{"id":843535,"date":"2026-09-11T00:52:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/843535\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T00:52:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T00:52:24","slug":"bryce-eldridges-rookie-season-for-the-giants-puts-him-in-rare-impressive-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/843535\/","title":{"rendered":"Bryce Eldridge\u2019s rookie season for the Giants puts him in rare, impressive company"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 San Francisco Giants, for all of their faults, can really put on a good show. They can also put on a bad show. Sometimes, before the show even starts, they pull the fire alarm in the theater. But after their first (continuous) series sweep of the season<\/a>, they looked like a team that should have a chance in 2027. This team can be fun, even as it lurches toward 90-plus losses.<\/p>\n

Most of the coverage of the 2026 Giants has been negative, though, which is understandable. This means it\u2019s September, and we haven\u2019t had a proper \u201ccheck out what Bryce Eldridge is doing\u201d article yet. Part of this was out of caution and superstition, as the best way to cause a rookie to fall into a deep, deep slump is to pay attention to him. Most of it, though, has been an understandable focus on everything going wrong with the Giants instead of what\u2019s going right.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s switch it up and note something that\u2019s going right. Extremely right. Bryce Eldridge looks like a player who will never see a minor-league ballpark again (unless on a rehab assignment), and that\u2019s more than a side note in a disappointing season. A big red button with a placard reading \u201cGiants lose 90-plus games, but Bryce Eldridge is He Who Was Promised\u201d would have been awfully tempting to mash before the season started.<\/p>\n

\"Bryce<\/p>\n

\n Bryce Eldridge\u2019s power has been as advertised. (Thearon W. Henderson \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The mashing has mostly been done by Eldridge, though. He has slumped and struggled at times, as you would expect from any rookie, but he\u2019s had answers for the league\u2019s counterattacks so far. Over the past few weeks, he has been using the entire field like never before, taking what pitchers are giving him and hoping his strength will turn a few of the contact-oriented swings into accidental home runs. It\u2019s been a pleasure to watch his development in real time.<\/p>\n

And if you take anything away from this season, it should be that what Eldridge is doing isn\u2019t typical. He\u2019s not an all-time outlier \u2014 a youngster in the Juan Soto\/Mike Trout mold of historically precocious production \u2014 but he\u2019s keeping impressive company.<\/p>\n

For once, I can explain this without stats that make your eyes glaze over. You don\u2019t need numbers with acronyms or plus signs or ampersands for this one. We\u2019ll start with the simplest statistic of all: the home run. Ball goes over fence. Eldridge has 16 home runs, and you can have a lot of fun with the batters who\u2019ve hit 15 or more at his age (21) or younger<\/a>. There are a couple of sad, injury-marred careers and cautionary tales, but it\u2019s mostly All-Stars, MVPs and Hall of Famers. And Bryce Eldridge.<\/p>\n

Though your starry-eyed wishes of Eldridge hitting 40 home runs and running away with Rookie of the Year didn\u2019t come true, it\u2019s still impressive for someone as young as him to have as many homers as he does. That\u2019s before you add the context of Oracle Park, which is still one of the toughest parks for left-handers to hit home runs<\/a>. Even though he might finish with fewer than 20 on the season, he\u2019s still had a relatively uncommon power output for a 21-year-old.<\/p>\n

Power can only get a batter so far, though. If Eldridge ends up signing a nine-figure contract one day, it\u2019ll be his peepers that got him there. The Brandon Belt comparison is obvious and valid. The Giants enjoyed a decade of walks, doubles and dingers from a gangly marionette at first base, and it was a delight. Eldridge will probably have more power than Belt did, but you can see the similarities in their approach.<\/p>\n

This, too, is remarkable for a 21-year-old. I typed that sentence before I even looked up how many players have walked 50 or more times at his age, because I was so sure it would be an impressive group. They did not disappoint<\/a>. There\u2019s a fella named Barry Bonds in there, along with his godfather, Willie Mays. There\u2019s Rickey Henderson and Ted Williams. There\u2019s Willie Wells, Whitey Witt and Willie Wandolph. And, of course, there\u2019s the 2012 All-Star Game MVP, Melky Cabrera.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a broad spectrum, but it\u2019s still a list with mostly All-Stars, MVPs and Hall of Famers. Again, that\u2019s just based on a simple, raw stat like walks. It puts Eldridge in exclusive company for players his age, just like it does with home runs.<\/p>\n

