Bryce Eldridge¡¯s family drove two hours from Fairfax to Richmond, Virginia, for an important week. Eldridge was returning to his home state as a pro baseball player and they would get to watch his first week at the Double-A level in person.

On Saturday, they witnessed MLB¡¯s No. 52 prospect (Giants¡¯ No. 1) smash his first homer, collect his first multihit game and steal his first bag at the Double-A level in front of a sellout crowd in a 3-1 win over Akron at The Diamond.

¡°It's pretty cool, especially to be in my home state and have so many people from back home coming down to watch today,¡± the 19-year-old Eldridge said. ¡°It was a special day for not just me, but all the loved ones and friends and family who could come down and watch.¡±

Eldridge was drafted 16th overall by the Giants in 2023 -- originally as a two-way player, before the organization had him focus solely on hitting this year -- after he graduated from James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia. He has quickly risen through the ranks this season, starting at Single-A, joining High-A in late June, and finishing in Double-A, close to where his baseball journey started. In his first days back on the East Coast, the left-handed hitter made some history as well.

Eldridge, in his first at-bat of the night, was tasked with following up his teammate, Victor Bericoto, who had knocked a homer into left field to get the Squirrels on the board. On a 2-1 count, Eldridge found his pitch and swung, sending it to almost straightaway center, giving Double-A fans a look at his power.

¡°I've really thought I've been seeing the ball well,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°I've been hitting the ball hard, and I've been hitting the ball hard right at people. So I think that's part of it. That's part of the game. So I figured I was due for one, to get one a little bit higher in the air and get over the fence. But when I saw I go over, I felt that crowd.¡±

His first Double-A homer made Eldridge -- 19 years, 10 months and 18 days old -- the youngest player to homer in Flying Squirrels history. The record was previously set in 2019 by Giants All-Star Heliot Ramos (19 years, 11 months and four days).

¡°It just speaks volumes of the work I've put in and I appreciate that,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°I didn't know that until a fan who I was signing for told me after the game. So that was cool, but I want to leave a mark in the book wherever I go at every stop on the way. So that's pretty cool to hear. And I'm glad we were able to make some history tonight.¡±

Returning to play in Virginia, this time as a pro, was a goal for Eldridge this season, and when he got confirmation it was happening, he got goosebumps.

Earlier in the week, his family watched as Eldridge registered his first Double-A hit and RBI. His slash line in five games with the Flying Squirrels is .300/.364/.500, while his home run Saturday made him the first Giants Minor Leaguer to reach 50 extra-base hits in 2024.

¡°I'm very happy. This is something I've been looking forward to for a long time, getting to this stop. I'm sure I'll spend some time here next year too,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°So I'm looking forward to that.¡±

¡°I want to take advantage of being the local guy, and becoming a guy that all these kids from here can look up to and someone that all these fans really appreciate.¡±

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Eldridge will finish off the last week of the regular season at Double-A since Richmond is not in playoff contention, but he is focused on adjusting quickly to a new level of play. His stock has risen mightily in 2024, having gone from an intriguing two-way prospect to one of the most consistently high-performing hitters (.920 OPS, 88 RBIs across three levels) in all of the Minors.

¡°I'm trying to keep doing what I'm doing now, not slow down at all, keep at the pace on that, get as acclimated as quickly as I can to the competition level here,¡± he said. ¡°I think I'm doing a good job at that so far. So just try and keep getting better every day, keep enjoying myself, having fun and finishing this year strong, both defensively and with the bat.¡±