WATCH: Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge laces single in Sutter Health Park debut

Sep 18, 2024, 8:35 AM

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: San Francisco Giants draftee Bryce Eldridge takes batting prac...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

It didn’t take long for Bryce Eldridge to make himself comfortable at Sutter Health Park.

The top prospect in the San Francisco Giants’ system immediately delivered in his AAA debut with the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday night as the talented first baseman laced a 2-2 curveball down the left field line in the first inning.

Eldridge, 19, is three for 12 (.250) with a .357 on-base percentage during his first three games in a River Cats uniform.

“Welcome to Sacramento, Bryce Eldridge!”

102.7 mph opposite-field knock for the @SFGiants‘ No. 1 prospect in his first at-bat in front of the @RiverCats faithful. pic.twitter.com/SXaPkC3vXa

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 18, 2024

More on top SF Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge

If it feels rare to see a 19-year-old rookie make an ascension like Eldrige’s in 2024, that’s because it is.

But after a red-hot year that saw the prospect hit .293 with 23 home runs and 90 RBI to go along with a .903 OPS over three levels of minor league baseball, San Francisco felt it was worth giving Eldridge another week of action following the conclusion of the AA regular season.

“As his stint [in Double-A] has gone on, it has been short, but we’ve had a lot of people in there talking about how he really has been the best guy on the field, and the at-bat quality has been phenomenal,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said of Eldridge over the weekend following the news of his promotion to AAA.

“I know the [stat] line doesn’t jump off the page, but even his outs are 100-mph hard-hit balls, and as much as anything, we just want him to keep playing. He’s in a really good groove, we think he’s getting better every day, and just the chance to play an extra week was a big motivator.”

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel went through a similar experience last season after being drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Within two months, the Angels called up Schanuel to the show, and the 22-year-old has remained there ever since.

College experience played a significant role in Schanuel’s road to the early call-up, while Eldrige–who was playing high school baseball in Virginia last spring–could need a longer run in both Double and Triple-A before getting his call-up to join the Giants.

Then again, San Francisco will have one week of action following the River Cats’ final game on Sunday. Could Eldridge get a call-up for a few MLB at-bats before heading into the offseason? We’ll see in the coming days.

For now, Eldridge will be in Sacramento, and you can find all of your River Cats ticket information by clicking here.