Bryce Eldridge’s MLB debut and the impact on his cards
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With just under two weeks left in the regular season most collectors and fans weren’t expecting any other debuts of top 100 prospects. That changed when news broke that the San Francisco Giants would call up their top prospect and top 100 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline (ranked 13th), first baseman Bryce Eldridge. This move represented an about face for the Giants.
At the end of August, the Giants appeared to be sputtering towards the end of a disappointing season. After a slow start in AAA, Eldridge was starting to hit his stride but wasn’t forcing a call up. However, the situation changed with the Giants. First, the Mets continue to fall apart to the point where the Giants find themselves a game and half out of a wild card spot. Secondly, Dominic Smith went down with an injury necessitating Eldridge’s call up.
For those unfamiliar, Bryce Eldridge was drafted 16th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and made his hobby card debut in Bowman Draft 2023. Initially announced as a two way player, Eldridge has solely focused on hitting since he made his professional debut. Eldridge is known for his prodigious power which has been on display throughout the minors. With that power comes a fair share of strikeouts that Eldridge has improved upon recently.
From a defensive standpoint, Eldridge is limited to first which does place more of a real world vs hobby ceiling on him. In terms of his hobby market, as is the case with almost every prospect, collectors should expect a bump in value after his call up. One thing for collectors to keep in mind though is that with such late callup, Eldridge might not get a lot of opportunities to show what he can do. That being said Eldridge himself and his hobby market could get a major boost if the Giants were to make the playoffs.
