The top two prospects in the Giants organization now are just a step away from the big leagues.
The Giants announced Tuesday that shortstop Marco Luciano has been promoted to Triple-A Sacramento, where he'll join Kyle Harrison when the left-hander returns from a hamstring strain. Luciano and Harrison represent the best one-two prospect punch the Giants have had in more than a decade, and they're both now in position to potentially join Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos and the rest of the youth movement.
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Luciano is just 21, the same age as Matos, and he's hoping to follow his friend's quick path to the big leagues. While a back injury delayed his progress early in the year, he posted a .789 OPS, 11 homers and a 117 wRC+ for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, who play in a tough league for young hitters. Double-A manager Dennis Pelfrey told NBC Sports Bay Area last week that it wouldn't surprise him if Luciano got on the fast track.
"He's in a really good spot right now," Pelfrey said. "He's progressed tremendously defensively since coming to Richmond and he's only going to get better. He's starting to get some confidence. The at-bats are really good. The swing is incredible when he makes contact, but he doesn't chase and it's going to help him out down the road. The numbers aren't showing what he really is but it's just a matter of time.
"It's kind of like the Patrick Bailey scenario where next month he may hit .500 and be in the big leagues by the end (of the season). It would not surprise me one bit."
Luciano's promotion comes a few months after he was sidelined by a back injury, which kept him out of big league camp and delayed the start of his Double-A season. He said last week that he hasn't had any issues since returning to the field.
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"I feel good," he said. "Everything is normal."
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Luciano only has about 1,000 at-bats as a professional, but there's a path to a 2023 debut if he can get hot in Triple-A. With Thairo Estrada injured and their other big league options struggling at the plate, the Giants have been looking for middle infield depth, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier this month that he could look to the trade market for help.
Like Matos, Luciano has something on his resume that should help him if the Giants start to consider a call-up to the big leagues. He was put on the 40-man roster in the offseason.