Luciano among 13 Giants non-roster invitees
The Giants will get a glimpse at their bright future when they report to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the start of Spring Training next week. The club has invited several of its top prospects to big league camp, including shortstop Marco Luciano and outfielders Heliot Ramos and Hunter Bishop.
Here’s a full list of the 13 non-roster invitees announced on Friday:
Pitchers: Right-handers Tristan Beck, Tyler Cyr, Matt Frisbee, Sean Hjelle, Kai-Wei Teng
Catchers: Patrick Bailey, Ricardo Genoves
Infielders: Marco Luciano, Will Wilson, Logan Wyatt
Outfielders: Hunter Bishop, Joe McCarthy, Heliot Ramos
The 19-year-old Luciano, ranked No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list, is the headliner of the group. He spent most of last summer working out at the Giants’ alternate training site alongside Bailey, Wilson, Bishop, Ramos, Joey Bart and Alexander Canario.
Bart and Canario already are on the 40-man roster, leaving left-hander Seth Corry, infielder Luis Toribio and outfielder Luis Matos as the only Top 10 Giants prospects who will be absent from big league camp this spring. Corry, the club’s best starting pitching prospect, has yet to pitch above Class A ball, while Toribio and Matos have yet to play in a full-season league.
Cyr, 27, and Hjelle, 23, were among the Giants’ non-roster invitees in 2020 and could develop into pitching options for the big league club at some point this year, along with the 24-year-old Beck, who was acquired from the Braves in exchange for Mark Melancon at the 2019 Trade Deadline.
McCarthy, 26, has seen time in the Majors, as he served as the Giants’ Opening Day right fielder last year and went 0-for-10 over four games before being optioned to Sacramento. Ramos, 21, finished the 2019 campaign at Double-A Richmond and could have an opportunity to debut in San Francisco if he conquers the upper levels of the Minors this year.
"He was probably among our top prospects as hurt by anyone by the lost season because he was on a path to potentially playing in the big leagues in 2020," president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said during a Zoom call with reporters on Friday. "I just know he's motivated and how highly we all think of him from an organizational standpoint. It's going to be fun to see him out there."
Giants pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Scottsdale by Wednesday and will be followed by position players on Feb. 22. The club is slated to play its Cactus League opener on Feb. 28 against the Angels at Scottsdale Stadium, according to the revised Spring Training schedule released by Major League Baseball on Friday.
Worth noting
Outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, who was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for infielder Tommy La Stella last week, cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Sacramento. Basabe, a 24-year-old switch-hitter, debuted with the Giants in 2020 and went 2-for-14 with four walks and two stolen bases over nine games. He could provide additional outfield depth.