{"id":341189,"date":"2025-09-25T18:45:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T18:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/341189\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T18:45:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T18:45:09","slug":"top-prospect-former-red-sox-star-get-looks-as-sf-giants-first-baseman-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/341189\/","title":{"rendered":"Top prospect, former Red Sox star get looks as SF Giants’ first baseman"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 When the Giants acquired Rafael Devers<\/a> in June, the franchise created a quandary that they\u2019d need to sort out: Who would play first base in the long term?<\/p>\n

Would it be Devers, the former third baseman who never played first prior to July? Or would it be top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who didn\u2019t become a full-time first baseman until last season?<\/p>\n

Ahead of Eldridge\u2019s debut at first base on Sunday, manager Bob Melvin said Devers and Eldridge would split time at first base for the remainder of the season. Over the Giants\u2019 last four games, Devers and Eldridge have each made two starts apiece at first base. The Giants were eliminated from the N.L. wild-card race on Tuesday night and have just three games remaining, starting Friday night at home against the Colorado Rockies.<\/p>\n

As far as next year?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we get through this year, and once we get to spring training next year, we\u2019ll figure that out,\u201d Melvin said earlier this week.<\/p>\n

The Giants won\u2019t need to make a decision until they get to Scottsdale next spring. Looking ahead, there is an argument to be made that it makes more sense for the 20-year-old Eldridge, who is almost exactly eight years younger than Devers, to be the team\u2019s full-time first baseman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I could go out and play an above-average first base in the big leagues. That\u2019s how I feel,\u201d Eldridge said ahead of his debut<\/a>. \u201cI think a lot of people downplay, maybe not the work I\u2019ve done on defense, but how well I think I\u2019ve done on defense. I think I\u2019ve had a great year over there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just been working my tail off (in the minor leagues) to get better every day. I think any of the coaches who I\u2019ve been with this year would tell you that I played a good first base over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Errors and fielding percentage are not reliable means of measuring defensive ability, but it\u2019s worth noting that Eldridge\u2019s numbers in the minors look considerably better this season compared to last season. In 2024, his first full season in the minors, Eldridge had 18 errors and a .977 fielding percentage over 100 games. Eldridge had nine errors and a .988 fielding percentage over 92 games this season.<\/p>\n

In his first game at first base with San Francisco, Eldridge made a diving catch to snag Tommy Edman\u2019s line drive, then threw across the diamond to Matt Chapman at third base to complete a double play. Defense, of course, is not measured in highlights, but it was a glimpse into how Eldridge\u2019s athleticism and six-foot-seven frame can translate to defense.<\/p>\n

Wednesday night\u2019s 4-3 win over the Cardinals also provided another example of how Eldridge\u2019s small forward-like frame will be a benefit defensively. Shortstop Willy Adames made a high throw in the top of the fifth on a grounder, but Eldridge was able to reach out and snag the throw while keeping his foot on the bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s gotten a lot better and a lot more comfortable over there,\u201d Melvin said. \u201cFor a guy that was a two-way player (in high school), he didn\u2019t play in the field. He pitched and DH\u2019d. Now, he\u2019s got to learn a position that he worked hard in during spring training. \u2026 Based on what I saw in spring training (versus) what I\u2019m seeing now, it\u2019s a lot different. It\u2019s a lot more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eldridge\u2019s arm strength could also potentially factor into this equation as well.<\/p>\n

The Giants initially drafted Eldridge in 2023 as a two-way player<\/a> with a mid-90s fastball before converting him to a full-time position player (right field, then first base). First basemen don\u2019t use their arms as much as other positions, but there will be occasions where they\u2019ll need to make strong throws (relays, double plays, etc.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s more comfortable because he\u2019s gotten game reps,\u201d said third base coach Matt Williams, who owns four Gold Glove Awards. \u201cHe continues to work on his footwork. It\u2019s not easy being so big. His footwork has greatly improved over the course of the summer. The transfer continues to be a work in progress just because he hasn\u2019t had a whole bunch of reps doing it. But I think he\u2019s made great strides. More room for improvement, certainly, but he\u2019s ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devers, 28, has held his own at first base despite never playing the position during his nine seasons with the Red Sox before he arrived in a mid-season trade. Devers has played the position 28 times in his 87 games with the Giants.<\/p>\n

Devers\u2019 growing pains<\/a> were on full display back in July, but he\u2019s been been worth +1 defensive runs saved and -1 outs above average<\/a> over a small sample size of 240 innings.<\/p>\n

The inexperience crops up at times, most notably when he initially goes for a grounder to his right before scrambling to the bag, but there have been moments when he shows the dexterity he used at the hot corner.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that Devers has adapted well to designated hitter after being a full-time third baseman for the first eight years of his career in the majors. Over 131 games as a designated hitter this season, Devers has a slash line of .273\/.397\/.510 with 29 homers over 590 plate appearances.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Devers is only hitting .167\/.256\/.333 with five homers when he as started at first base. That could likely just be chalked up to randomness, but Devers\u2019 offensive proficiency at DH might factor into San Francisco\u2019s decision making.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver here, it\u2019s a little bit backwards,\u201d Williams said of Devers\u2019 transition to first base. \u201cOver there, everything goes to your left. Over here, everything goes to your right. That\u2019s been a work in progress, but he doesn\u2019t have an issue catching it and throwing it. That\u2019s all accurate. That\u2019s all good. It\u2019s a question of just understanding position, footwork around the bag, stuff like that. So, he\u2019s making great strides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published: September 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 When the Giants acquired Rafael Devers in June, the franchise created a quandary that they\u2019d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341190,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2408],"tags":[5,5776,2178,162,5775,853,4,5777,378,5778,66,4343,4340,4344,4341,4342,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-341189","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-giants","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-bay-area","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-giants","12":"tag-inside-sports","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-mlb","15":"tag-peninsula","16":"tag-san-francisco","17":"tag-san-francisco-county","18":"tag-san-francisco-giants","19":"tag-sanfrancisco","20":"tag-sanfranciscogiants","21":"tag-sf","22":"tag-sf-giants","23":"tag-sfgiants","24":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115266423675188508","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}