Giants' Luciano goes on homer binge in midst of on-base streak
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No. 2 Giants prospect Marco Luciano has been finding his offensive groove with Double-A Richmond, and he’s been far from one-dimensional in doing it.
Luciano not only enjoyed a streak of eight straight plate appearances where he reached base in his last two outings vs. Altoona, but also clubbed three home runs over those two games. Missing the opening month of the year as a result of a stress fracture in his lower back that he suffered playing for the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League, Luciano hadn’t yet reached the level of offensive production he was capable of entering the weekend. Slashing .157/.271/.352 with five home runs prior to Saturday, MLB Pipeline’s No. 18 overall prospect perhaps had some rust to shake off post-injury.
If that was the case, there was little rust left to shake off on Sunday, when Luciano went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, and added a walk. Richmond went on to lose 5-4 in extras, but they don’t get there without Luciano’s offensive prowess.
That two-run dinger came off of No. 18 Pirates prospect Kyle Nicolas in the third inning, plating both Luciano and fellow Top 30 Giants prospect Wade Meckler. All three home runs Luciano hit this weekend drove in at least both himself and Meckler.
His eighth-inning tater to center field against Altoona on Saturday was a two-run shot to send those two to the plate. It was off another right-hander in Pirates prospect Bear Bellomy, and was part of a six-run inning that put the Flying Squirrels up 11-2. They eventually won by that very score.
In the second inning of that Saturday showdown with the Curve, Luciano brought home Meckler, Carter Williams, and Robert Emery via a grand slam off of another right-handed Pirates prospect in Aaron Shortridge. Luciano’s highest-graded tool is his 65-grade power, but he even found others ways to contribute offensively. Finishing the game 3-for-3 with two walks, his offensive performance was not only just about power.
Luciano is now up to 23 RBIs on the year (32 games) to go along with his eight homers. It was always going to be an adjustment for him to adapt to his first taste of regular-season Double-A action. If his heroics over the weekend are any indication of what to expect from him moving forward, the No. 6 shortstop prospect in baseball is still on schedule to make a 2024 Major League debut.