Bryce Eldrigde Forced His Way Into Giants Lineup Despite Original Plan

The young first baseman has already proven himself to be one of the team's best hitters as a 21-year-old.

San Francisco Giants infielder Bryce Eldridge. | John Hefti-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are having their best month so far, with a record of 8-7 in June. They got off to a terrible start to the season and haven't had a ton of bright spots until their recent hot stretch. A big reason for their recent success has been Bryce Eldridge.

A first-round pick in 2023, the 21-year-old already has some of the best raw power in baseball. At 6-7, he is one of the tallest players in baseball. He has been the Giants' top prospect for a couple of years now and there has been a lot of anticipation for him to emerge.

Eldridge was called up on May 4, but initially wasn't playing everyday. That was part of the plan, as manager Tony Vitello explained to KNBR on Thursday, but it frustrated fans to not see him in the lineup everyday.

The rookie has now forced the Giants hand with his recent stretch at the plate and has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since May 31. His emergence forced San Francisco to turn their plan for him on its head.

Eldridge Has Been 'Too Good' to Not Keep in the Lineup

San Francisco Giants infielder Bryce Eldridge. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Giants fans were a little weary of how the team was handling their prized prospect at first.

Vitello told KNBR's Murph & Markus that the original plan for Eldridge upon his call up was the ease him into big league action. They wanted to "sprinkle in" some first base, DH him against right-handed pitchers and put him in a "spot where you build confidence."

"He's too good. He's ready to take on any responsibility you give him," the rookie manager said.

Long time fans of the Giants had seen this playbook in the past. First with Joey Bart, then with Marco Luciano. Both times it didn't work and both players are now elsewhere. Eldridge, who wants to be the face of the franchise, quickly proved he's a different type of player.

Since May 29, the 21-year-old is slashing .426/.500/.754 with a 1.254 OPS, five home runs, 13 RBIs and nine walks to 11 strikeouts.

His season long numbers don't look like a rookie, either. His OPS sits at .962 and he leads all rookies with a 168 wRC+. With a minimum of 130 plate appearances, his 168 wRC+ leads the National League.

That's not a player that can be left on the bench or played situationally against righties. In fact, the Giants are now looking for ways to get him more at-bats.

"It only makes sense to try to get him as many at-bats as possible in the lineup. We've even flirted with talking about the one spot," Vitello said.

Eldridge was recently moved up to second in the lineup, with him and Luis Arraez forming a nice contact and power plus on-base threat at the top of San Francisco's lineup.

A team will always have a plan for their star prospect upon his big league arrival, but a player who can shatter than plan is one to build around.