This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Bryce Eldridge thought the best day of his life happened a few weeks ago, when the Giants selected the two-way standout with the 16th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft. But his first trip to Oracle Park on Wednesday turned out to be even better.
The 18-year-old Eldridge shook hands with Barry Bonds, picked Brandon Crawford’s brain during pregame batting practice and received a rousing ovation from Giants fans when he was shown on the video scoreboard during the club’s 8-3 win over the A’s.
“This is a dream come true,” Eldridge said. “This has been the most wild two weeks of my life that I worked my whole life for. It’s pretty sweet to be out here.”
Aside from crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, Eldridge didn’t have much time to take in the sights around San Francisco, as he flew back to Arizona on Thursday to begin his professional career in the Giants organization. He is expected to join the Giants’ Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Orange team, though he won’t get a chance to pitch right away.
Eldridge said he shut down his arm at the end of the high school season in Virginia, so he might not debut on the mound until instructional league this fall. He’ll stick to hitting for now and focus on making the transition from first base to right field, where the Giants plan to try him out this summer.
“I’ve never played the outfield, but I'm actually starting to get super comfortable pretty quickly,” Eldridge said. “I move well out there. I got the arm already, so I’m pumped to be out there.”
Listed at 6-foot-7, 223 pounds, Eldridge towered over the Giants’ regulars when he took batting practice and crushed a couple of balls with his powerful left-handed swing, though he fell short of his goal to hit one out into McCovey Cove. If all goes according to plan, he should have plenty more opportunities to collect his first splash hit in the future.
“I’m 18 years old, and I think all of these guys have been shocked to see my size,” Eldridge said. “Joc Pederson was like, ‘Light tower power!’ You usually don’t see guys my size swinging the bat at this level. You see them on the mound. It’s pretty cool.”