Yeah, if you’ve followed the Giants system the last three years, you know the name at the top of this list.
Even after a less-than-stellar 2021, Marco Luciano is the system’s undisputed top prospect, and one of the top prospects in all of baseball. He’s got prodigious power, a great bat, and a star’s mentality. If there’s any question about him, it’s about whether or not he’ll actually be a shortstop long-term.
But, that’s about tomorrow.
The rest of the list is two of the system’s youngest prospects, including one just signed in January. And it betrays one of the interesting things about the Giants system, which is that they’ve found their best shortstops overseas in the last few years. That’s not to say the Giants haven’t drafted shortstops domestically, but none of them are seen as long-term options at the position.
Aeverson Arteaga and Ryan Reckley both come with strong defensive reputations, and are viewed as indisputable shortstops long-term, regardless of their offensive output. That’s a big difference from the guy at the top of the list, but it helps fill shortstop up as arguably one of the team’s deepest spots in the farm.
Luciano will probably be a third baseman at some point. He’s not quite there yet for these lists, but he might be at some point. And even if he moves there, deepening a corner infield spot that needs it, shortstop should still be a spot of depth for the Giants.
#1 – Marco Luciano
Marco Luciano is the undisputed top prospect. His bat is good, his batspeed is special, his defense is good enough…at least for somewhere. But the biggest thing about him is that he has the right attitude to be a star, a player who wants the leadership role and yet has the work ethic to make it happen. The only thing threatening Luciano’s rank at the top of all these lists is promotion to the Majors. Won’t happen this year. In two years? Maybe…
#2 – Aeverson Arteaga
When he was signed as part of the 2019 class, Arteaga came with a plus defensive reputation. He surprised with his offensive production in his first year, even if it happened just in the Arizona Complex League. Arteaga doesn’t have to be a superstar hitter to have a future as a pro, so if he can just be good, there’s a big future for a defender of his ability.
#3 – Ryan Reckley
The Giants’ biggest prospect signing since Luciano, just signed in January of 2022, Reckley was generally considered one of the top 10 international prospects in the “2021” signing class. Coming out of the Bahamas, Reckley brings switch-hitting ability, defensive tools, and plus speed, creating potentially an ideal top of the lineup prospect.
Other Prospects To Note:
The most notable name not to appear is Will Wilson, who took the majority of starts at shortstop while at both Eugene and Richmond. He didn’t have an ideal year, but the former first round pick has a place on a different list…Ghordy Santos put together a strong but short season, starting in the AZL and then playing the last month in San Jose after Luciano’s promotion. He needs to prove he can do it for a full season…Down in the Dominican Summer League, Yeison Lemos had a lackluster year, but he signed in 2019 for the same bonus amount as Manuel Mercedes the same year ($600,000), so he’s worth keeping an eye on.
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