Bryce Eldridge could be the Giants’ answer to their quiet offseason. While other teams made splashes in free agency, San Francisco mostly stood pat with their lineup. That’s where the 20-year-old slugger comes in.
The lefty first baseman made his MLB debut last season with just a handful of games, but he’s expected to play a much bigger role this year. He can slide between first base and DH, giving the Giants flexibility while adding serious pop to their order.
How much pop? ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle dropped a comparison that’ll get your attention.
“Not to put too much of an onus on the kid, but he does look like a lefty-hitting version of the young Mark McGwire, and if he were to have a McGwire-like rookie season, it would go a long way toward curing any lingering Giants offensive ills.”
That’s not a comparison you throw around lightly.
McGwire was a right-handed hitter, so we’re not talking about identical swings here. But the raw power? That’s where Doolittle sees the overlap. McGwire could send baseballs into orbit, and Eldridge has shown that same kind of natural strength.
Now, McGwire’s later career gets complicated when you factor in performance enhancers. But his power was legit from day one – he had 49 home runs as a rookie back in 1987, long before any of that stuff became part of the conversation.
Eldridge won’t need any artificial help. The kid’s got natural juice in his bat, and if he starts launching balls out of Oracle Park on a regular basis, it could transform the Giants’ offense.
That’s a lot of pressure for a player who’s barely gotten his feet wet in the majors. But sometimes that’s how it works – young talent steps up when teams need it most.
