SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Vitello’s skills as a recruiter helped lead Tennessee to the top of the college baseball world, and that in turn put him on the radar for the Giants’ managerial job.

But even the most successful recruiters miss out on many of their top targets, and one of Vitello’s best young players in his new job is on that list from his time at Tennessee. 

Vitello was once hopeful he could convince Bryce Eldridge to go straight from James Madison High in Vienna, Virginia, to the campus in Knoxville. The Eldridge family has some connections to the state, and the young two-way star was graduating high school just as Vitello was putting the Volunteers in position to win a national championship.

On Monday’s “Giants Talk” podcast, Vitello remembers that recruitment as “one of those you thought you were getting.”

“There’s some roots there, and then also sometimes you come across a kid like him that’s so polite and is such a good kid, he gives you the warm fuzzies like it’s going to work out,” Vitello said.

Eldridge ended up going pro, and it wasn’t a difficult decision. The Giants took him No. 16 overall and he has been on the fast track ever since, reaching the big leagues in September, a few weeks before Vitello was hired. The two have exchanged texts since the hire was made, and while Eldridge has found his name in random trade rumors, Vitello sure sounds like someone eager to work with the young first baseman. 

“I think his potential is off the charts, because a lot of people lose — when they start talking about him — they lose context of who he is and where he came from,” Vitello said on “Giants Talk.” “He’s from a northern state. I know it’s not Wisconsin, but a northern state (so he didn’t get) a ton of reps. He was a pitcher, a big-time pitcher, so not a lot of reps on defense, not a lot baserunning — sometimes you pinch-run for that guy automatically in a high school game. He doesn’t have but I think a thousand pro at-bats.

“So you’re talking about a guy that’s in the infant stage of his development, and on top of that, he’s still growing into a body that’s huge. As athletic as he is, it’s a huge frame. For all the Giants fans or maybe just the people (in our front office) when we’ve talked about him, for all the excitement that is out there, I think it’s for good reason, and if you dig a little deeper it’s for the right reasons.”

Eldridge has played in just 10 big league games, but he could be one of the most important players of the Vitello era. The Giants think he has superstar potential, and this new staff was brought in in large part because the organization needs to be better at developing young talent. If they can get Eldridge ready to contribute right away, the transition from Tennessee will be a lot smoother. 

Eldridge has fewer than 1,000 at-bats as a professional, and a job won’t just be given to him next spring. He’ll have to earn it, but he’s a clear frontrunner to team up with Rafael Devers in what could at some point be the game’s most powerful first base/DH combination. 

When he reports to Scottsdale in February, Eldridge might also be able to swap stories with some others who have similar backgrounds with Vitello. While Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell played at Tennessee, there were plenty of others who chose to go pro or attend other schools. Vitello estimates he tried to bring about seven or eight current Giants big leaguers to Knoxville, along with quite a few of their prospects. 

Eldridge is one that got away, but the two will be on the same side in a few weeks. 

“One of these days, (over) a coffee — he’s barely 21, so it’ll be a coffee that we sit down (for) and maybe rehash things,” Vitello said, smiling. “But more importantly, I’m looking forward to pushing forward and helping him become the best player he can become.”

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