SCOTTSDALE — After chatting with reporters for about 10 minutes on Friday morning, Marco Luciano reached into a duffel bag and pulled out a black glove. It’s one of three in the bag, representing three different positions, but this spring — and possibly for much longer — it’s the only one he’ll need.
Long one of the best shortstop prospects in baseball, Luciano will only play the corner outfield spots this spring. It’s a transition that started late last season, one that was unexpectedly rough for the 23-year-old in the field and at the plate.
“Last year I was lost, totally lost in the batter’s box,” Luciano said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “What I worked on (this offseason) was trying to find myself, find my swing … I think it’s something that happens to every player. Every great player goes through that. You lose yourself and you try to find your rhythm again.”
Scouts, and many within the Giants front office, have for years compared Luciano to Alfonso Soriano, who moved from infield to outfield later in his career. They also have for years wondered why the Giants had not already made the defensive switch.
It’s hard to give up on the potential of a power-hitting shortstop, but the prior regime seemed particularly stubborn in this case. Luciano struggled at short when recalled last season, especially late in games, and it wasn’t until near the end of the season that he was told his future was on the grass.
The move was not made with the offseason in mind, but Buster Posey and Zack Minasian ended up making an acquisition that completely blocked off any thoughts of maybe keeping Luciano on the dirt, where he has played short and second. Willy Adames was signed to be the long-term shortstop, with the hope that Tyler Fitzgerald will settle in at second base for years to come.
If there was disappointment for Luciano, it didn’t show Friday. He said he learned a lot last year and grew in the offseason, when he passed on playing Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic in order to mentally and physically get a reset. He’s eager to show he can play the outfield, and that’s now also the easiest path to a roster spot.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are set with their three starters but don’t have obvious fourth and fifth outfielders at the moment. The likelihood is that they go with experience on the bench, allowing Luciano to play everyday at left and right field in Triple-A.
There will be openings over the course of the year, though, and the hope is that Luciano’s bat will he ready this time. He had a .562 OPS in 27 games last year and is still looking for his first homer after 126 big league plate appearances.
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As a teenager, Luciano was known for his prodigious power. In the big leagues he has shown some patience, perhaps too much of it, and a propensity to hit the ball the other way with impressive force. But to become the hitter everyone has been waiting for, Luciano will again have to tap into that natural pull power. He said he “wasn’t being (himself)” last year.
“He tracks the ball and hits the ball hard the opposite way. There’s probably some more pull in his game when he’s playing every day but he never really had the opportunity with us,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I don’t know that we tweak his swing or anything like that. Obviously we’d like to see more power but when you’re not playing very often it’s tough to do that in the big leagues.”
There should be plenty of opportunities this spring to show the future remains bright. There’s nothing the staff needs to see out of Mike Yastrzemski or Heliot Ramos in Scottsdale, so Luciano will join Luis Matos, Grant McCray and Wade Meckler in soaking up a lot of the spring at-bats and reps in the outfield.
It’s a group of players Luciano knows well, but this spring will be different. They’re all hitting together, but they’re also taking fly balls together.
“I have played the outfield before. Mentally I just have to accept it and move on and do what’s best for the team,” Luciano said. “They told me that changing position was going to help the team, so that’s what I’m doing.”
