Tucupita Marcano

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #27 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Padres signed Marcano out of Venezuela for $320,000 in 2016. He built a reputation as a hitting machine against older pitchers and made San Diego’s Opening Day roster in 2021 despite never playing in the upper levels. Marcano was the key prospect included in the Padres’ deadline deal with Pittsburgh for second baseman Adam Frazier. He spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.
  
  Scouting Report: Without much power, Marcano’s profile heavily relies on his exceptional barrel awareness and strike-zone control. He makes it work, using his direct, compact lefthanded swing and deft pitch recognition allows him to spray line drives to all fields at will. Marcano rarely generates much impact, though, because he lacks sufficient strength in his thin frame. Scouts believe Marcano looks most comfortable at second base, but is likely ticketed for a utility role in the big leagues because of his versatility. He appeared at second base, shortstop, third base and both corner outfield positions in 2021.
  
  The Future: It’s easy to forget Marcano will be just 22 years old on Opening Day. He’s yet another potential option in the Pirates’ wide-open second base competition entering 2022.
  
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #8 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 50. Power: 30. Running: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano is the son of famed Venezuelan player Raul Marcano and signed with the Padres for $320,000 in 2016. After hitting .366 in his stateside debut, Marcano finished tied for fifth in the Midwest League in hits in his first full season in 2019 and hit .370 in the California League playoffs after being promoted. The Padres brought him to their alternate training site in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is extraordinarily lean and lacks power, but he knows who he is and doesn’t try to do too much. He’s a smart hitter who controls the strike zone and makes consistent contact with a direct, compact stroke. He lines the ball to all fields and is a prolific bunter with a great feel for when to lay one down, including on squeeze plays. He beats bunts out for singles with his plus speed, but he makes poor decisions on the basepaths and frequently gets picked off or caught stealing. Marcano is an average defender whose best asset is his versatility—he is solid at third base and second base, can fill in at shortstop and began playing left field and first base at the alternate site.
  
  THE FUTURE: Marcano is frequently described as a winning player who does the little things that make a difference. His contact skills and versatility have him ticketed for a utility role.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #18 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano signed with the Padres for $320,000 during their 2016 international signing spree and quickly surpassed players who signed for more. He held his own as one of the youngest players in the low Class A Midwest League in 2019 and earned a promotion to high Class A Lake Elsinore for the California League playoffs, where he hit .370.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is the son of former Venezuelan baseball star Raul Marcano and plays beyond his years. He has an extraordinarily lean frame that lacks power, but he knows his game and doesn't try to do too much. He keeps his barrel in the zone with his smooth lefthanded swing, rarely chases with a disciplined approach and uses the whole field. He is a prolific bunter with a keen sense for the right time to lay one down. Marcano is a plus runner who plays with energy, although he makes poor decisions on the basepaths. He is an adequate defender at second base, third base and shortstop with an average, accurate arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Padres envision Marcano growing into a multi-positional, everyday player like Marwin Gonzalez. He needs to make significant strength gains, but is only 20 years old and has time to do so.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #27 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Raul Marcano hailed from Tucupita, Venezuela and was one of the country's biggest baseball stars in the 1990s. He had a son in 1999 and named him after his hometown. Tucupita Marcano became a prospect of his own and signed with the Padres for $320,000 in 2016. He moved stateside in 2018 and emerged as one of the best pure hitters in the Padres system, batting .366 with more than twice as many walks (34) as strikeouts (15).
  
  Scouting Report: Marcano is a wiry 6 feet, 165 pounds with a compact lefthanded swing that produces lots of contact. He keeps his hands in near his belly and his barrel remains in the zone an incredibly long time, allowing him to stay on balls and drive them wherever they're pitched. Marcano posts more walks than strikeouts with an advanced approach, is an adept bunter and hits velocity from line-to-line, projecting as a potential plus hitter. Marcano's body and swing don't allow for much power projection, although he's strong in his frame. Marcano is a plus runner and a fundamentally sound defender in the middle infield, although his inconsistent arm ranges from below-average to above-average and makes him a better fit at second base than shortstop.
  
