SAN FRANCISCO — In the world of baseball, where a player’s position ranges from their locker in the clubhouse to their spot in the batting lineup, real estate truly holds significant weight.
Bryce Eldridge, a promising 21-year-old prospect for the Giants, is experiencing an upward trajectory in both aspects.
In a significant development this past week, Eldridge was promoted to the next tier of competition. Any lingering doubts about his readiness were dispelled when he hit a walk-off grand slam on Wednesday. He continued to impress by securing three of the Giants’ four hits and delivering a solo home run, which marked the team’s only score in a 5-1 defeat on Friday.
The arrival of this promising talent has been unmistakable.
“I think about it every day,” Eldridge shared. “I’m just going to keep working hard because I want to be the face of this franchise. That’s something that motivates me every day.”
“I want to be in that moment. I want to be that guy.”
The wait is over: He is that guy.
Still four months shy of his 22nd birthday, Eldridge is the third-youngest position player to appear in the majors this season. But already he’s proving capable of becoming the franchise’s top attraction since the World Series hero now running their front office.
He’s shown why over a two-week stretch that has plenty of parallels to the way Buster Posey announced himself as a superstar-in-the-making after his call-up in 2010.
Since ending May 27 batting .170 with a .541 OPS through his first 15 games, Eldridge has set the league on fire, raising his average to .316 and his OPS to .956.
Both numbers are the best among rookies with as many at-bats.
But get this: Over a recent 14-game stretch, Eldridge’s 267 wRC+ has been the best in baseball. The advanced metric measures offensive production while adjusting for league and park factors; it tells us Eldridge was outslugging everyone over the two-week period.
“He literally has handled everything we’ve thrown at him,” manager Tony Vitello said. “So, the time is now. It seems like the more at-bats he’s gotten, the calmer he’s gotten in the box.”
Like a superstar slugger can, Eldridge has unlocked the rest of the Giants’ lineup. Over the 14-game stretch, they averaged 6.1 runs while batting .301. Prior to Eldridge’s emergence: 3.6 runs per game and a .245 team batting average.
When Posey got the call in 2010, the Giants were hovering around .500; he went on to hit .305 with 18 home runs and win Rookie of the Year on the way to the franchise’s first World Series title in San Francisco. It all started with a torrid stretch that began May 29.
Eldridge’s hot streak started on the same day 16 years later.
Ignoring that convenient parallel, and the fact that this Giants team entered Saturday 14 games below .500 and far out of the playoff picture, there are reasons to believe Eldridge shares some of the same qualities that allowed Posey to achieve greatness.
There’s a certain “it” factor required. An aura.
Posey’s teammates commended his calm from Day 1.
Similarly, there is almost nothing about Eldridge that would indicate his relative youth or any kind of physical or mental immaturity. Not his fully formed beard or his fully filled-out 6-foot-7 frame, and certainly not the confidence, charisma or swagger that he carries.
On days the Giants win, Eldridge is often at least part of the reason. On all the others, he gives fans a reason to watch. That’s face-of-the-franchise stuff.
Not only is he ready for the spotlight; he could never envision himself doing anything else.
“I’ve dreamed and prayed about this my whole life, just being great at this game,” Eldridge said. “I’ve never seen a life outside of baseball, even when I was 9 years old. I’ve never envisioned myself in an office or doing anything other than playing in MLB.”
The time finally came Friday for Eldridge to assume a more prominent position on Vitello’s lineup card. He played only sporadically upon being called up and still hadn’t batted higher than fifth, doing most of his recent damage from the No. 6 and 7 spots.
“We wanted him to play as much as possible but at the same time not ask the guy to drink from a fire hose,” Vitello said.
The two-hole, where Eldridge’s name appeared, is typically reserved for a team’s best overall hitter.
Similarly, the wall of lockers along the east side of the home clubhouse inside Oracle Park has typically been reserved for the team’s longest-tenured position players.
The cubbie closest to the entrance used to belong to Brandon Belt; as of this week, it houses Eldridge’s equipment. The rookie moved from a more transient spot in the clubhouse next door to Matt Chapman and Willy Adames in the premium locker clump.
The nameplate says Eldridge.
But it might as well say The Franchise.