The Giants saw what they wanted to see from slugging prospect Bryce Eldridge’s brief experience in the Arizona Fall League.
Sure, the .293 average in 10 games was an encouraging sign against advanced competition, especially at the end of a long season in which he had been promoted three times from Low-A San Jose all the way to Triple-A Sacramento. The two home runs and three doubles were welcome sights, too, especially when he flashed power that played to all fields. And it’s impressive that Eldridge continued to thrive while being among the youngest players at his level.
Eldridge’s first AFL home run, an opposite-field blast at Peoria Sports Complex on Oct. 17, came on his last competitive swing as a teenager. He celebrated his 20th birthday three days later.
But what the Giants really wanted to see from Eldridge happened in the hours before the games in a mostly empty ballpark and triple-digit heat. They wanted the organization’s best power-hitting prospect in recent memory to pass a masterclass in playing first base.
“The at-bats he got were helpful but not the priority,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said in a phone interview. “The priority was getting him more innings on defense and more early work with the coaches.”
One of those coaches was former Giants All-Star first baseman and current special assistant Will Clark, who spent several days working intensively with Eldridge in Arizona. Another was longtime infield and bench coach Ron Wotus, who began work with Eldridge in Sacramento. The opportunity to work with Wotus was among the reasons Eldridge was promoted to Sacramento for the final week of the season. Dennis Pelfrey, who managed Eldridge’s blink-and-you-missed-it stint (nine games) at Double-A Richmond, headed up the AFL’s Scottsdale team and was a critical part of the crash course this fall, overseeing early work and talking through game situations.
Future gold glover Bryce Eldridge https://t.co/D8ZuEFBaOV pic.twitter.com/yAx7viUemU
— dylan (@sfgsalsa2) October 18, 2024
“Those added reps were the biggest benefit,” Haines said. “He’s learning the intricacies of the position. He’s working with new pitchers, new teammates. Even something like fielding balls against left-handed power hitters, who make harder contact than your average A-ball hitter, gave him a bigger defensive library of experience.”
Eldridge has been a speed reader almost from the moment the Giants took him in the first round (16th pick) of the 2023 draft out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Va. The 6-foot-7 left-handed hitter arrived with a hazy idea to develop as a two-way player — he starred on the mound and at the plate for Team USA’s Under-18 team while winning World Cup MVP honors — but his irrepressible hitting talent upon his arrival in pro ball made it clear that his bat would create his highest ceiling.
Bryce Eldridge (@SFGiants) is powering up in the @MLBazFallLeague.
MLB’s No. 35 prospect goes yard for his second XBH of the day. pic.twitter.com/Rg7KMGMPzB
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 17, 2024
It was a mild surprise at the start of this past season when Giants officials moved Eldridge from right field, where he could better utilize his plus arm strength, to first base. Haines said the position switch was made because Eldridge’s outfield range had been better in short bursts rather than the lengthier routes that are often required of right fielders in the Giants’ spacious ballpark.
“I don’t think anyone is saying he can’t play right (field),” Haines said. “It’s not out of the question in the future. But it’s easier to move someone from the dirt to the outfield. It’s very hard later in a player’s career to move from the outfield to the dirt. So we wanted to create first base as an option for him right away.”
Eldridge’s height is both an advantage at first base and a challenge to overcome. He worked with Wotus and Clark on his pre-pitch routine and his technique at first, widening his setup and lowering his center of gravity in order to get his glove to the dirt more easily. Most of the crash course, though, was about reading game situations, working on bunt plays and honing decision-making skills.
Perhaps it seems counterintuitive for the Giants to prioritize defense with their best hitting prospect in more than a decade. But it’s precisely because Eldridge’s bat appears so ready that his defensive skills merited extra work at the conclusion of a long season. It’s possible that Eldridge could make his major-league debut as a 20-year-old next season. And with the Giants expected to stress a return to fundamental baseball following Buster Posey’s ascension to president of baseball operations, they’ll need Eldridge to arrive with well-rounded skills.
Haines expects that “well-rounded” approach to govern player development under Posey’s leadership.
“I personally think players are rushed too fast through the minor leagues,” said Haines, whose initial thought at the start of this past season was to leave Eldridge in San Jose all year. “I can’t remember a time in my life when I saw players going through the minors with so little experience just being on the bases, being on the mound.
“It’s not just the Giants. It’s the whole league. You want players to defeat each level, but the definition of ‘defeating’ is different depending on who you talk to. I’m confident that we’ll make sure each player is extremely well-rounded and defeating each level not just with batting average or ERA or their homer total but with their overall mentality.
“We’re going to emphasize a well-rounded player. If a player has to be fast-tracked, they’ll have to exhibit well-roundedness and not just skill development in any one area.”
Bryce Eldridge for the lead ✨
The @SFGiants‘ No. 1 prospect slugs his 2nd HR in his past 3 @MLBazFallLeague games. pic.twitter.com/64EoUSTLHt
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 23, 2024
Will Eldridge be fast-tracked to the big leagues in 2025?
“That’s a really good question for Buster Posey,” Haines said with a laugh. “The one thing I’m certain of: He’s going to have to develop in the big leagues in some areas. But when players put on a Giants uniform at Oracle Park, we don’t want them to have big-league skills in some areas and playing at an A-ball level in others.”
Eldridge mashed his second Fall League homer on Oct. 22 and he had four hits in his final eight at-bats. But as fun as it was for the organization to watch him swing the bat, the Giants determined that he’d accomplished what he was brought to Arizona to do.
“It was unseasonably hot, even for Arizona, and he was losing weight, getting thin,” Haines said of Eldridge, who hit .292/.374/.516 with 23 homers in 519 plate appearances across all full-season levels. “So we thought the best thing was to let him go home and get ready for spring training.”
And, almost certainly, his first spot in a major-league camp.
Bryce Eldridge, Bo Davidson, & Drew Cavanaugh
The vibes are immaculate pic.twitter.com/8A2dU88sth
— trev (@BayAreaTrev) October 27, 2024
(Photo: Norm Hall / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
