At 20 years old, Bryce Eldridge is a superstar in the making. His fast rise through the minor-league system has shown his unbelievable ability. Eldrige has elite power with the bat that rivals some of the all-time great hitters. Eldrige is on the fast track to the major leagues where he could be a star on day one.
Bryce Eldridge Is Going to Be the Next Superstar for the Giants
Eldridge was drafted 16th overall in 2023 out of James Madison High School. Originally Eldridge was a two-way player, throwing a fastball that peaked at 96 mph. The Giants decided to maximize his hitting ability over the possibility of pitching, with his size it’s understandable. Eldridge towers over the plate standing at 6’7 and weighing 223 pounds. Eldridge is an anomaly compared to most baseball players. With his size, he can become one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Take a look at Aaron Judge another anomaly standing at 6’7 and he’s one of the best hitters in baseball history. Now I’m not saying Eldridge will become Judge levels of good, but there is an example of a guy with a similar size to Eldridge succeeding at the highest level. We saw glimpses of how good he could become in his first full season of professional baseball.
Eldridge was promoted to High-A on June 28th and would never look back. Eldrige hit 12 home runs with a slugging percentage of .618 percent. He dominated the competition at this level over his 48 games in Eugene. Over a 162-game season, Eldridge would be on pace for 40 home runs. Throughout his time in High-A, he participated in the Futures Game which highlights the best upcoming talent. Eldridge was one of the top players in all of High-A and that led to his eventual promotion in September to the Double-A squad. Eldridge would immediately make an impact. He would become the youngest player ever to hit a home run in Richmond’s history. His time with that team would be short-lived as he was promoted to Triple-A nine games later. Finishing the season at the highest level of minor-league baseball. Currently, Eldridge is playing in the Arizona Fall League, getting in more reps at the plate. In the 10 games he’s played so far he’s hit two home runs with a slugging percentage of .512 percent. Eldridge continues to be successful at the highest level of baseball and the world has taken notice.
Eldridge is now the San Francisco Giants‘ highest-ranked prospect on the MLB’s top 100 prospects ranking at 35th. He was named Giants’ minor-league player of the year by Baseball America. He was also placed on Baseball America’s minor-league All-Star team. Throughout the 116 games he played last season he hit a total of 23 home runs and had an OPS of .890 percent. At the age of 19, he dominated professional baseball. Eldridge consistently finds ways to crush the laces off the ball and produce valuable at-bats for his team. Eldridge could shape up to be the power hitter the Giants have been pursuing in free agency over the past few years.
With Eldridge in Triple-A, his path to the big leagues becomes very clear, but there is a fear from some that the Giants might rush his development bringing him up to the majors too early. Newly appointed President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey, has experienced exactly what Eldridge is going through now. Posey reached Triple-A in his second season of minor-league baseball just like Eldridge. Posey understands patience is necessary with such a young player. But even with patience in mind, Eldridge could force Posey’s hand if he continues to hit at an elite level. Giants fans should be extremely excited about the development of Eldridge, as he is on the track to becoming a superstar.
Main Image: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