So what if \u2026 you combine these two ancient stats and look for the 21-year-olds who have done both at the same time? That is, 15 homers and 50 walks. If either of the stats can make for a fun search, both of them together should be exponentially more fun.<\/p>\n

Fun enough to put all the players who have done it in a table with their accomplishments.<\/p>\n

Under-22 batters with 15 HR, 50 BB<\/p>\n

Player<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

All-Star<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

MVPs<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

HOF?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Willie Mays<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Mickey Mantle<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Ted Williams<\/p>\n

19<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Al Kaline<\/p>\n

18<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Alex Rodriguez<\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Barry Bonds<\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Frank Robinson<\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Ken Griffey Jr.<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Mike Trout<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Eddie Mathews<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Miguel Cabrera<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Mel Ott<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Albert Pujols<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Gary Carter<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman<\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Bryce Harper<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Ron Santo<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Jimmie Foxx<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Canseco<\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Juan Soto<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Y*<\/p>\n

Giancarlo Stanton<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Maybe<\/p>\n

Andruw Jones<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Justin Upton<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Adrian Beltr\u00e9<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Y<\/p>\n

Darrell Porter<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

C\u00e9sar Cede\u00f1o<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Vada Pinson<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Cody Bellinger<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

Maybe<\/p>\n

Carlos Correa<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

Maybe<\/p>\n

Jason Thompson<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Ryan Zimmerman<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Carlos May<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Tony Conigliaro<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Kevin McGonigle<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N\/A<\/p>\n

Jason Heyward<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Tom Brunansky<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Whitey Lockman<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Jackson Holliday<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N\/A<\/p>\n

Bob Coluccio<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Curt Blefary<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Dick Kokos<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

Hal Trosky<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

0<\/p>\n

N<\/p>\n

The \u201cY*\u201d typically designates a player who is almost guaranteed to get into the Hall of Fame, but I\u2019ve also used it for some players who were so good that I will simply pretend they\u2019re in until it actually happens.<\/p>\n

There are disappointments and players you\u2019ve never heard of, but they\u2019re the outliers. The average career is a few All-Star games without an MVP or HOF nod. Which is an incredible career for a baseball player, considering most of the baby turtles get eaten before reaching the ocean, so to speak.<\/p>\n

None of this is predictive, obviously. Those 43 players represent 43 unique paths, complications, successes and disappointments, and there\u2019s only so much that applies to a 21-year-old first baseman in 2026, especially when they\u2019re 6 feet 7 and play in a cavernous ballpark. There\u2019s also the important disclaimer that if you\u2019re looking to compare Eldridge to some of these players in career value, his ceiling will always be limited by his position. Unless there\u2019s some sort of \u201cRon Washington of the outfield\u201d who can turn him into Willie Mays. It is about as likely as Luis Arraez becoming a Gold Glove contender, so never say never.<\/p>\n

And just to get at least one nerd stat in there, if you adjust for ballpark and league production, Eldridge joins another slightly absurd list<\/a>. His adjusted OPS puts him in the company of All-Stars, MVPs and Hall of Famers again. His current OPS+ is 125, which is the same mark Joe Morgan and Hank Aaron had when they were 21.<\/p>\n

This much patience and power at such a young age is rare. That\u2019s the only takeaway you need from Bryce Eldridge\u2019s rookie season. There will be years, possibly decades, of evidence that he\u2019s more Bob Horner than Miguel Cabrera, unless it\u2019s vice versa. Save those arguments for the future. All we know in the present is that what Eldridge has done is already impressive. And if history is any guide, we\u2019re likely to become more and more impressed as his career extends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 San Francisco Giants, for all of their faults, can really put on a good show. They…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":843536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,2329,99],"class_list":["post-843535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}