The first chapter of the 2026 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List is officially in the books. And not only did it go as expected, it ended the only way it possibly could have. Even though we had to honor the election process and go through the steps of a proper election, the reality is that only one of the seven players on the ballot could have won; because if any of the other six did, I would assume that we were once again dealing with a bot-influenced ballot box and demand that we start
over with a different method.
That person is, of course, first baseman Bryce Eldridge, who has been voted as the top prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization for the second year in a row. Barring an injury, it will be the last year that Eldridge holds this crown, as he’ll spend 2026 trying to earn the much more important title of National League Rookie of the Year (or, at the very least, MLB regular).
Despite dealing with injuries, it was a very successful 2025 season for Eldridge, who just turned 21 last week. He began the year with AA Richmond, where he quickly proved too good for the level, hitting .280/.350/.512 (148 wRC+) with seven home runs in 34 games before getting promoted to AAA Sacramento, where he ended the 2024 season with a cup of coffee. It took Eldridge a while to find his rhythm in the Pacific Coast League, but his overall line was still delightful: .249/.322/.514 (106 wRC+) with 18 home runs in just 66 games.
That, combined with Dominic Smith’s injury, earned Eldridge a Major League debut late in the season. And while the numbers weren’t good (as one expects from a 20-year old playing at the level for the first time), Eldridge still offered plenty of reasons for optimism. He hit just 3-28 with 13 strikeouts, but had remarkably professional at-bats, drew seven walks, and hit the snot out of the ball on multiple occasions. His defense at first base also looked quite solid, though it seems likely that he’ll spend much of next year as the designated hitter while Rafael Devers handles defensive duties.
He’s the top prospect in the system, a potential building block for the franchise, and arguably the biggest reason to tune into games when next season rolls around.
Now let’s add to the list!
The list so far
Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.
No. 2 prospect nominees
Bo Davidson — 23.3-year old CF — .919 OPS/152 wRC+ in High-A (335 PA); .713 OPS/110 wRC+ in AA (187 PA)
Josuar González — 18.0-year old SS — .859 OPS/129 wRC+ in DSL (228 PA)
Luis Hernandez — 16.10-year old SS
Dakota Jordan — 22.5-year old CF — .875 OPS/137 wRC+ in Low-A (416 PA)
Gavin Kilen — 21.6-year old SS — .561 OPS/59 wRC+ in Low-A (43 PA)
Jhonny Level — 18.6-year old SS — .869 OPS/119 wRC+ in ACL (261 PA); .672 OPS/91 wRC+ in Low-A (147 PA)
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.
