SF Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge came into spring training with the spotlight on him. He has not shied away from it and has given president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the front office a tough decision. Should Eldridge begin the year with the Giants or in Triple-A?
Many onlookers are split on this question. Eldridge himself is obviously supremely confident he belongs in the big leagues, but the Giants have to make the decision that is the best for his development in the long run.
Giants have no obvious answer on top prospect Bryce Eldridge
Eldridge has looked good, but not great, in the Cactus League so far. He has six hits in 31 plate appearances including three doubles, a triple, and a home run. He has walked five times and struck out 10 times. Arguably his most impressive swing all spring came on a pitch from Paul Skenes that he smoked to deep center field but was ultimately caught.
He has not been undeniable to the point where there would be uproar if the Giants kept him off the Opening Day roster, but he also hasn’t been so ice cold that the Giants would be smarter to just send him to minor league camp. He’s in that weird in-between area where there is not an obvious answer.
Perhaps that suggests that Eldridge would be best served by beginning the year with Sacramento. Let him develop just a bit more and call him up when he’s tearing the cover off the ball rather than throw him to the sharks on Opening Day against the New York Yankees.
He is still just 21 years old. Calling him up in May or whenever he is on a heater will give the lineup a boost and is obviously preferable to a scenario in which he starts the year with the Giants, hits poorly, and then gets demoted which could be a big hit to his confidence.
Starting him off in Triple-A also has the added benefit of giving the team more roster flexibility. They could keep both Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion and wouldn’t have to expose them to waivers. They could also use the designated hitter spot in the order more creatively and wouldn’t be mostly limited to using either Rafael Devers or Eldridge in that spot.
Maybe Eldridge goes on a tear these final two weeks and earns a spot on the roster, but as of right now his solid, but not exceptional, performance has put the Giants in a tough spot.
