San Francisco Giants Have Plenty of Confidence in Top Prospect's Bat

The San Francisco Giants are just starting their Spring Training, and they have high hopes for some of their younger players. At the top of their list in their No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge.

Eldridge was was the 16th overall pick in 2023, and the Giants may have gotten a steal with him falling that far. He just turned 20, but he was 19-years-old during his first full season of pro ball and he tore it up.

Across four levels, Eldridge slashed .291/.374/.516 with 23 home runs, 92 RBI and 76 runs scored. His OPS of .890 is very impressive for someone under 20-years-old. The left-handed batter put the Giants on notice with his impressive season.

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow joined the Murph and Markus morning show and mentioned the high praise the Giants have for the top prospect.

They believe that he can hit at the big league level right now. Right now. That's how much they respect his swing.
Mike Krukow on the Murph and Markus show

Eldridge stands 6-foot-7, and he can do a lot of damage with the baseball. Whether it is to the pull side or opposite field, the lefty is capable of leaving the yard. Additionally, he hit .301 with runners in scoring position in 2024.

With all of this skill, there are still some flaws. Firstly, Eldridge struck out 132 times last season. That gave him a strikeout rate close to 30%, which would be one of the highest in the MLB. Along with that, the former first round pick struggles against left-handed pitchers. Against lefties, he slashed .211/.272/.316. His strikeout was over 30% in those situations. He clearly has issues in those matchups, but there is plenty of time to figure that out.

Defensively, the slugger has some work to do as well. In 100 games at first base last year, Eldridge made 18 errors. It is tough to play defense at 6'7, but 18 errors makes it very hard for managers to trust him defensively. He did play right field after being drafted, but he had a .929 fielding percentage at the position.

Even with those struggles, the Giants have given some thought to calling Eldridge up to the big leagues in 2025.

The Virginia native is waiting behind both Wilmer Flores and Lamonte Wade Jr., though. Wade had a decent season, but there were some injuries he had to overcome. Flores took a big step back with his bat, but is looking to bounce back this season.

Eldridge is still very young, so there is a lot of time for him to iron out some of his flaws. An improvement on defense would go a long way towards the Giants allowing him to make his debut. However, hit bat is more than ready for the next level.

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