San Francisco Giants Continue to Add to Farm System with International Signings
The San Francisco Giants continued to bolster their farm system on Monday, playing a big part in the international free agent market.
The San Francisco Giants continued their quest to build their farm system back up, adding some big international names on Monday after free agency opened. The biggest name in the group was outfielder Marco Luciano, who ranks second on MLB.com’s list of top international prospects. Luciano, who is listed at 6’2” and 178 pounds, is just 16 years old and won’t turn 17 until September. According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, Luciano signed for $2.6 million.
Luciano’s MLB.com profile is a very encouraging read for Giants’ fans. The first two lines are “Scouts consider Luciano among the top overall hitters in the class. Others believe he is the best pure hitter overall”. They make it clear that his ability to hit and hit for power are what make him such an exciting young player.
Luciano “is known for his bat speed and all-around quick twitch ability”, and he is “not the prototypical swing-and-miss power hitter”. Defensively, he seems to be athletic enough to play center field, but a corner outfield spot might be more likely as he continues to grow.
In addition to Luciano, the Giants signed continued to pad their minor league outfield depth with two other notable signings. They agreed to terms with Luis Matos (not the Luis Matos who played for the Orioles in the early 2000s), the 27th-ranked prospect on MLB.com’s list, and Jairo Pomares.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Matos, from Venezuela, signed for $725,000 and is listed at 5’11” and 160 pounds at 16 years old. His MLB.com profile says he isn’t necessarily a flashy player and may not have a huge ceiling, but “there’s a belief that Matos will produce plenty of results while quietly moving up each level”, and that he’s a “reliable prospect with good tools”.
Pomares doesn’t come in on MLB.com’s top-30, but is highly ranked on Baseball America’s top-50 list, coming in at number 11. He is 17 years old, making him the elder statesman of this trio of outfielders, is listed at 6’2” and 180 pounds and is from Cuba. Pomares is a left-handed hitting outfielder with a smooth swing, and was a standout in Cuba’s under 15 league a few years back.
Other signings for the Giants include 16-year-old shortstop Monegro Paulino, left-handed pitcher Aaron Peniche, and right-hander Melvin Marte, all three of whom are from the Dominican Republic.
The Giants have been relatively quiet on the international market in recent years, after going over their bonus money back in 2015, when they signed 18-year-old shortstop Lucius Fox from the Bahamas. With those restrictions lifted, the Giants were welcome to spend again, and spend they did.
Next: Minor League Major Performers 7-1-18
Adding these players, along with the ones they drafted back in the middle of June, will certainly give a big boost to the Giants’ farm system, which is routinely ranked as one of the worst in baseball. The additions of players like Luciano, Matos, and Pomares, as well as draft picks Joey Bart, Sean Hjelle, Blake Rivera, and Jake Wong, just to name a few, will certainly do wonders for their top prospect lists. It likely won’t help in the immediate future, unless the Giants are buyers soon, but it makes the distant future (five-plus years) look a lot better.