(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Marco Luciano turned some heads last spring, and he’s shot up the rankings accordingly.
The 19-year-old infielder is ranked as the 12th best prospect in MLB according to Baseball America’s latest Top 100 list. Luciano moved up five spots from last year’s rankings, in part because of the impression he made in 2020’s abbreviated spring training. He also turned heads in the Instructional League, belting a monster home run that was the hardest hit ball by a Giants player since 2016.
The hardest-hit batted ball by a (MLB-level) Giants player tracked by Statcast (since 2015) is a 116.8 mph lineout by Mac Williamson on July 3, 2016 https://t.co/U0UDmt7jsi
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 1, 2020
Luciano is expected to be the Giants’ future at shortstop or third base, and depending on what happens with the minor leagues, should see considerable time at Double-A Richmond and maybe even Triple-A Sacramento this season. Considering his age, it’s foreseeable that he could become the top prospect in all of MLB soon enough.
The two other Giants prospects on the list saw their stocks fall. Joey Bart dropped from No. 28 to No. 41, after a disappointing major league call-up. Bart immediately showed he has power, but also that he lacks consistency. Bart posted a .633 OPS while striking out nearly 40 percent of the time. Bart also didn’t hit a single home run, not able to capitalize on that power at the major league level.
Bart will begin the season at Triple-A Sacramento, and has a handful of catchers in front of him on the depth chart — not to mention first-round pick Patrick Bailey — that will hopefully push him.
Heliot Ramos fell even further, from No. 58 to No. 83, a 25 spot drop. Ramos’ fall in the rankings is more curious, considering he posted an .850 OPS in the minors in 2019, and didn’t play — like all minor leaguers — last year. The 21-year-old outfield prospect could have his major league debut this year if he impresses with the River Cats.