SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Barring the unforeseen, there will be at least one 6-foot-7 position player in uniform when the Giants host the New York Yankees at Oracle Park on March 25 — that player being three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge. Whether a 6-foot-7 top prospect will also be in attendance remains an open question.

Buster Posey, Zack Minasian and the rest of the Giants’ brass have about two weeks to determine where Bryce Eldridge, the team’s best position player prospect since Posey, starts his season. Is it in San Francisco, where he had his cup of coffee last September? Or with Triple-A Sacramento?

When manager Tony Vitello was asked on Monday about Eldridge’s standing, Vitello responded that the conversations about Eldridge have centered around development. Vitello was then asked whether that development is best suited to happen in the majors:

“It’s a good question,” Vitello said. “For my case, because I’m a little bit emotionally involved — obviously, you’ve got to temper that or tame that down when those conversations begin — but lean on others in the group that will help make those decisions. And maybe go with where you see it going the last couple weeks of spring training. But either way, I know he’s going to help our team this year at some point.”

If Vitello’s answer is to be taken at face value, Eldridge, who turned 21 in October, should have a legitimate chance to win a spot on the Opening Day roster if he continues performing well at the plate and in the field. The first round of cuts are this week, but Eldridge stands to remain in camp until the team returns to California.

Eldridge has certainly positioned himself well up to this point, posting a .947 OPS (139 wRC+) over 12 Cactus League games with one homer and five RBIs. The highlights have been impressive, too.

Last Friday, Eldridge mashed a 448-foot, 109.2-mph triple off the mammoth batter’s eye in center field. During the Giants’ exhibition against Team USA, Eldridge made an impressive diving stop about 20 feet off the bag before flipping to Adrian Houser for the out.

“I think he just continues to improve,” Minasian said. “It speaks to his ability on the field, but it also speaks to who he is as a person and what his expectations are for himself. I don’t think there’s any one part of his game that’s not going to be better, say three years from now than it is right now, but obviously, we’ve talked about him defensively and getting more and more comfortable at first base.

“I think it’s great for him to work with (Rafael Devers); I think Rafi’s pushed him and been helpful. I think Ron Washington’s been tremendous for Bryce. Bryce, himself, is a worker. He’s going to do everything he can to improve. We’d like for him to be a complete player, as complete as possible, when he’s in the big leagues, so he can stay.”

Minasian told this news organization last week that “the honest answer as far as him being on the team” is that “none of us know at this point.” The Giants’ general manager added that Eldridge’s inclusion or exclusion depends on several factors, citing other players that the team likes.

Those other players may include outfielders Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion, who are both out of options. If Encarnacion or Matos don’t make the Opening Day roster, San Francisco must designate them for assignment and risk losing them. Eldridge still has options, as do outfielders Will Brennan, Drew Gilbert and Grant McCray.

One of the most straightforward ways to keep Encarnacion and Matos, then, is to start Eldridge with Sacramento. That scenario would likely result in Encarnacion getting a good amount of at-bats as the team’s designated hitter to start the year.

“You got four, five, maybe six guys that are big league outfielders out there,” Vitello said. “They’ll sort it out themselves, to an extent. I’m a big believer; there’s enough food on the table for everybody to eat. That doesn’t mean on Opening Day you can play nine outfielders, but if those guys keep improving and showing what they can do, they’re going to get rewarded. They’ll have their time out there to show what they can do. It’s a good problem to have.”

Team Korea advances to quarterfinals for first time in 17 years

Team Korea, captained by Giants right fielder Jung Hoo Lee, advanced past pool play in the World Baseball Classic for the first time since 2009 with a thrilling 7-2 victory over Team Australia.

Korea, Australia and Taiwan all finished pool play 2-2, but Korea needed to beat Australia by at least five runs to advance. Thanks to a crushing error by Australia’s defense, Lee and Team Korea are moving on.

In the top of the ninth inning, Korea held a 6-2 lead over Australia. While Korea was positioned to win, they needed at least one more run to advance. With a runner on first and one out, Lee hit a potential game-ending double play ball.

If Australia’s pitcher Jack O’Loughlin lets the ball go, Australia likely turns an easy double play. Instead, O’Loughlin deflected the ball and shortstop Jarryd Dale made a throwing error that kept the inning alive. The next batter, Hyun Min Ahn, gave Korea a five-run lead with a sacrifice fly.

The drama continued in the bottom of the ninth. With a runner on first, Australia’s Rixon Wingrove smashed a line drive to right-center field that Lee tracked down with a game-saving sliding catch, preserving the five-run lead.

“That was a difficult catch,” Vitello said. “It was one where you couldn’t lay out and extend — you had to kind of slide or dive. I think the first-step jump he had on it was tremendous.”