So, is Marco Luciano truly a shortstop prospect?
For about a week, it seemed like there was a chance he’d be pushed off of shortstop sooner rather than later. And then some unimportant physicals came in, and that changed.
The question about where Marco Luciano will end up defensively hangs over him and prospect lists. But for now, and for the short term, he remains at the position, and still heads up this list. But now, a defensive wizard in Aeverson Arteaga follows him up on the list, making the future of the position even more of a question. And there’s also remaining questions about Luciano’s health and his back. But Luciano will be just 22 coming into the season, so he has plenty of youth to spare.
So shortstop remains one of the most interesting and influential, not to mention youngest, spots on the list. And we haven’t even talked about the top international signing of 2022 on the back of the list, hoping to break out and make his own impact.
#1 – Marco Luciano
Luciano had a very difficult 2022 season, struggling with a stress fracture in his back, missing a lot of time and struggling when he was playing. While he might end up at third base, or second base, or left field, Luciano’s offensive skills should play anywhere that he ends up. If he can get healthy, that is.
#2 – Aeverson Arteaga
Arteaga made his full-season debut in 2021 and had a strong year in San Jose, with 122 healthy games and a great year in the field. He had 14 home runs, 35 doubles, and a solid .270 batting average. Arteaga will be just 20 in the upcoming season, so there’s still a lot of growth to expect from him.
#3 – Ryan Reckley
After being the Giants’ top international signing in January 2021 and drawing lots of comparisons to former top Giants signee Lucuis Fox, Reckley’s 2021 season was a disappointment as he missed most of it with an undisclosed injury. But Reckley still has a ton of potential and plenty of time to grow into it.
Other Prospects to Note
Several of the team’s second base prospects can play shortstop, with Will Wilson and Tyler Fitzgerald being two obvious examples. In addition, third base prospect Casey Schmitt capably covered shortstop in Eugene while Luciano was down with injury…In addition to Schmitt, Jimmy Glowenke got to show off some of his shortstop chops while Luciano was injured, and he has a lot of experience at the position from college…19-year old Ramon Peralta was signed with a decently-sized bonus in the 2021 class, and put up a .750 OPS in his second summer in the DSL…Anthony Rodriguez had a .727 OPS in 52 games in Arizona, almost all at shortstop, his second season at the level…2021 signee Diego Velasquez also played a lot of shortstop in Arizona, hitting .277 with a .721 OPS.
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