The San Francisco Giants are ecstatic about what the future holds for their top prospect, first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
A first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, No. 16 overall out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, he has been tearing up the Minor Leagues. He had already reached Triple-A this past summer despite being drafted just over a year prior.
That kind of ascension speaks to how special of a player he is and will become. However, even the best of prospects will run into a few obstacles along the way.
For Eldridge, that happens to be the Arizona Fall League.
As temperatures remain warmer than normal, leading to some eye-popping offensive production, his bat has cooled off considerably. As shared by Keith Law of The Athletic in his AFL notes, the star prospect looks to be running on fumes.
“Giants infielder Bryce Eldridge has struggled both ways as well, and he might be exhausted after a long season that saw him play at four levels and rack up over 500 PA. He looks bad at first base and he’s had trouble with fastballs in the zone, middle and middle-up. He’s 19 and doesn’t need to be here after the season he had, where he had success in High A and Double A and got plenty of reps,” Law wrote.
Through seven games and 32 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .241/.313/.414 with one home run, two doubles and three RBI. That is a considerable drop off from the .292/.379/.514 slash line he has produced during his time in the Minor Leagues.
Not too much stock should be put into his struggles at the plate. But, it is good to see him continuing to put in the work. If the Giants are going to make deep runs in the postseason with Eldridge as part of their core, this is good practice to ensure he doesn’t wear down in October.
What is a little concerning is that Law said he is struggling with the glove. That is an area the team certainly wants to see him continue to develop in so that he can lock down a spot in the lineup without clogging up the designated hitter spot.
His fielding percentage during the Minor League season across four levels was .977. In the AFL, it is a ghastly .938, a number that needs improving.
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