SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants fans have been hearing about Bryce Eldridge’s prodigious power ever since the 6-foot-7 slugger was selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
They finally got to see that pop show up in the Majors for the first time on Saturday.
Eldridge launched his first career home run in the bottom of the fifth inning of a 13-3 blowout loss to the Pirates on Saturday at Oracle Park, providing the only bright spot on an otherwise forgettable night for the Giants.
Pittsburgh right-hander Braxton Ashcraft tried to go in on Eldridge’s hands with a first-pitch fastball, but the Giants’ No. 1 prospect (No. 17 overall per MLB Pipeline) managed to yank the 96.2 mph offering over the Levi’s Landing wall and bounce it into McCovey Cove for the milestone blast.
Eldridge’s homer left his bat at 101 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 364 feet, cutting the Pirates lead to 2-1. The 21-year-old rookie managed to get the ball back from kayaker Dave Edlund, better known as “McCovey Cove Dave,” after the game, trading a signed bat and ball in exchange for the prized keepsake.
“It’s very cool,” Eldridge said. “I had a moment after the home run, I was kind of on the rail in the dugout. I was kind of trying to process what happened. I realized I didn’t really remember much of it. I really remember only coming around third and seeing Willy [Adames] and [Matt Chapman] after I touched home. I definitely blacked out a little bit.”
It was the type of offensive boost the Giants hoped to receive when they promoted Eldridge from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.
“I thought all of his at-bats were great,” manager Tony Vitello said. “The [home run] swing in particular was pretty unique. Obviously, Ashcraft was throwing really well, and [Eldridge] pulled his hands in.
“Really, for any hitter, that would have been a great swing. But for a guy that’s bigger and longer limbs and all that good stuff, it was pretty impressive for him to do that. Not just to make the contact he did, but to keep the ball fair. He’s always a bright spot as far as his attitude goes around the park. But it’s nice to get some positive feedback from the swings because he hit a couple of balls hard right at guys, too.”
Eldridge went only 3-for-28 (.107) with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances during his first cup of coffee with the Giants last September, but he got off to a hot start at Sacramento this season, hitting .333 with a .963 OPS, five home runs and 22 RBIs over his first 30 games.
Eldridge has started four of his first five games at designated hitter since returning to the Majors this week, going 2-for-13 with one walk and four strikeouts. The long-awaited homer is expected to be the first of many for Eldridge, especially if he can continue to punish inside pitches like he did on Saturday.
“I’m always ready to hit the fastball,” Eldridge said. “I saw it early. At that point, I was just trying to stay tight and turn. I got the barrel to it. They’ve been pitching me inside a lot. Hopefully, I continue to earn respect in there and have them kind of back off a little bit and be smart about swing decisions over there.”
The good vibes from Eldridge’s first homer didn’t last long, though, as the Giants allowed the game to get out of hand by giving up a season-high 13 runs on 20 hits in their most lopsided loss of the year.
The Pirates broke the game open by scoring six runs (three unearned) off right-handers JT Brubaker and Gregory Santos in a disastrous seventh inning, which included a costly error from Adames at shortstop.
The Giants (15-24) have now dropped nine of their last 11 games, tying the similarly hapless Mets for the worst record in the National League. Their sloppy play drew a chorus of boos from the home crowd throughout the night, a rarity in San Francisco.
“I think it got to the point where it wasn’t an acceptable effort,” Vitello said. “They probably did what you or I would maybe do. I don’t know that I’d do that. I always try to be as positive as possible, but I think it’s pretty realistic. If anything, maybe it’ll reverse psychology [us] and provide a little extra motivation.”