The San Francisco Giants offense has been a bit cold in recent games.
The team is in the middle of a playoff push at the moment, with a solid 55-47 record that places them tied for second in the NL West.
They are four games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division lead but are currently tied for the last Wild Card spot in the National League.
They need to score more consistently, though.
While other squads are looking at trade candidates ahead of the deadline, the Giants have decided to make an impactful move from within: they are calling up one of their top prospects, Marco Luciano, per FOX Sports: MLB.
The Giants have called up Marco Luciano, their top hitting prospect
(via @SFGiants)pic.twitter.com/KZ0LSwUfYl
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 26, 2023
Luciano was once thought to have an unlimited ceiling.
Some of that potential has been lost in the high minors between issues making consistent contact and a lot of strikeouts.
Still, he still can be an above-average offensive performer at shortstop.
That’s what he was in Double-A this season despite the outlined issues.
At that level, he hit .228/.339/.450 with 11 home runs in 242 plate appearances, good for a 114 wRC+ (100 is league-average offensive performance).
That line earned him a promotion to Triple-A, where he slashed .292/.370/.625 with two homers in six games.
His 130 wRC+ there, in a limited sample, was enough for the Giants to take a chance on his potential.
In both levels, however, he had strikeout rates near 30 percent, so batting average might be an issue at first, at least.
This is a very young prospect, yet to turn 22.
He has enough bat speed to make an instant impact, but his floor is not particularly high.
The Giants are hoping for a best-case scenario with Luciano.
NEXT: The Giants Have Fallen Into A Shocking Slump
