Bryce

Eldridge

The 19-year-old Eldridge just moved up to Double-A earlier this month. The 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft has hit .294/.376/.535 with 23 homers in the minors this season, and he might be a threat to take over as the Giants’ first baseman before the end of next year.

Eldridge heads to Double-A Richmond after a sizzling-hot run at High-A Eugene where he finished with a sublime .335/.442/.618 triple-slash line with 12 homers across 48 contests. The 19-year-old burgeoning slugger, who was selected 16th overall in last year’s MLB Draft, could wind up finishing the year as a top 30 fantasy prospect from a dynasty standpoint, especially if he continues tearing the cover off the ball in the upper minors.

There are some lingering questions marks for Crews in the hard contact department, but the second-overall selection from the loaded 2023 MLB Draft has been excellent this season in the upper minors, batting .267/.331/.433 with eight homers and 20 thefts in 71 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He figures to arrive in the big leagues at some point following the All-Star break. We could spend hours discussing the rest of this fascinating assortment of prospects that includes some of the fastest-rising names in fantasy circles. Here’s the rest of the senior circuit’s lineup: Justin Crawford LF, Crews RF, Termarr Johnson 2B, Bryce Eldridge 1B, Ethan Salas C, Druw Jones CF, Cam Collier 3B, Aidan Miller SS and Drake Baldwin DH.

Eldridge was selected 16th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft as a two-way player, but is focusing solely on developing as a hitter for now. The 19-year-old slugger gets the call to after slashing .263/.323/.478 with 10 homers and two steals over 229 plate appearances this season for Low-A San Jose. Those numbers may not leap off the metaphorical electronic pages, but they’re extremely impressive considering he’s several years younger than most of the opposing pitchers he’s facing.

Eldridge, the 16th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, came in with expectations to be a two-way player for the Giants, but that idea has gone to the wayside, at least for now. The 6-foot-7 prospect has been referred to as the “American Ohtani”, as he can pitch into the mid-90s and has shown impressive power at the plate. He put up ridiculous numbers in his senior year at James Madison High in Vienna, VA — he posted an absurd 1.706 OPS and paired that with a 1.06 ERA. At 18 years old, he is a name to keep on the radar for dynasty leagues, but it will take some time before fantasy managers see him in the majors.

Eldridge receives a nearly $4 million signing bonus, which is roughly $300,000 less than slot-value for the 16th overall pick. He has a chance to be one of the more intriguing selections from his draft class for fantasy purposes as the Giants will develop him as a two-way player in the same mold as last year’s first-round pick, Reggie Crawford. The towering 6-foot-7 right-hander will be worth monitoring closely in keeper and dynasty league formats over the next few years. At just 18 years old, he’s a couple hyperspace jumps away from the big leagues.

Already dubbed as the potential “American Ohtani,” the 6-foot-7 Eldridge slings a mid-90s fastball and also brings some serious thunder at the plate. He’s the latest two-way project for San Francisco, joining last year’s first-round selection Reggie Crawford. While the 18-year-old pitches from the right side, he bats left-handed and has reportedly maxed out at 110 mph in exit velocity. In his senior year at Madison High School, he put up an ungodly 1.706 OPS as a hitter in addition to a 1.06 ERA as a pitcher. It’s unfair to compare any player to Ohtani, but odds are he’ll get a shot to prove himself as one of the most intriguing talents in this year’s class.