The Giants might be playing Russia Roullete at closer…
Marco Luciano spent about 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon sitting on the dugout bench. He was waiting for the coaching staff to come out so he could do defensive drills, but the glove he had with him might not be needed too often in the second half.
The trade of Jorge Soler was made in part to clear the runway for Luciano, who has the inside track on being the designated hitter for the next two months. It’s a way to get the 22-year-old consistent big league at-bats, although long term, the Giants hope to find different avenues.
Luciano has always been a top prospect because he combines power with a premium position. The Giants are hopeful he can find a permanent home on the dirt as soon as next season, but for now, they believe he’s ready for a different role.
“We’ve talked about the defensive progress that Marco has made, but being able to bring him up and even just initially have him DH and get comfortable, I think there’s a lot of value in that,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said on the Giants Talk podcast. “I think we’ll see him some in the field, too. We certainly don’t see him as a DH long-term, and with his ability to play in the field, I think we’ll see some of that. I think that’s going to be important for his development.”
Luciano was the DH for both games against the A’s, the first two without Soler, and went 2-for-6 with a double and two strikeouts. The Giants are committed to letting him ride the highs and lows during this latest call-up, and if Luciano can keep having the type of at-bats he did in Triple-A in July, the dropoff from Soler to a rookie won’t be that steep.
But no organization dreams of turning a top prospect into a DH. The staff will work with Luciano at shortstop and second base, with the latter being a much more likely spot when he plays the field over the next two months.
Luciano has been a shortstop his whole professional career, but he struggled defensively during a previous call-up this year, seemingly validating the concerns of talent evaluators outside of the organization who long have believed he will need a position change. He made 16 starts at second base in Triple-A before the Giants called him back up and the staff there felt he was starting to settle in.
