2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List No. 3

Well we’re really moving now, folks. The second chapter of the 2023 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List is in the books, and the community has spoken: shortstop Marco Luciano has been voted as the No. 2 prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization.

On the one hand, No. 2 is impressive. Second place is not the first loser when it comes to prospecting. On the other hand, it does represent a step backwards, as Luciano was voted as the top prospect in the organization in each of the last two CPLs.

That says more about the 2022 that Kyle Harrison had than anything else, but there were concerning signs for Luciano, who battled back pain for much of the year. That surely suppressed his stats, but the numbers were still quite good, as the shortstop — who turned 21 in September — hit .263/.339/.459 (121 wRC+) for High-A Eugene. Most impressive were the 10 home runs that Luciano bopped in just 230 plate appearances. He got a cup of postseason coffee with AA Richmond, and he’ll start 2023 there.

After being added to the 40-man roster as a Rule 5 protection, Luciano could be on a fast track to the Majors if he stays healthy this year.

Now we move on, and as a reminder, today is nomination day. Reply to my top comment in the comment section with your recommendations for players to be added to the list, and “rec” the names that you agree with.

The list so far

1. Kyle Harrison — LHP
2. Marco Luciano — SS

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

On to No. 3!

No. 3 prospect nominees

Vaun Brown — 24.5-year old OF, 189 wRC+ in High-A (195 PAs), 166 wRC+ in Low-A (262 PAs)
Luis Matos — 20.10-year old CF, 74 wRC+ in High-A (407 PAs)
Grant McCray — 22.7-year old CF, 131 wRC+ in High-A (62 PAs), 130 wRC+ in Low-A (507 PAs)
Casey Schmitt — 23.9-year old 3B, 144 wRC+ in AA (127 PAs), 132 wRC+ in High-A (383 PAs)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.