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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Bryce Eldridge wants to be a dude.
“I want to be the guy in San Francisco for a long time,” said Eldridge, the Giants’ No. 1 prospect who’s competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster. “That’s always been my goal since even before I got drafted. Wherever I ended up, I wanted to be that dude. Obviously, this is a storied franchise, so I feel it means a lot more to be that guy in a franchise like this.”
Not everyone is qualified to be a dude. As Buster Posey noted at Rafael Devers’ introductory news conference last June, a dude can transcend generations, a dude has the ultimate feel when the game’s on the line, and a dude makes teammates around him better.
Posey called Devers a dude. Posey himself was a dude. Every good team needs a dude.
Back in the day, Will Clark was a dude. The reason I mention this is that I’ve said Eldridge reminds me a lot of a young Clark, who was probably much more brash than Eldridge ever will be, but Eldridge seems every bit as confident and willing and committed to ultimately take the reins and lead this team into a new era.
What makes this somewhat of a full-circle narrative is that Eldridge has been inspired by Clark, a Giants special assistant who has worked with Eldridge’s defense around first base and approach at the plate. Eldridge has always been confident, but working one on one so often with Clark seems to have worn off on him.
“In my generation, obviously, Bryce Harper was that guy and wanted to be that guy,” said Eldridge, who grew up in Virginia and adored Harper from his Nationals days. “He kind of had that cocky arrogance to him, and he backed it up. I think I have quiet confidence. That’s more my style, but definitely have the confidence and a little bit of swag. It’s something I’ve been able to pick up from Will.”
For now, Eldridge is a 21-year-old prospect vying to break camp with the Giants while honing his skills under infield coach Ron Washington and hitting coach Hunter Mense. Whether he makes the Opening Day roster or opens in Triple-A Sacramento is the biggest and most discussed story in camp and might go a long way in determining the fate of the 2026 season.
That Eldridge wants to be a dude suggests his expectations are sky high and gives fans an opportunity to learn about his unmistakably self-assured mind-set. The question is whether he can back it up. Or whether the big moments will be too big for him – he says no on the latter.
“I think the big moments bring out the best of me,” Eldridge said. “It’s something I really like. I take pride in wanting to be in that situation.”
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As an example, he referenced the Team USA exhibition last week, and he’s right. When the lights were brightest, he shined. He made two stellar defensive plays at first base (including a diving stop and flip to the bag) and crushed a 97.2-mph fastball from reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes to the warning track, 111.9 mph off the bat, only to get robbed by Byron Buxton.
Eldridge’s defense is noticeably sharper, but his bat is what would get him to the majors. And keep him there. In spring training, he’s 7-for-27 with five extra-base hits, six walks, 11 strikeouts, and a .967 OPS.
Eldridge has spent the spring refining his technique at first base under infield coach Ron Washington. | Source: Courtesy of San Francisco Giants
He’ll remain a work in progress wherever he starts the season, but the beauty of opening with the Giants is that he’d have Washington at his side every day. Offensively, contact is king. He’ll need to cut down on strikeouts and, especially at 6-foot-7, avoid being susceptible to the changeup low and away from righties and the slider low and in from lefties.
“I try to stay away from the bottom part of the zone,” Eldridge said. “I think that’s when I get in trouble, when I start going down there early in the count. You can’t cover the whole box. Obviously, with two strikes, it’s different, but you try to pick and choose your spots and stay in your zone. Sometimes I like to try and shrink myself, to maybe cheat to that low pitch, but that’s not who I am. If I do that, then I’m giving up what I’m good at, which is [making hard contact on pitches in the] middle to the top of the zone.”
The season starts in less than two weeks, and Eldridge’s goal is to make it as tough as possible on Posey and the brass to keep him off the final roster. Other factors to weigh are the balance of the roster and what to do with two outfielders out of options, Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnación. The Giants could easily ship Eldridge to Sacramento for more seasoning, or they could be bold and keep him while hoping the big bat immediately plays in the big leagues.
If Eldridge is in the majors and meeting expectations – in other words, transforming those premier exit velocities into big-time production – the Giants would be a better team. He’d get significant time as the designated hitter and spell Devers at first base here and there. The downside is if he fails miserably and falls into prolonged slumps, thus putting management in position to consider shipping him back to Triple-A.
Either way, Eldridge doesn’t seem overly concerned with the decision making. At least that was my impression when I asked if he’d be upset if he wasn’t on the Opening Day roster.
“No, I mean, I obviously want to be there,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily be happy that I would go back to Triple-A, but I’m telling myself this every day: Wherever I end up going, I’ve got youth on my side. I made my [major-league] debut at 20. If I go back to Triple-A at 21, I’m still in a better spot than most people my age. I’m in it for the long run. I have a lot of trust in what they’re doing with me here, so whatever they have planned for me, I’m going to trust them.”