Watch SF Giants Prospect Marco Luciano Obliterate A Baseball

SF Giants top prospect Marco Luciano has been doing impressive things since he signed in 2018. He is turning heads once again after obliterating a baseball at the instructional league in Arizona.

While SF Giants fans were rightfully excited when the team promoted Joey Bart this season, there’s a reason he did not have the top spot in our updated prospect rankings this summer. Even though he was just 18 years old and has yet to play a game at full-season ball, Marco Luciano had already earned the top spot.

In a highlight released by the Giants official prospect Twitter account, Luciano absolutely obliterates a baseball against the Rockies instructional league team. The Tweet reads, “Marco Luciano reached base twice vs the Rockies, including this 0-1 HR (119 EV).”

An exit-velocity of 119 mph is absurd by MLB standards. During the entirety of the 2020 season, no MLB player recorded an exit velocity above 118.4 mph, according to Baseball Savant. Last year, Giancarlo Stanton recorded one exit velocity of 120.6 mph, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded one exit velocity of 118.9 mph. That’s it.

While Luciano had the platoon advantage, facing off against a left-handed pitcher, multiple people have pointed out that the pitcher appears to be Ryan Rolison. Rolison was the Rockies first-round pick out of the University of Mississippi in the 2018 MLB draft. In his first full-season of pro ball last year, Rolison quickly pitched himself to High-A. The 23-year old Rolison is over four years older than Luciano.

The home run wasn’t just fun to watch on video either. Giants coordinator of pitching sciences, Matt Daniels, added on Twitter that “This was quite possibly the furthest home run I’ve ever witnessed in person.” A particularly strong statement since another prospect already blasted a 509-foot home run at instructs.

Last season, the Giants brought Luciano stateside for what was supposed to be a challenge in the Arizona League. Instead, he bashed 10 home runs and posted a .322/.438/.616 line and earned a promotion to Low-A. He dealt with some struggles at Salem-Keizer but was just 17-years old playing against players three, four, or even five years his senior.

Currently, a shortstop, Luciano’s defensive future remains unknown. As he matures, he may be forced to third base or an outfield corner. Even if he does have to move, his bat is transcendent enough that his prospect status would not really change. Any defensive value is just icing on the cake.

No prospect in franchise history has ever matched Luciano’s success at his age. Few prospects have come close in recent history.

The SF Giants could very well have the best prospect in baseball very soon. Marco Luciano has some of the biggest power in the world and combines it with a feel to hit far beyond his years. For now, fans have to enjoy his highlights from the instructional league, but soon he could very well be blasting home runs, tossing his bat, and strutting down the first-base line at Oracle Park.