3 prospects who could help the SF Giants in 2023

SF Giants fans have been eagerly waiting for an influx of young talent and their patience should be rewarded soon enough. Several top prospects have reached the upper minors and could be nearing a debut as soon as 2023.

3 prospects who could help the SF Giants in 2023

Perhaps, that influx of young talent has already begun with players like Logan Webb, David Villar, and Joey Bart on the roster. Even Thairo Estrada counts as young talent given that he is just entering his age-27 season next year.

Webb has quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the National League. He finished last season with a 2.90 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 7.6 K/9, and a 3.33 SO/W ratio in 32 starts. Of course, he did not make the All-Star team, but he did receive down-ballot Cy Young votes.

Estrada is penciled in as an everyday player after registering a .260/.322/.400 (103 OPS+) line with 14 home runs, 62 RBI, and 71 runs in 541 plate appearances. Bart and Villar showed some promise last season with the latter finishing the year on a very high note.

The good news is that the Giants could have help on the way soon enough. It has been years since they have had a consistent flow of talent from the farm system to the major league roster, but they are poised to reach that level again.

1. Middle infielder Marco Luciano

Top middle infield prospect Marco Luciano has one of the easier paths to reaching the majors next season among the names mentioned. The Giants added Luciano to the 40-man roster in November as a necessary move to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Given how the front office leverages every spot on the 40-man roster, it would not be surprising to see him debut for the Giants sooner rather than later.

The 21-year-old is among the game's top prospects, ranking as high as No. 9 according to Baseball Prospectus prior to the 2022 season. Luciano slashed .263/.339/.459 (121 wRC+) with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, and 27 runs in 230 plate appearances for the Eugene Emeralds in 2022. This includes a 14.8 percent walk rate against a 25.9 percent strikeout rate.

The right-handed bat earned a brief cup of coffee in Double-A as he helped the Richmond Flying Squirrels in the Eastern League playoffs. He recorded one hit in eight at-bats across two games.

Luciano will likely begin next year in Double-A but will be pushed up to Triple-A quickly if he performs. Of course, an injury or two could put Luciano in a position to be promoted.

3 prospects who could help the SF Giants in 2023

2. Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison

It might be a tie between pitching prospect Kyle Harrison and third base prospect Casey Schmitt in terms of who will debut first. However, Harrison gets the nod because the Giants are always in need of pitching, whereas an opportunity might need to open up for Schmitt to be considered.

Of course, if Schmitt gets off to a blistering start in Triple-A, he might force the issue similar to what David Villar did last year.

Harrison has quickly emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball since being selected in the third round of the 2020 draft out of De La Salle High School in Concord, California. He slid in the draft due to signability concerns, but received a substantial $2.5 million signing bonus from San Francisco.

It is not hyperbole to say that the left-handed prospect is the best pitching prospect that the Giants have had since the late 2000's when they had both Zack Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner in the farm system.

The 21-year-old prospect was superb last year, posting a 1.55 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 18.3 K/9, and a 5.90 SO/W ratio in seven starts for the Eugene Emeralds before earning a promotion to the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

The left-handed hurler's run of dominance continued in the Eastern League as he tallied a 3.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13.6 K/9, and a 3.26 SO/W ratio in 18 starts.

Unlike Marco Luciano, Harrison is not on the 40-man roster, so his performance will need to force the issue in 2023. However, if he continues on the trajectory he is on, it is only a matter of time before he is pitching at Oracle Park.