Lucky does not begin to describe the opportunity to see Marco Luciano in Albuquerque for one of his six Triple-A games before getting the call to join the Giants last week. He did not disappoint.
San Francisco prospects Mason Black & Randy Rodriguez made appearances on the mound while 3B Tyler Fitzgerald continued to keep his name in the mix for an MLB callup this year.
On the Rockies side, I was hoping to see high-octane lefty Evan Justice but was able to catch the ascendant Dugan Darnell, an indy ball signing in 2021 and hard-throwing Michael Petersen instead.
Marco Luciano, SS - 1-4, HR, BB
Luciano certainly sealed the deal on his call-up in this game. The Giants top prospect flashed the advertised plus power by hitting 3 balls over 108 mph, including a 110 mph home run. The other two batted balls went for a hard groundout and a lineout, respectively.
Marco Luciano home run off Ben Braymer
Luciano’s hands are extremely smooth, helping to create an ultra-efficient swing that will lead to big-league power production. Luciano stands pretty upright in his stance with his hands set near the top of his head. His load is pretty simple, getting into his legs more which helps set his hands in an ideal position to launch.
Luciano’s bat speed is very impressive; some of the best on display in the minors this year. His frame is also pretty slight still. Luciano has efficient mass for now which helps him have the adequate burst to man shortstop but it’s clear he’ll add more mass as he continues developing. The idea of a 6-foot-1, 195 pound Luciano is a scary thought from a power perspective.
The downside to that additional mass is a likely move to 3B or possibly 2B, though Luciano has an above average arm that profiles well at the hot corner. As alluded to above, Luciano has good lateral burst that leads to quality first steps, making it fair to think he can be an average shortstop early in his career.
Back to the bat, it’s not a perfect offensive profile, despite this being an overwhelmingly positive showing from Luciano. There is some swing and miss in the shortstop’s bat, especially when handling off-speed pitches. In this game, Luciano saw 6 changeups/splitters (4 of which came from Dugan Darnell) and missed on all 3 of his swings. Some credit is due to Darnell but Luciano’s timing was largely off against off-speed pitches. From an aggressiveness standpoint, Luciano laid off some borderline pitches and swung at less than half the pitches he saw. It’s fair to assume with time, his walk rate can settle a tick above average.
Overall the bat speed and ability to consistently barrel the baseball will enable Luciano to produce in the power department, potentially at an elite level. The overall hit profile should remain average or better but there are some risk factors with handling off-speed pitches and being on the more aggressive side.
Mason Black, RHP - 4.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER (5 R), 3 BB, 4 K
It isn’t often anymore we see prized pitching prospects in the Pacific Coast League, although the Giants are showing a reluctance to shy their arms away from the challenge. So far Mason Black has handled it well and it’s unrealistic to expect great or even good results every outing.
This start fell below that standard although the traits that make Black a high-end pitcher still shined through. Physically, Black has an ideal pitcher’s build with a very high torso, a strong lower half and pretty broad shoulders.
In his delivery, Black features a pretty standard leg lift. He creates a longer than average arm action with some arm exposure behind his back hip but there’s quality arm acceleration from a lower 3/4 slot that creates a different look for hitters. Black’s longer action helps create a bit more torsion and momentum in an otherwise simple delivery and he keeps his hip rotation well synced, launching as he’s planting. Black pendulums his lower half through his delivery which creates extra power but also leaves him off balance at times. Overall, the physicality of his delivery allowed him to sit in the 93-94 for the entirety of this 78-pitch start and touch 96.
Black’s main fastball has been a sinker with plenty of run although he’s capable of throwing a 4-seam version with carry and a flat approach because of his arm slot. It’s not quite a plus offering sitting 93-95 but there have been times Black sits a tick above that.
Black’s moneymaker is his sweeper that sat 82-85 and touched 86. From his low slot, the pitch gets a ton of horizontal break from his release point which devastated multiple right-handed bats, gathering 5 whiffs on 13 swings overall. It’s a plus pitch now and one that gives Black a weapon to rely on at the big league level.
The 6-foot-3 Black mostly utilized those two pitches in this outing though he mixed in a cutter and curveball in a combined 15% of the time. Black’s cutter is more like a traditional slider though it lacks any standout traits and his curveball has nice depth. As of now, Black has upside to end up viable in the Giants rotation but the lack of polish in the depth of his arsenal creates bullpen risk.
Randy Rodriguez, RHP - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
One of the Giants top relief prospects, Rodriguez has huge stuff and great arm talent but not the most controlled mechanics. It’s been a struggle since his Triple-A debut, as he has a negative K-BB%, an unusual sight for someone this high in the minors.
His leg raise typically ends up behind his back knee, helping to create power but adding a lot of movement to the delivery that jeopardizes command. Rodriguez also has a pretty violent arm action. He draws his arm back, drops it perpendicular to the ground, and then unleashes towards the plate.
He sat 95-97 and his slider was effective but he does not throw the pitch for strikes enough, requiring chase swings, despite it being his most used pitch. It’s a very high spin offering with a lot of bite and some tilt but it can’t be a true weapon without better command. Rodriguez will get a big league chance at some point but a cleaned up delivery might be his ticket to sticking around.
Tyler Fitzgerald, IF - 2-4, HR, SB
Fitzgerald is a very aggressive but toolsy infielder. It seemed like he wanted to swing at every pitch near the zone but his swing is sound enough to make a fair amount of contact, especially in zone. It’s likely average power here with the chance to hit double digit home runs in a utility role.
Fitzgerald played 3B in this game but has experience all around the diamond and is quick enough to handle the middle-infield. He showed some aggressiveness on the basepaths, stealing in the 3rd inning against lefty Ben Braymer with relative ease. He’s on the leaner side of things and could add some more good mass but he strikes an ideal power/speed balance now.
With Casey Schmitt scuffling in the big leagues, Fitzgerald is pushing for an opportunity, given the similarity of their profiles despite Schmitt’s defensive prowess.
Dugan Darnell, RHP, 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
Darnell just keeps raising the roof on his underdog career. Against the middle of Sacramento’s lineup, Darnell flashed the splitter that has opened the door for a big league opportunity. The pitch gets devastating drop and is sold well by Darnell’s arm speed. Additionally, Darnell’s over the top delivery creates some extra depth on the pitch. On the night, it induced 5 whiffs on 7 swings, sitting 83-84.
Darnell’s fastball has an interesting profile because of that over the top slot. He generates a lot of spin with a north-south profile, allowing for it to get carry, though the high slot negates some of the utility of that profile. Still, it sits 92-94 and Darnell commands it well. With a fringe-average fastball and plus-splitter, Darnell could make noise in a big league pen.
Michael Peterson, RHP, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Peterson throws with extreme arm talent. He routinely touched 98 in this game and has a reasonably flat approach angle that makes it an above-average fastball. His delivery is clean enough that strike-throwing shouldn’t be the issue it was early in his pro career. His mid-80s slider is nothing special but he located it well, helping him put away Heliot Ramos and Jakson Reetz.