Luciano impresses upon arrival
Kapler has high praise for SF’s top prospect
It’s been nearly four months since Marco Luciano launched a 119-mile per hour home run during an instructional league game, yet the hype surrounding the San Francisco Giants’ shortstop prospect continues to grow.
Luciano, 19, took the field at Scottsdale Stadium Saturday and immediately caught manager Gabe Kapler’s eye with the muscle he added to his frame over the offseason.
“Luciano looks noticeably thicker and the swings and the sound of the ball coming off of his bat in the cage reflected that,” Kapler said.
Considered by many outlets that grade prospects to be the best player in the Giants’ farm system, Luciano is one of the most highly
touted teenagers in professional baseball and was recently ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect by ESPN.
The 6-foot-2 Luciano is listed at 178 pounds, but as he continues to mature, there’s questions as to whether he’ll remain at the shortstop position or be forced to play a spot like third base or left field that would be less physically demanding.
As Kapler detailed Saturday, Giants farm director Kyle Haines and the organization’s medical and training staffs are all heavily invested in Luciano’s development and recognize the value he could provide future Giants teams by staying athletic enough to play shortstop in the majors.
“Something like outgrowing a position isn’t really a result of pushing
hard in the weight room, it’s not a result of offseason training,” Kapler explained. “Because in theory, usable lean tissue, muscle should lead to more explosiveness and better lateral movement as long as we’re also focused on flexibility and mobility which we are with Luciano.”
Kapler went on to say the Giants plan to have him work closely this spring with bench coach Kai Correa, who will pair with third base coach Ron Wotus to lead infield drills.
“I actually think a little more maturity in the lower half physically, which is sort of what we’ve seen so far in how he’s shown up, it’s going to play really well for him at shortstop,” Kapler said. “We’re going to try to get as many looks at him in the middle of the dirt as we possibly can and it’s going to be great for him to get that consistent exposure with Kai (Correa) because we’re all aligned.”