There may be no single Arizona Fall League hitting prospect that is more highly-touted than San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
The way he’s tracking, he could be with the parent club as soon as next season.
MLB Pipeline recently selected the top prospect for each Major League team going into the AFL, which starts on Monday. Naturally, Eldridge was the Giants’ selection.
There are players that are ranked higher in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 (Eldridge is No. 35). But there may be no 19-year-old player closer to the Majors than him, as he’s on a track eerily similar to that of former No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles.
San Francisco selected him No. 16 overall in 2023 and signed for $4 million out of Vienna, Va., as Eldridge turned his back on his commitment to Alabama and opted to start his pro career. Holliday did the same thing, passing on Oklahoma State (where his uncle is the head coach).
Post-draft, both played a handful of games after their selection. Holliday batted .297 with a home run and nine RBI in 20 games. Eldridge started with the Arizona Complex League Giants and then went to Class-A San Jose. He had a slash line of .294/.400/.505/.905 with six home runs and 18 RBI.
Holliday blew through the Orioles’ system in 2023. He played for all four full-season affiliate and had a slash line of .323/.442/.499/.941 with 12 home runs and 75 RBI. By season’s end he was poised to make Baltimore’s opening-day roster.
Well, guess what? Eldridge did the same thing this season. Starting at San Jose, he played his way up to Triple-A Sacramento and finished the season with a slash line of .291/.374/.516/.890 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI.
The AFL could be an accelerant for Eldridge. The Orioles didn’t send Holliday to the AFL last year. It didn’t really stunt Holliday’s development leading up to the Majors. He had a tremendous spring training earlier this year but didn’t make the Opening-Day roster. That appeared to be about Baltimore starting his clock later to control his player rights.
He eventually played 60 games and finished with a slash line of .189/.255/.311/.566 with five home runs and 23 RBI.
Eldridge heads to Arizona for extra at-bats and use it as a launching pad for next spring training, when Eldridge is sure to be a contender for a roster spot. As MLB Pipeline pointed out, “he has a huge frame (6-foot-7, 223 pounds) and huge power, and he’s also an advanced hitter with a good plan at the plate.”
The Giants could use some of that next season.
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