Pirates claim yet another former SF Giants top prospect who did not pan out

The SF Giants have officially parted ways with Marco Luciano on Friday as he was reportedly claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is now the second time the Pirates have claimed a former Giants top prospect after their fall from grace.

Mark Feinsand reported the news on social media and it has been reported by other sources. Luciano was out of minor league options so this move felt inevitable. The Pirates are hoping lightning will strike twice after they claimed Joey Bart, another former top prospect for the Giants, in 2024 and helped him turn his career around.

SF Giants finally move on from Marco Luciano

At one point, Luciano was considered the top prospect in the Giants' organization and was seen as the heir apparent to Brandon Crawford at shortstop. Former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi essentially handed Luciano the job in the offseason prior to the 2024 season but in spring training it became clear Luciano was not up to snuff which forced the Giants to sign Nick Ahmed.

Luciano was eventually called up in 2024 after injuries to other players, but his defense was so atrocious that he was sent back down. Ironically, his defense reached its absolute worst in a series against the Pirates when he made a literal comedy of errors and proved that he was not capable of being a reliable big league shortstop.

The Giants decided to move him into an outfield role which is where he stayed for all of 2025 in the minor leagues. He put up impressive power numbers as he hit 23 home runs, but his slash line of .214/.335/.413 left a lot to be desired.

Luciano's fate seem sealed by the end of the 2025 season after he was not called up, but it was even more clear that they Giants were prepared to move on from him after they added outfield depth pieces like Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer who clearly eclipsed Luciano on the depth chart.

The Giants still need to figure out what they are going to do in right field as they likely have no one currently on the roster who they would entrust full-time duties to at this point. Maybe a trade or a free agent addition could fill that hole.

Luciano will seek a fresh start now. Bart was able to turn the page and had a very nice 2024 season with the Pirates before regressing a bit in 2025, but maybe Luciano can get hot with the bat and prove that he can be a big league player with a new organization.