  The Future: Marcano has a good foundation, but he will need to add strength to impact the ball at higher levels. He'll begin 2019 at low Class A Fort Wayne.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #19 prospect in 2018
  Despite having an unforgettable name that rhythmically rolls off the tongue (his first name is also the name of town in which he was born), Marcano was relatively unknown coming into the Arizona League season. As part of the Padres massive international class in 2016 it was easy to overlook the native Venezuelan, but a league-leading .395 average and an eye-popping total of 26 walks and only 10 strikeouts put Marcano firmly on the prospect map. He has feel to hit and advanced bat-to-ball skills to go with plus speed, but some observers don't see enough impact for power in the swing to project him as having as bright a future as other infield prospects. Opinions are mixed as to whether Marcano can stay at shortstop or will move to second base. Scouts differ on whether he possesses the arm strength for the left side of the bag. "You know what you're going to get from him every day out there," Padres manager Aaron Levin said. "He comes to play, he's a competitor."
• 
  Ranked Northwest League #7 prospect in 2018
  Marcano played both second base and shortstop this summer with Tri-City but might profile best at second base because of his fringy throwing arm. He’s plenty athletic up the middle and has plus speed. He’s on the smaller side and hasn’t hit for much impact yet, with only one home run in 364 career at-bats. He’s got a short, compact stroke from the left side that is geared toward solid contact and gap power. He’s also got an excellent idea at the plate, as shown by just 16 strikeouts in 194 at-bats between the Rookie-level Arizona League and the NWL. He’ll move to full-season ball in 2018, when he’s likely to pair with Xavier Edwards up the middle once more.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Padres signed Marcano out of Venezuela for $320,000 in 2016. He built a reputation as a hitting machine against older pitchers and made San Diego’s Opening Day roster in 2021 despite never playing in the upper levels. Marcano was the key prospect included in the Padres’ deadline deal with Pittsburgh for second baseman Adam Frazier. He spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Indianapolis.
  
  Scouting Report: Without much power, Marcano’s profile heavily relies on his exceptional barrel awareness and strike-zone control. He makes it work, using his direct, compact lefthanded swing and deft pitch recognition allows him to spray line drives to all fields at will. Marcano rarely generates much impact, though, because he lacks sufficient strength in his thin frame. Scouts believe Marcano looks most comfortable at second base, but is likely ticketed for a utility role in the big leagues because of his versatility. He appeared at second base, shortstop, third base and both corner outfield positions in 2021.
  
  The Future: It’s easy to forget Marcano will be just 22 years old on Opening Day. He’s yet another potential option in the Pirates’ wide-open second base competition entering 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 30. Running: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano is the son of famed Venezuelan player Raul Marcano and signed with the Padres for $320,000 in 2016. After hitting .366 in his stateside debut, Marcano finished tied for fifth in the Midwest League in hits in his first full season in 2019 and hit .370 in the California League playoffs after being promoted. The Padres brought him to their alternate training site in 2020. Marcano was the top prospect included in the Padres-Pirates deadline deal for 2B Adam Frazier.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is extraordinarily lean and lacks power, but he knows who he is and doesn't try to do too much. He's a smart hitter who controls the strike zone and makes consistent contact with a direct, compact stroke. He lines the ball to all fields and is a prolific bunter with a great feel for when to lay one down, including on squeeze plays. He beats bunts out for singles with his plus speed, but he makes poor decisions on the basepaths and frequently gets picked off or caught stealing. Marcano is an average defender whose best asset is his versatility—he is solid at third base and second base, can fill in at shortstop and began playing left field and first base at the alternate site.
  
