San Francisco Giants Top Prospect One Step Closer to Big Leagues

The San Francisco Giants have promoted their top prospect up a level in the minor leagues.

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-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, it was reported that the San Francisco Giants decided to promote their top prospect, Bryce Eldridge to Double-A Richmond. Eldridge was the Giants first round pick in 2023 and at just 19-years-old, he is yet another step closer to the Major Leagues.

The move was reported by Roger Munter of ThereRGiants.com. Eldridge was moved to the top prospect in San Francisco's system after Marco Luciano and Kyle Harrison graduated, but given that he was drafted out of high school just last year, he seemed to be far away still. That doesn't appear to be the case.

This move makes it clear that the team is willing to be aggressive with their young slugger, and he's really given them no choice.

He was arguably the best hitter across all of the minor leagues in the month of August. In 25 games, the first baseman slashed .376/.469/.763 with a whopping 1.232 OPS, nine home runs, 24 RBIs and seven doubles. That stretch was good enough for him to earn a promotion to what will be his third level of the season.

Eldridge began the season with Single-A San Jose, playing 51 games before being promoted to High-A Eugene. On the season, the 19-year-old has hit 22 home runs, collected 86 RBIs, 25 doubles all while posting a .923 OPS in 99 games.

He earned himself a spot in the Futures Game, where he collected a hit and scored a run from the five spot in the National League lineup.

In his first full season of professional ball, the 6'7" lefty has begun to make a name for himself. Drafted as a two-way player out of a Virginia high school, the Giants made the choice to keep him as a full-time hitter and it seems to be paying off.

He was given a shot in the outfield in 2023, but has only played first base in 2024 and that seems to be where his future is. While being a first baseman might limit his celing on some prospect lists, it hasn't been since Brandon Belt that San Francisco has had a first base prospect with the power that Eldridge does.

Despite the limitations of his positional value, the youngster has made leaps on prospect lists. Eldridge was ranked as the 96th best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline before the season, but vaulted all the way to 53 in the midseason ranks.

The Giants farm system has seen an improvement over the last couple of years and Eldridge is just another sign of that. Now, in Double-A at just 19, he seems to be moving quickly and is one step closer to making an impact in the Big Leagues.