As Bryce Eldridge started to round the bases last Saturday, he looked up and saw a Texas Rangers outfielder going back to the warning track at Surprise Stadium as if he had a shot at catching the ball. That surprised the 20-year-old, who knew he had gotten all of the fastball.

It also surprised the two longtime broadcasters — Duane Kuiper and Jon Miller — in the booth. They knew from the sound of the bat that they had witnessed something impressive.

“It’s been a long time since I heard that sound, where contact was made and you knew the ball was gone,” Kuiper said on Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast. “Barry (Bonds) used to do it all the time, but between Barry and that contact, there hasn’t been a lot of it, and we’ve had some great players run through the system.”

Eldridge’s first homer as a member of big league camp went 450 feet and was measured at more than 110 mph. It showed the kind of power the Giants have been missing in recent years, but Kuiper said it’s important for fans to be patient with the organization’s top prospect.

“If he has a great spring I’d like nothing better than to see him on the roster, but if he does (make it) he’s not going to play first base, because he’s just not ready to play first,” Kuiper said. “If he can hit, yeah it would be great if he’s in that lineup on Opening Day, but I think what the Giants want to do — and I think it’s the right thing to do — is develop him, give him a chance to get his feet on the ground, at least defensively. Let him keep doing what he’s doing offensively, and then if he starts to get comfortable at first base, then you can start to have ideas about bringing him along.

“But it really wouldn’t be fair to him to throw him at first (right now) and if he really had a hard time, (they) send him back? We watched the Giants do that a lot the last three or four years where guys are going back and forth, and I don’t think with Buster in charge that’s going to happen.”

The Giants intend on starting Eldridge in the minors, and at some point in March he will be sent back to their minor league camp to start preparing for his second full spring as a professional. Until then, he’s doing daily work with Ron Wotus, J.T. Snow and others to get more proficient at first base. Bob Melvin also has used him often as a designated hitter so that he can continue to grow at the plate.

Eldridge is 2-for-9 thus far with a walk and five strikeouts. The hits came in his first two spring games, including that memorable homer.

“If he gets ahold of one, it’s got a shot at going a long way,” Kuiper said.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast