San Francisco Giants: Final 2019 Top 10 Prospects

10. 3B Luis Toribio

Age: 19
Acquired: IFA (2017)
Future Value: 45
Stock: +7

In discussing lower-level San Francisco Giants prospects with a number of industry sources, Luis Toribio consistently received rave reviews, especially from those within the organization.

He shows the maturity of a player plucked from the college ranks both physically and emotionally, and one source went as far as to say: “He already carries himself like a big leaguer.”

Toribio received a $300,000 signing bonus in the 2017 international signing period and he remains the gem of the class. A strong debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2018 put him on people’s radar, but scouts generally like to see stateside production before drawing any conclusions.

In the DSL, he hit 10 home runs in just 64 games and tallied nearly as many walks (51) as strikeouts (62). However, walk rates in the DSL can sometimes be deceiving. This season, in his stateside debut, he maintained that impressive discipline with 47 walks in 54 games.

One demerit on Toribio’s prospect status is that he lacks the projection standard for someone his age. His 6’1” frame appears already maxed out. He’s also a below-average runner, but his soft hands and strong arm project him as an above-average defender at the hot corner. Reports have suggested the team has had internal conversations about trying him at second base for greater flexibility.

While no tool outside of his strike-zone awareness project as plus, a combination of above-average hit and power tools can still be effective.

The early results stateside were positive, as he hit .296/.433/.454 between rookie ball and Low-A Salem-Keizer. While effective, that production does seem to mirror similar problems Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds showed as a prospect in the Giants system.

Both Reynolds and Toribio shared impeccable patience and raw power that seemed to more consistently result in doubles than home runs. The key difference is Reynolds was an above-average athlete with the ability to play center field. Limited to a corner, Toribio will have to turn more doubles into home runs to be an average everyday player.

For now, Toribio has the ceiling of an above-average everyday player, with a high enough floor that he’s a safe bet to at least develop into a solid bench bat or platoon option if he falls short of that ceiling.