San Francisco Giants Intriguing Prospect Makes MLB Spring Training Debut

The San Francisco Giants have a prospect that could push for playing time this year, but for now he just wants to learn.

Jul 5, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco Giants hat sits in dugout during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Monday was the first day that position players were required to be in Scottsdale, Ariz., for San Francisco Giants spring training.

That meant that the franchise’s No. 1 prospect, Bryce Eldridge, was on the practice fields for the first time. He wasn’t a part of MLB spring training last February, as the Giants didn’t invite their 2023 first-round pick.

With Eldridge rising to the upper echelon of baseball’s Top 100 prospects, the invite was a given. So, he spent part of Monday making the rounds meeting the boss and his potential teammates.

He shook hands with new president of baseball operations Buster Posey, a franchise legend at catcher, and met new pitcher Justin Verlander, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. Eldridge had met Verlander before. He said he got a selfie with the three-time Cy Young winner when he was nine years old.

The 6-7 left-hander, who figures to be the Giants’ first baseman by sometime in 2026, got his first cuts on Monday, too.

Bryce Eldridge’s first day in big league camp: pic.twitter.com/lGhCIoI8ug

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 17, 2025

Not that he didn’t try to get into camp earlier. He’s a non-roster invitee. Technically, he could have come when pitchers and catchers reported last week. Many position players come in early. And, Eldridge admitted that he’s been in Arizona since January preparing for camp.

But San Francisco officials told him to keep working out at their minor league facility nearby. To say he was eager to finally put on his No. 88 jersey and work out with the rest of the Giants would be an understatement.

"They had to chain me back from this place," Eldridge said with a smile.

The Giants are not expecting the 20-year-old to win the first base job out of camp. They have options like LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores. But he could make the organization’s decision difficult with a great spring.

San Francisco selected him No. 16 overall in 2023 and signed for $4 million out of Vienna, Va. After his selection, he did a short stint with the Giants’ Arizona Complex League team and the Class A San Jose Giants, where he slashed .294/.400/.505/.905 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 31 games.

Last season, Eldridge played for San Jose, High-A Eugene, Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, exceling at every stop. He finished with a slash line of .291/.374/.516/.890 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI. He was also selected to play in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend.

He even played in the Arizona Fall League, but after a few successful at-bats the Giants put him on the shelf to make sure he was a full go for spring training.

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