Top San Francisco Giants Top Prospect’s Bat Back on Fire in Minor Leagues

After a slow start, this San Francisco Giants top hitting prospect is starting to get into a groove at Double-A Richmond.

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

It was only a matter of time before San Francisco Giants prized prospect Bryce Eldridge started hitting again.

After his first four games at Double-A Richmond, the Giants’ No. 1 prospect slashed just .154/.267/.385 with a home run and two RBI. He struck out six times and walked twice. He was starting to work his way back from a wrist injury that stole most of his spring training and prevented him from playing in the spring breakout game in March.

Well, four games later, Eldridge has picked it up.

This week the Richmond Flying Squirrels are facing the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Eldridge’s bat has caught fire in the process.

Entering Saturday’s action, he is slashing .300/.382/.500 with one home run and five RBI. That includes a 3-for-4 game to start the month of May, as he had a double and drove in a run.

He is on a five-game hitting streak and he is 8-for-21 in those five games. It’s only a matter of time before the power gets more consistent.

The Giants opted to send him to Richmond, as opposed to Triple-A Sacramento, as he was recovering from the wrist injury. The move also puts Eldridge closer to his Vienna, Va., home and underscores that he only played 17 games combined last year at Richmond and Sacramento.

There was some hope that Eldridge might play his way into a Major League role this spring, even with just 155 minor league games in his career. But the wrist injury took care of that. Now, the Giants are hoping that he’ll be ready for a promotion to Sacramento at some point this season.

The imposing 6-foot-7 Eldridge, a left-handed hitter, is expected to be the long-term answer for the Giants at first base. He is universally considered the franchise’s top prospect and a Top 100 prospect in baseball.

San Francisco selected him No. 16 overall in 2023 and signed him for a $4 million signing bonus. 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, Richmond and 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.