Bryce Eldridge\u2019s prevailing memories from the Giants\u2019 exhibition Tuesday will not be the result, a 15-1 thrashing by Team USA\u00a0 in its first tune-up for the World Baseball Classic tournament. It likely won\u2019t be his impressive diving defensive play at first base, nor will it be turning a Paul Skenes fastball into a 111.9-mph, 396-foot line drive, albeit one that found Byron Buxton\u2019s glove.<\/p>\n
For Eldridge, the moments that will resonate most years from now will be the conversations he had with a pair of future Hall of Famers, both of whom now know the Giants\u2019 top prospect on a first-name basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo this point, that was one of the cooler things I\u2019ve ever done,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cGuys who I\u2019ve watched growing up and guys who I\u2019ve always looked up to all in one spot. It was a great experience for me and I\u2019m glad I got the opportunity to play out there for eight innings.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Team USA elicited oohs and aahs during batting practice, Eldridge sought out two-time MVP Bryce Harper. Harper was Eldridge\u2019s idol growing up, the player he tried to mimic. Eldridge tried doing the math when he was a kid: Would Harper still be in the majors by the time Eldridge arrived? The answer, Tuesday proved, is yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was the first time I got to meet him,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cHe knew who I was, which, in my mind, that\u2019s enough for me. It\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said Harper: \u201c(I knew) he\u2019s a high prospect, really good player. Good swing, had some pretty good numbers and pretty good years in the minors. That swing he put on today was pretty good to center field. Sky\u2019s the limit for his future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eldridge also got to chop it up with three-time MVP Aaron Judge, one of the few ballplayers that 6-foot-7 Eldridge can meet at eye level. The two titans stood side-by-side during the top of the first after Judge drove in two runs with a single, and Eldridge told Judge that he had been waiting for the opportunity to see how he literally measures up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just curious what everyone thought when I got back in the dugout,\u201d Eldridge said. \u201cI kept asking everyone, \u2018Who\u2019s taller?\u2019 I mean, he had the helmet on and he was standing on the bag, so he towered over me. But I think we\u2019re pretty similar in height. He might be a little thicker than me. \u2026 Now I know how people feel when I stand next to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conversation at first base had more depth than height. In 2022, Eldridge captured gold for the United States in the U-18 Baseball World Cup. When the next World Baseball Classic rolls around, Judge wants to see Eldridge representing the stars and stripes on an even bigger stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to see you here on the next go-round,\u201d Eldridge recalled Judge saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if he was just trying to be super nice to me or if he meant it, but I\u2019ll take that. It\u2019s just cool. Those guys follow the game and they respect the young guys, which is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those conversations with Harper and Judge will be Eldridge\u2019s core recollections from this day, but the 21-year-old also made a couple of plays worth remembering.<\/p>\n
In the top of the third, Eldridge made a diving stop to snag Bobby Witt Jr.\u2019s sharp grounder nearly 20 feet off the bag, then flipped the ball to pitcher Adrian Houser at first base. Two innings later, Eldridge fielded a ground ball off Kyle Schwarber\u2019s bat and delivered a strike to second, initiating a 3-6-1 double play.<\/p>\n
Eldridge expressed disdain for booting a routine grounder in the seventh, but rookie manager Tony Vitello came away impressed with the top prospect\u2019s effort on defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a young guy, you can get a little too far down on yourself because you want to impress and you want to do as well as you know you\u2019re capable of doing,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think these guys can lose sight of what their own personal highlights are. \u2026 The two plays he made, I don\u2019t know that he makes those earlier in the camp, much less last year. The progress is there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eldridge was far from the only player making memories that will last a lifetime.<\/p>\n
After two-time All-Star David Bednar pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh for Team USA, his brother, former first-rounder Will Bednar, tossed a scoreless frame of his own in the top of the eighth inning for the Giants.<\/p>\n
For David, who is six years older than Will, Tuesday\u2019s exhibition was his first opportunity to watch his younger brother pitch in pro ball. What made the moment even sweeter for the Bednars was that their parents and sister were in attendance as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so proud of him, and it\u2019s been cool to watch his journey,\u201d David said before the game. \u201cI know he\u2019s excited for his first big-league camp. To have the worlds kind of collide a little bit right here, it\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fired up,\u201d Will said pregame. \u201cThis is the first time that we\u2019ll ever throw against each other. Hopefully, the first of many, right? I\u2019m really excited to have him be there in-person and see me throw and for me to see him throw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s exhibition also provided eight Giants prospects \u2014 Dakota Jordan, Gavin Kilen, Zach Morgan, Charlie Szykowny, Lorenzo Meola, Scott Bandura, R.J. Dabovich and John Michael Bertrand \u2014\u00a0 the opportunity to suit up for Team USA for the day.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jordan and Kilen, the Giants\u2019 respective No. 8 and 9 prospects per Baseball America, each contributed RBI singles while Szykowny drove in a run with a double. Dabovich retired a batter to complete the bottom of the sixth as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a great experience to be in the dugout with all those guys,\u201d said Kilen, the Giants\u2019 2025 first-rounder who played under Vitello at Tennessee. \u201cI got to pick their brains a little bit. I got to play third \u2014 I haven\u2019t played third since my freshman year of college. (Team USA manager Mark) DeRosa kind of went down the line and was asking guys who\u2019s available and I thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked over during the national anthem and I was like, \u2018Who\u2019s that big, tall guy that looks like Charlie Szykowny?\u2019\u201d Eldridge recalled. \u201cLater on, I get a closer look and it\u2019s him, Bandura, Kilen and all them. I thought we were just going to have pitchers pitching for them, but that was cool. They did very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Logan Webb was just a spectator for Team USA on Tuesday, but the two-time All-Star got the nod for the United States\u2019 first game of pool play on Friday against Team Brazil. Assuming Team USA advances, as expected, Webb is lined up to then pitch in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honor just to play for the team, let alone pitch the first game. It\u2019s kind of my job to set the tone, so I\u2019m excited about it,\u201d Webb said.<\/p>\n