Giants promote teen Luciano to NWL

Class A Short Season Salem-Keizer added one of baseball's top prospects ahead of the Northwest League playoffs.
The Giants on Sunday promoted 17-year-old shortstop Marco Luciano from the Rookie-level Arizona League, where MLB.com's No. 65 overall prospect ranked among the leaders in nine offensive categories.

Luciano, the Giants' No. 3 prospect, batted .322/.438/.616 with 10 homers, 38 RBIs and 46 runs scored in 38 AZL games. He led the circuit in runs and was tied for first in RBIs while sitting third in homers, fourth in extra-base hits (21), fifth in total bases (90) and OPS (1.054) and sixth in slugging percentage (.616) and walks (27). 
San Francisco signed the native of the Dominican Republic for $2.6 million last July after MLB.com ranked him as the No. 2 international prospect. 

"What was probably one of the most impressive things was in the opening game, he had five really good at-bats and went 0-for-5 and it just did not faze him and he came out the next day ready to go," Giants director of player development Kyle Haines told the [San Jose] Mercury News in June. "Most kids, whether they're 17 or 21 in Rookie ball, they struggle handling an 0-for-5 and then being able to rebound the next day.
"The highlights are always the great thing, the home runs, the doubles and triples and walks he's had, but I think what was really great to see out of such a young kid is that he handled a really tough 0-for-5 after five good at-bats and was able to bounce back the next day and keep a positive mind-set."
With Salem-Keizer, Luciano joins first-round pick Hunter Bishop, the Giants' No. 4 prospect, and outfielder Alexander Canario, who's ranked seventh. The Volcanoes clinched a playoff berth by winning the South Division first-half title.