It might be too little too late, but former top SF Giants prospect is finally hitting his stride at Triple-A

Former top SF Giants prospect Marco Luciano has had a tough time adjusting to the pitching in Triple-A. That said, he has had his best stretch yet and may finally be hitting his stride with the Sacramento River Cats.

It might be too little too late, but former top SF Giants prospect is finally hitting his stride at Triple-A

For years, Luciano was regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, ranking as high as No. 8 according to Baseball Propsectus before the 2021 season.

Those rankings were often based on loud tools, such as plus raw power, and the hope that he could stick at shortstop. However, performance has to factor into the equation at some point.

Luciano's development was slowed by the cancellation of the 2020 season, followed by a nearly two-month absence during the 2022 season, and a back fracture sustained in winter ball in 2023.

The right-handed bat was eligible for the Rule 5 draft heading into the 2023 season, so the Giants protected him from that by adding him to the 40-man roster. That began his option clock, which could be ticking near the end at this point.

It is fair to question the Giants' handling of his development in recent years. Perhaps, promoting him too quickly from Double-A in 2023 was not a good approach. Shuttling him back and forth from Sacramento last year did not help, either.

The best thing the Giants have done for his development this year is allow him to get consistent reps in a lower-pressure environment. To be fair, his performance has not necessarily warranted a promotion. Though, that could be said for several Giants minor leaguers this season.

Overall, Luciano is hitting .232/.356/.456 (111 wRC+) with 23 home runs, 64 RBI, and 74 runs in 492 plate appearances this year with Sacramento. These are solid numbers, and Luciano's performance in Triple-A has been more fine than good.

It is easy to forget that it took a long time for Heliot Ramos to finally hit his stride in Triple-A. He also had much more minor league seasoning before he got to that point. Luciano might be on that same trajectory where it took over 700 plate appearances to get comfortable.

With Ramos, you can draw a line in the sand with his performance once he surpassed 700 plate appearances with Sacramento. The 2024 All-Star outfielder forced his way onto the roster early last year and has not looked back.

This is not to say that Luciano will follow a similar path. The clock is ticking, and he is limited defensively.

However, the 23-year-old outfielder may finally be reaching that turning point in Sacramento. Since July 1, he is hitting .260/.414/.583 (153 wRC+) with 11 home runs, 30 RBI, and 28 runs in 162 plate appearances. As his .323 ISO suggests, his power has been way up, and the strikeouts are finally coming down. He has a 22.2 percent strikeout rate during that stretch.

At times, watching Luciano hit has been frustrating. He has considerable power upside, but that has not always come through with his numbers. He is also one of the more patient hitters in the Pacific Coast League, but that is to a fault. Often, he works deep counts but does not offer at pitches he should be swinging at. This has partly contributed to a high strikeout rate because he is often in two-strike counts, when swinging earlier in the count would have been a better decision.

There has seemingly been an improvement lately. Luciano will likely always have below-average contact skills. However, that is one factor of a high strikeout rate. The other is swinging at good pitches, and he has not done that enough this year. He has been more aggressive on pitches in the strike zone lately, and the results have followed.

Luciano continues to hit fastballs well, but he has had some better swings against breaking pitches lately, which has been a problem. In a game against the Reno Aces last week, he blasted a home run off a breaking ball for his 22nd home run of the year.

On Sunday, Luciano also hit a mammoth home run for his 23rd homer of the season. This year has been a mixed bag for Luciano, but he is still showing the ability to hit 20 home runs with ease. Plus, he is getting better as the season progresses, and that is usually a good sign of development for a young hitter.

Now, how does Luciano fit into the team's plans? That is much harder to say. Assuming he is not granted a fourth option year, he will enter next spring without any minor league options remaining while being mostly unproven.

That is a tough challenge to overcome. That said, there could be an avenue to playing time at DH if he performs well in the Cactus League. After that, his numbers will influence his role. For the time being, Luciano's performance is beginning to match the loud tools that often made him a top prospect.

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