  THE FUTURE: Marcano is frequently described as a winning player who does the little things that make a difference. His contact skills and versatility have him ticketed for a utility role.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 30. Running: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano is the son of famed Venezuelan player Raul Marcano and signed with the Padres for $320,000 in 2016. After hitting .366 in his stateside debut, Marcano finished tied for fifth in the Midwest League in hits in his first full season in 2019 and hit .370 in the California League playoffs after being promoted. The Padres brought him to their alternate training site in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is extraordinarily lean and lacks power, but he knows who he is and doesn’t try to do too much. He’s a smart hitter who controls the strike zone and makes consistent contact with a direct, compact stroke. He lines the ball to all fields and is a prolific bunter with a great feel for when to lay one down, including on squeeze plays. He beats bunts out for singles with his plus speed, but he makes poor decisions on the basepaths and frequently gets picked off or caught stealing. Marcano is an average defender whose best asset is his versatility—he is solid at third base and second base, can fill in at shortstop and began playing left field and first base at the alternate site.
  
  THE FUTURE: Marcano is frequently described as a winning player who does the little things that make a difference. His contact skills and versatility have him ticketed for a utility role.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 30. Running: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano is the son of famed Venezuelan player Raul Marcano and signed with the Padres for $320,000 in 2016. After hitting .366 in his stateside debut, Marcano finished tied for fifth in the Midwest League in hits in his first full season in 2019 and hit .370 in the California League playoffs after being promoted. The Padres brought him to their alternate training site in 2020.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is extraordinarily lean and lacks power, but he knows who he is and doesn’t try to do too much. He’s a smart hitter who controls the strike zone and makes consistent contact with a direct, compact stroke. He lines the ball to all fields and is a prolific bunter with a great feel for when to lay one down, including on squeeze plays. He beats bunts out for singles with his plus speed, but he makes poor decisions on the basepaths and frequently gets picked off or caught stealing. Marcano is an average defender whose best asset is his versatility—he is solid at third base and second base, can fill in at shortstop and began playing left field and first base at the alternate site.
  
  THE FUTURE: Marcano is frequently described as a winning player who does the little things that make a difference. His contact skills and versatility have him ticketed for a utility role.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano signed with the Padres for $320,000 during their 2016 international signing spree and quickly surpassed many players who signed for more. He held his own as one of the youngest players in the low Class A Midwest League in 2019 and earned a promotion to high Class A Lake Elsinore for the California League playoffs, where he hit .370.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is the son of former Venezuelan baseball star Raul Marcano and plays beyond his years. He has an extraordinarily lean frame that lacks power, but he knows his game and doesn’t try to do too much. He keeps his barrel in the zone with his smooth lefthanded swing, rarely chases with a disciplined approach and uses the whole field. He is a prolific bunter with a keen sense for the right time to lay one down. Marcano is a plus runner who plays with energy, although he makes poor decisions on the basepaths. He is an adequate defender at second base, third base and shortstop with an average, accurate arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Padres envision Marcano growing into a multi-positional everyday player like Marwin Gonzalez. He needs to make significant strength gains, but is only 20 and has time to do so.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Marcano signed with the Padres for $320,000 during their 2016 international signing spree and quickly surpassed players who signed for more. He held his own as one of the youngest players in the low Class A Midwest League in 2019 and earned a promotion to high Class A Lake Elsinore for the California League playoffs, where he hit .370.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Marcano is the son of former Venezuelan baseball star Raul Marcano and plays beyond his years. He has an extraordinarily lean frame that lacks power, but he knows his game and doesn't try to do too much. He keeps his barrel in the zone with his smooth lefthanded swing, rarely chases with a disciplined approach and uses the whole field. He is a prolific bunter with a keen sense for the right time to lay one down. Marcano is a plus runner who plays with energy, although he makes poor decisions on the basepaths. He is an adequate defender at second base, third base and shortstop with an average, accurate arm.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Padres envision Marcano growing into a multi-positional, everyday player like Marwin Gonzalez. He needs to make significant strength gains, but is only 20 years old and has time to do so.