San Francisco Giants' Slugging First Baseman Named Prospect to Watch

The San Francisco Giants have one of the best power-hitting prospects in their farm system entering the season.

Jul 26, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants 2023 first-round pick Bryce Eldridge before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oracle Park. / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have entered the offseason looking to break through in the National League after a few straight losing seasons. 

So far this offseason, the Giants have been active with Buster Posey taking over as the president of baseball operations. One of the reasons why the franchise made the move to Posey was to lure free agents to the Bay Area. 

This winter, San Francisco was able to sign arguably their number one target in free agency in shortstop Willy Adames. The talented shortstop will instantly improve their offseason for next season, which was a major need for the organization. 

For the Giants, there is still a lot of work to do in order to truly be a contender in 2025. 

While their farm system hasn’t been considered to be a strong one, they do have an appealing prospect at first base. 

Maria Guardado of MLB.com recently wrote about Bryce Eldridge being the top prospect to watch for the franchise heading into 2025. 

She pointed out the 2023 first-round pick had a Jackson Holliday-like rise in his first full season in the minors, going all the way from Class-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento, where combined he batted .291 with 23 home runs and 93 RBI. He also had an .890 OPS. He started in the Arizona Fall League but was pulled about a week in, as the Giants felt he had done enough to prove he was ready for 2025.

“The 16th overall pick of the 2023 Draft, Eldridge generates huge raw power from his 6-foot-7 frame, but the Giants believe he’ll need to shore up his defense at first base before he’s ready to break into the Majors," she wrote.

Those are some extremely impressive numbers spread across different leagues. However, while the offensive numbers look very promising, there is still a lot of work to be done on defense. 

Currently, there is a need to upgrade at first base for the Giants, as San Francisco would like more power from the position and are unlikely to get it from current starter LaMonte Wade Jr. Eldridge is hitting like he belongs in the Majors, which could allow the Giants to be patient with their prized prospect, as Wade can be a free agent after 2025.

Come Spring Training, it will be interesting to monitor whether Eldridge is able to play himself into the lineup for Opening Day. If he continues to hit well and the defense improves, there shouldn’t be a reason why he isn’t up in the Majors and contributing at some point in 2025.