PEORIA, Ariz. – While the summer of Bryce Eldridge is in the rearview mirror, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the Giants’ top prospect continuing to slug home runs during the fall.
At just 19 years old, San Francisco’s 2023 first-round pick mashed his first Arizona Fall League home run Thursday afternoon in the Scorpions’ 11-6 win over the Javelinas at the Peoria Sports Complex. It marked his fourth different club to homer with in the span of just over six months, a testament to his rise from projectable high school hitter to one of the game’s premier power-hitting prospects.
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But going deep? That happened plenty for Eldridge this season, 23 times to be precise. While he showcased his 60-grade power in the top of the ninth inning, he got a modicum of redemption in the bottom of the frame for a prior defensive miscue.
At 6-foot-7, Eldridge is liable to snare many a rebound. But on Sept. 17 for Triple-A Sacramento, he was the one needing a helping hand.
This time around, the now-full-time first baseman was there to sprawl out.
“In the middle of the year, we had moments like that where you get pop flies around home plate and that was kind of a teaching moment, as I stayed back on one that got dropped,” Eldridge said. “So when that ball went up in the air, I knew it was going to the catcher, but I wanted to be there to try and help out in case he got a bad read on it. And thankfully I was there to get the rebound.”
Eldridge homered in his first game of the season on April 5 with “Giants” sprawled across the front of his uniform, albeit for Single-A San Jose. On Thursday, he rocked the big league San Francisco road grays as he jogged around the bases for Scottsdale, serving as something of a precursor for things to come after a meteoric rise in which he reached the Minor Leagues' highest level in his first full pro campaign.
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When the 2024 season started, Eldridge was newly a hit-only talent, albeit one the club had high aspirations for. MLB's No. 35 overall prospect slugged 10 homers across 51 games in the notoriously cavernous parks of the California League before obliterating High-A Northwest League pitching (1.060 OPS, 187 wRC+) with Eugene.
The only thing that slowed down his blitzkrieg of opposing pitchers was a weekend off to participate in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
Even the most impressive Minor League seasons have a blemish or area for improvement. In Eldridge’s case, it was his production against southpaws. In 125 plate appearances, he slashed just .211/.272/.316 with only a quarter of his hits going for extra bases. So when he traveled to Globe Life Field, he knew where to go to seek advice.
“The biggest thing was hanging out in the dugout with Ken Griffey Jr.,” Eldridge said. “The second I figured out I was getting pulled out of the game, I went and slid myself right in next to him on the bench and started asking questions about how he approaches different types of pitchers – mostly that left-on-left matchup that I struggled with a little bit this year, so trying to pick his brain on that.”
When the calendar hit September, Eldridge was still storming his way through High-A. Then the levels changed, quickly: A nine-game stint with Double-A Richmond enabled him to return home to Virginia just over a year after dominating on the prep scene. An eight-game sprint with Sacramento followed, where he became the youngest regular in the Pacific Coast League.
Then came news of being tabbed for the Arizona Fall League.
Through it all, Eldridge has been something of a north star for a fan base rabid for an impact bat. No Giant has delivered a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004, and Eldridge has a left-handed swing geared for loft, making it a perfect marriage of potential and future production.
“It's awesome,” Eldridge said. “I mean, that's all you can hope for going into an organization is getting the love of the fan base. I just gotta keep trying to stay positive and treating these fans right and keep putting on for the team, for the organization. My family eats up [the social media hype] way more than you'd imagine, they love it.”