Bryce Eldridge Is MLB’s Most Underrated Rookie This Year
The towering left-handed bat has been everything and more in his rookie showcase for a devastating San Francisco Giants team.
There’s been little for fans of the San Francisco Giants to be excited about throughout the course of the 2026 campaign. They’re going to finish with around 95 losses, were neck and neck with the Rockies for last place in the NL West deep into the summer, and not a single person from their Opening Day lineup or rotation are currently on the active roster.
Quite frankly, it’s been a nightmare by every definition of the word.
However, there’s been one thing keeping Bay Area fans tuned in throughout the course of the year — Bryce Eldridge.
The 6-foot-7 left-handed bat got a small cup of coffee in 2025, but didn’t show what made him a Top 20 prospect in the sport. This season was a completely different story.
The 2026 rookie class looks like one for the ages. From the Sal Stewarts and J.J. Wetherholts of the NL to the Kevin McGonigles and Parker Messicks of the AL, there’s fresh talent all around the league.
The year Bryce Eldridge has put together, however, has gone completely under appreciated.
The Build Up
Even when fans were pushing for the 21-year-old to make the club’s Opening Day roster, Buster Posey and Co. thought it’d be better for Eldridge to start the year in Triple-A, work on the strikeout rate, and then call him up once he got hot.
Well, that thought didn’t last too long, as on May 4, the Giants recalled Eldridge after a winless six game road trip, which included getting walked off twice in the same day by the Phillies.
His strikeout rate was still around 30% in Triple-A and, although they didn’t come out and say it, it felt more like a morale-boost for the fanbase as opposed to a thought-out plan for the kid’s development.
That thought is purely based off the way Posey and Tony Vitello used Eldridge over his first few weeks on the big-league club. For some reason, San Francisco refused to give the best prospect their organization has seen in 15 years everyday at-bats, despite the season already looking lost.
As a matter of fact, the organization went so far as to say Eldridge would mostly come off the bench and be used in pinch-hit situations. Whether there was an actual plan for Eldridge or not, the fanbase was livid.
The Breakout
The biggest positive during Eldridge’s first month in the big-leagues was that, despite the sporadic playing time and lack of results, the quality of the at-bats were unbelievably advanced for a 21-year-old power hitter.
Soon enough, the hits started to fall.
Eldridge went on to have a monster June. In 104 plate appearances, he slashed .300/.394/.489 with a 148 wRC+, showcasing a pleasantly surprising hit tool for a 6-foot-7 bat with immense power.
The most impressive part of that month, however, was the 22.1% strikeout rate — a mark Eldridge hadn’t come close to touching in the minor leagues at any point.
Perhaps, the moment Bryce Eldridge truly cemented his title as the future face of the franchise was with one swing on a random Wednesday that month. He strolled up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, trailing the Nationals by three.
What happened?
Well, he went on to become the youngest player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam.
It was quite the moment for Giants fans. The kid they had watched grow up and develop for years in the minor leagues was finally here, and he was delivering.
That swing also marked the first time Eldridge would enter the spotlight in his young career.
He went on to have a wildly impressive rookie campaign for San Francisco — an organization that has repeatedly seen top prospects come up and stall out.
Not a single month this year was below league-average for Eldridge and his “down month” was a 103 wRC+ in July. He also rediscovered his stride in the beginning of September, with a .309/.420/.527 slash, 161 wRC+, and 14 RBI in just 15 games.
Unfortunately, being 6-foot-7 comes with its downsides as Eldridge would hit his head in a Los Angeles hotel, suffer a laceration, and hit the concussion list right before year’s end.
Final Thoughts
Due to the delayed promotion and even further delayed consistent playing time, the counting stats may not be there for Eldridge compared to some of the games’ other youngsters. However, there’s no question he’s been one of the best rookies in baseball.
His 131 wRC+ on the season trails only Chase DeLauter in terms of rookies with at least 350 plate appearances while his .825 OPS, .364 OBP, .461 SLG, and 13.2% walk rate all rank within the top four.
Not to mention, for San Francisco specifically, he forms one of the most entertaining left-handed hitting duos in baseball next to Rafael Devers.
Even though Bryce Eldridge may not rack up the rookie of the year votes this season, he has undoubtedly secured his spot as one of the best young hitters in baseball and deserves more love for the rookie season he put together in 2026.
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Written by
Michael Monreal got his start in baseball media when he started his own website covering the San Francisco Giants after playing two years of college baseball.…