second base as the most probable position. For now, Luciano is sitting on the bench while Donovan Walton gets the bulk of the playing time at second. Unfortunately, Walton’s performance has been underwhelming, with a batting average of just .154 and one home run in five games.
It would be more beneficial for the Giants to give Luciano more opportunities at second base to evaluate his potential for re-positioning. If he continues to underperform, they could consider trading him for whatever they can get, much like they did with Joey Bart, who wasn’t performing as poorly as Luciano.
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