SAN FRANCISCO -- There was no singular roster move that led to the end for Farhan Zaidi, but if you're looking for a player who most exemplified the mixed messages from baseball operations over the past year, it's certainly Marco Luciano.
The former top prospect was supposed to have an inside track on the shortstop job but Nick Ahmed was signed in the spring. When Luciano got his chance and struggled defensively, he was sent back down and started playing second base. The trade of Jorge Soler opened up the DH spot -- for about five minutes. Luciano returned in September as a second baseman, but that didn't last long either, and he finished his season taking fly balls at the club's minor league facility in Scottsdale.
Zaidi inherited Luciano, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic by Bobby Evans' front office. Buster Posey will also inherit him, although the 23-year-old's future is now unclear. One of the first tasks for the new president of baseball operations will be to figure out a more solid plan for a player who not long ago was considered the organization's best minor leaguer since Posey.
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"We'd love for Marco to be a big part of this going forward. The talent is there, that's been well-documented for a while, now," Posey said on Tuesday's "Giants Talk" podcast. "(Heliot) Ramos is a great example, right? Ramos is a great example of a guy that was a highly-touted prospect and scuffled a little bit and then for whatever reason something was unlocked this year, whether it's confidence, (or) an adjustment was made, and hopefully that's something that Luciano is going to be able to unleash, as well."
Ramos, the breakout star of a disappointing Giants season, is the best-case scenario, and his 2023 actually is very similar to Luciano's 2024. Luciano got 81 scattered plate appearances and posted a .562 OPS with no homers, three RBI, 28 strikeouts and five walks. Last season, Ramos had a .537 OPS over 60 plate appearances, with one homer, two RBI, 20 strikeouts and four walks.
Luciano had to deal with the constant confusion about his position, but Ramos had to deal with the Giants choosing multiple other outfielders -- including A.J. Pollock and Wade Meckler, who was not on the 40-man -- ahead of him. They even ended their seasons in a similar way. Ramos was sent back to Arizona for the final game of last season when the Giants activated Brandon Crawford. Luciano was sent there to learn the outfield.
"My mentality was it is what it is, the team has their plan, and I've just got to keep playing baseball and doing what I do," Ramos said last week. "It did affect me and made me feel some type of way, but at the end of the day I've got to do what I've got to do, I've got to go out there -- this year they optioned me in spring training and I just came out and did what I had to do. I feel like it builds character and I feel like if he takes it the right way, he's going to come out of it."
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Ramos was 24 this spring when he was part of the first round of cuts. Luciano will be 23 next spring, although there's certainly a possibility that he won't be at Scottsdale Stadium in February.
The Giants turned down plenty of trade offers over the years, including last offseason as they sought high-end pitching. If Posey agrees with the majority of the industry that Luciano is now an outfielder, he could find that a trade is his best option. The Giants already have Jung Hoo Lee and Ramos locked into jobs, and it seems likely that Posey will bring back Mike Yastrzemski, a former teammate and someone who plays the game in a similar way. They have Luis Matos, Grant McCray and others hoping to break through.
Ramos stayed positive when he found himself similarly blocked. At this time a year ago, he was looking at an outfield that had Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger and Yastrzemski in the corners. He said the key was having the right mentality last offseason.
"Young guys, we don't have experience and we don't trust ourselves and know what we're actually doing, good or bad. It can be tough," he said. "But I feel like (Luciano) has a good mentality. I feel like he'll be fine. I feel like he'll come out of it."
That part was never in doubt as Luciano was shuffled around all year. People who worked with him felt he stayed positive and worked hard, and the Giants are hopeful that he can get a fresh start -- just with his original organization.
Ultimately, like with everything else now, the decision will be made by Posey, who brings a unique perspective. He's so fresh as an executive that he was actually in camp when Luciano showed up for the first time and started wowing teammates and Giants officials with batting practice shows.
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