SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Early on at spring training, Giants veterans Willy Adames and Matt Chapman pulled some of the young position players in camp aside with a simple message: just be yourself.
It hit right at home for Bryce Eldridge. There are tall expectations on the San Francisco first baseman, among the tallest position players in the major leagues at 6-foot-7 — “and some change,” Eldridge shared of what he was told during his official measurements.
Hearing from Adames and Chapman only helped put Eldridge more at ease in his second major league spring.
“They were just saying, ‘be yourself, don’t try to be anyone else,'” Eldridge said at his locker Monday. “I think that was a good message to me. If I try and do more, I'm a power guy, I'm not going to wow anyone on the basepaths. I'm going to make the plays at first. If I try to be a slap hitter or bunt, I'm going to try and be myself, not go outside of that and not compare myself to others. I think that'll keep me in a good space.”
The 21-year-old Eldridge is trying to take in everything and committing himself to learning less than three years after being selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2023 amateur draft out of James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia.
The infielder made his major league debut last Sept. 15 and went 3 for 28 with a pair of doubles and 13 strikeouts over 10 games.
“It's been awesome,” he said. “Compared to last year I was kind of on my toes a little bit, a little nervous, uncomfortable just being around a lot of new guys and being in a new situation for the first time. But this year I feel really relaxed. Getting to play with them last year in spring and at the end of the year last year was huge for me just to get comfortable with the people around here and the staff. Definitely a lot more relaxed this year, just trying to continue to be myself and not be anyone else.”
Buster Posey, San Francisco's president of baseball operations, hasn't said firmly one way or the other where Eldridge will begin the year.
It very well might be at Triple-A Sacramento to provide him with more experience and repetitions for what is expected to be a greater role with the Giants very soon — likely as a middle-of-the-lineup hitter given his raw power.
Eldridge’s average exit velocity during his September stint with the Giants was 95.6 mph. He exhibits elite bat speed and plate discipline but also regular swings and misses.
In addition, he only has 321 total plate appearances over 74 games at Triple-A over the past two years.
Manager Tony Vitello can't wait to see continued progress by Eldridge in the coming months, saying "as his feet get better" the rookie's defense will catch up, too.
Infield instructor Ron Washington has already applauded Eldridge's strides.
“He takes it all in,” Vitello said Monday. “I think for a kid who was drafted where he was drafted and all that, he could approach things differently with his teammates and kind of be like, ‘I got it,’ but he seems to be wanting to soak up information. When you're like that, then people want to go to you even more, and so I think all of his teammates do a good job of looking after him and providing advice.
"... On top of it, he's pretty gifted. If you give him something to work on or something to do, he takes to it pretty quick.”
For now, Eldridge leans on his deep faith and strong connection to family — he lived at home in Virginia this offseason — to stay grounded and maintain perspective each day.
“It kind of just goes back to my faith, my family’s very big on faith,” he said. “Just not letting baseball be my entire life.”
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