Eldridge is slashing .271/.330/.492 with nine home runs and a 26.4 percent strikeout rate in 44 games for Single-A San Jose.
There are always going to be some strikeouts with the 6-foot-7 slugger, but Eldridge hits the ball as hard as anyone at Single-A (36.5 Hard%) and has gotten the ball in the air a good amount (39.2 percent groundball rate), which is a great combination. The 19-year-old scrapped pitching before the season to focus solely on developing as a first baseman and figures to get promoted to High-A sometime this summer.
Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Viewed solely as first baseman
Rotowire
Giants general manager Pete Pitula said Tuesday that Eldridge will focus his development as a first baseman going forward, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Eldridge was announced as a two-way player when the Giants selected him with the 16th pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, but the team believes he has the potential to be a great hitter and will now abandon hopes of using him on the mound. The 19-year-old prospect slashed .294/.400/.505 across 130 plate appearances between rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Single-A level last season.
