Top prospect Eldridge flexes power with 450-foot homer in ST debut
Maria Guardado
@mi_guardadoSURPRISE, Ariz. -- Bryce Eldridge certainly kicked off Cactus League action with a bang.
The Giants¡¯ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 24 overall prospect mashed a towering Statcast-projected 450-foot home run in his second at-bat of the spring on Saturday, flashing the prodigious power that has made him one of the most exciting young hitters in the Minors.
Eldridge wasn¡¯t in the starting lineup for the Giants¡¯ 6-1 win over the Rangers at Surprise Stadium, but he made his Cactus League debut after coming in to pinch-hit for designated hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. in the seventh inning.
The 20-year-old slugger struck out looking in his first at-bat and then fell behind, 0-2, in his second trip to the plate in the ninth, but he managed to do some serious damage by crushing a hanging fastball from Matt Festa halfway up the center-field berm for his first home run of the spring.
¡°I honestly blacked out for that whole thing,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°I really don¡¯t remember it. I remember looking at the outfielder, and he was acting like he was going to catch it. I was like, ¡®I think I got that one.¡¯¡±
It couldn¡¯t have been a better start to the spring for Eldridge, who is eager to impress in his first big league camp with the Giants.
¡°For a guy his age, he certainly looks very calm,¡± manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°Two strikes, some might try and put the ball in play, and he hits it 40 feet over the center-field fence. We¡¯ve seen a lot of that in his at-bats and in lives and [batting practice]. He just looks very hitter-ish all the time. It¡¯s nice that he gets off to a good start after his first at-bat, hitting a home run like that. It makes you feel good and makes you feel like you belong.¡±
Despite racing from Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento last year, Eldridge isn¡¯t likely to crack San Francisco¡¯s Opening Day roster, as he¡¯s played in only 17 games above High-A Eugene and is still a work in progress at first base. The Giants plan to ease Eldridge into Cactus League action by having him get his early at-bats at DH, but he¡¯s likely to see some time at first base once he gets a bit more comfortable on the defensive end.
¡°As long as I¡¯m in the lineup, playing, helping these guys, that¡¯s all that matters to me,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. I¡¯m just trying to get myself comfortable in the box here. Obviously, the time in the upper levels in the Minors was kind of short last year, so just getting me comfortable against this level of pitching is going to be big. I¡¯ve been feeling good at first. Whenever they want me to get over there, I¡¯ll be ready.¡±