Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge decided to forgo his two-way aspirations to focus solely on hitting, and it appears to be paying off for the 19-year-old.
Eldridge collected a career-high six RBI in the Low-A San Jose Giants' 12-1 win over the Modesto Nuts on Saturday at John Thurman Field, including a seventh-inning grand slam.
“I was fired up,” Eldridge told MLB Pipeline's Kenny Van Doren. “I got my first hit of the day that at-bat before. Started off 0-for-2 and I just went up there with the attitude that, 'You need to make some adjustments.' I knew that guy liked to spin the breaker.”
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Eldridge has taken steps to get his timing back since returning from injury in April, per Van Doren, who revealed the organization's hitting coordinators placed Eldridge's hands into a position further back where he can explode more quickly from. Eldridge told Van Doren that his grand slam Saturday was the first of his career, professional or prep, that he could remember.
“My bat speed will play, my hands will always play,” Eldridge told Van Doren. “You just always got to be on time and dance with the pitcher, so that’s been a huge thing for me -- getting set as early as I can, so I can adjust and be adjustable.”
The Giants took the 6-foot-7 Eldridge with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and initially announced that he would develop as a two-way player, but San Francisco general manager Pete Putila confirmed in February that Eldridge would play only first base this year.
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After slashing just .182/.258/.345 with two homers and eight RBI through his first 15 games -- including missed time with a hamstring injury -- Eldridge now is up to .265/.327/.480 with five homers and 25 RBI thanks to his current 10-game hitting streak.
Eldridge's bat can take him a long way if the prospect keeps it up, and he certainly appears to have figured his timing out.
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