Giants prospect Eldridge eager to prove he belongs during first camp

SCOTTSDALE — The No. 88 jersey, as large as any in Giants camp and with a number that likely will be updated this season, has been hanging in the locker for several days. The man who wears it has been in Arizona since early January, and at times over the last week he popped into the clubhouse just to check in. 

But because he’s a non-roster invitee, the Giants asked Bryce Eldridge to keep working out at their minor league facility a few miles away until position players officially reported to Scottsdale Stadium on Monday morning. That would be difficult for anyone preparing for a first big league camp. It’s probably a bit more challenging when you’re only 20 years old and anxious to prove that you’re ready for the next step.

"They had to chain me back from this place," Eldridge said Monday, smiling. 

It certainly will be the last time. The first baseman is the organization's best prospect and one of the top 20 overall in the minor leagues, and if all goes according to plan, he will spend the next decade-plus at Scottsdale Stadium. When he reports here next year, he should already be headed for a starting job, and possibly the heart of the lineup. 

They are lofty expectations, but that's what happens when you tear through the minors the way Eldridge did last season.

A full-time first baseman for the first time, Eldridge hit 23 homers and posted a .890 OPS in 116 minor league games, going from Low-A San Jose all the way to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants kept pushing him and pushing him, and in October, Eldridge finally felt the physical toll. He lost weight during the year and wasn't feeling all that strong by the time he reported to the Arizona Fall League. Still, he managed to hit .293 and homer twice in 10 games before the Giants shut him down for good. 

It was a marathon first full season for Eldridge, who turned 20 in October. But he checked every box along the way, both on the field and off, and by the end of it he was Baseball America's No. 12 prospect. Baseball Prospectus has him 15th and other outlets aren't far behind. Internally, the Giants feel exactly the same way. 

"The hitting is already way beyond a [20-year-old], so it's just getting him comfortable and getting him in games and let him get some at-bats and play," manager Bob Melvin said. "And then go do his thing and push the envelope ... He performed really well [last year]. There's a balance of, 'Are you giving somebody too much coming to big league camp?' and we don't feel like we are."

Farhan Zaidi's regime pushed Eldridge hard last season, sending him to Triple-A to finish the year after just nine games in Double-A. Some within the organization felt that possibly was meant to show that the Giants' future might be brighter than it appeared at the time, but there certainly will be a different approach now that Buster Posey and Zack Minasian are in charge of baseball operations and Randy Winn has been added at the top of the development staff. 

They believe in being more patient, and they don't intend on rushing top prospects through the minors. Eldridge, though, might prove to be the exception. 

Giants officials marvel at his maturity and sense of comfort, and there's a belief that his bat is just about ready for the big leagues. Eldridge himself doesn't sound like someone who wants to spend too much time in Sacramento this season. He laughed Monday and said he's still pissed about not getting a Splash Hit when he took batting practice at Oracle Park after the 2023 MLB Draft, and he added that he hopes to cross that off the bucket list later this season. 

"You're not going to have a lot of success in this game if you don't believe you're the best out there," he said. "That's just how I feel. Every time I go out there, I think I'm the best, in the least cocky way possible. It's always going to be there. Even now, I feel like I belong with these guys."

That's probably true in the batter's box. On Day 1 of live batting practice sessions Monday, Eldridge, a left-handed hitter, had the difficult task of taking his first swings against lefty reliever Raymond Burgos. He yanked a grounder down the line and lofted a fly ball to left during his session. There's not much to be taken from any of that, but as the 6-foot-7 Eldridge stood in the box, it was remarkable how much ground he covered. He also showed off the short swing that is so rare for hitters his size, one that has allowed him to become one of the sport's most powerful prospects. 

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

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 17, 2025

Eldridge hopes to show that power off this spring, but mostly he wants to show that he still has the approach that allowed him to dominate the minors last year. He felt something clicked in High-A, where he had a 1.060 OPS, and that carried through the rest of his season. 

"Whenever I get in trouble, I'm swinging at garbage and not swinging at pitches I can crush. There's a certain zone for that," he said. "I think the better I got towards the end of the year, the better my approach got and I just kept getting better with it throughout the year. It's continuing to be selective and getting my pitch and just consistently staying short to the ball.

"It's easy with my size to try and get long, but that's just something we hammer at all year, is just staying short, staying connected. The hands and the back shoulder, that's all it is. Tight turns into the ground."

In theory, those long levers should make Eldridge a godsend for his infielders, but he's still relatively new to first base. He was mostly a pitcher and DH in high school, and he continues to work on his footwork and hands around the bag. Eldridge said he was excited to hear that six-time Gold Glove Award winner J.T. Snow will be a guest instructor in camp, and the coaching staff plans to put the two together right away. He also has taken a lot away from sessions with Will Clark, who also will visit this spring. 

"Every one of my teammates' parents or dads who we told about [working with Clark] had the biggest crush on him. My dad couldn't believe it," Eldridge said. "He's one of the funniest guys I've ever met. He's a great person to have around."

Eldridge couldn't ask for a better support system this spring, and day to day he'll follow veterans LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores and try to soak up everything he can from Matt Chapman. The glove is well behind the bat, but that's what spring training is for. 

Well, that, and getting to make some pretty cool memories. 

When he was 9 years old, Eldridge, a native of Virginia, took a selfie with Justin Verlander at Camden Yards. He again got to meet the future Hall of Famer on Monday, this time as teammates. After the workout, Eldridge was walking across the back field when he noticed Posey sitting on a bench, watching veterans take batting practice. He finally got to shake hands with the new president of baseball operations. 

"I saw him sitting there and was like, 'This is my time,'" Eldridge said.

The Giants are hopeful that's the theme for Eldridge this season.

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