SF Giants’ top prospect Eldridge gets encouragement from idols in blowout loss to Team USA

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Bryce Eldridge’s prevailing memories from the Giants’ exhibition Tuesday against Team USA will not be the result, a 15-1 thrashing by the United States. It likely won’t be his impressive diving play, nor will it be turning a Paul Skenes fastball into a 111.9-mph, 396-foot line drive, albeit one that found Byron Buxton’s glove.

For Eldridge, the moments that will resonate most years from now will be the conversations he had with a pair of future Hall of Famers, both of whom now know the Giants’ top prospect on a first-name basis.

“To this point, that was one of the cooler things I’ve ever done,” Eldridge said. “Guys who I’ve watched growing up and guys who I’ve always looked up to all in one spot. It was a great experience for me and I’m glad I got the opportunity to play out there for eight innings.”

As Team USA elicited oohs and aahs during batting practice, Eldridge sought out two-time MVP Bryce Harper. Harper was Eldridge’s idol growing up, the player he tried to mimic. Eldridge tried doing the math when he was a kid: Would Harper still be in the majors by the time Eldridge arrived? The answer, Tuesday proved, is yes.

“Today was the first time I got to meet him,” Eldridge said. “He knew who I was, which, in my mind, that’s enough for me. It’s pretty cool.”

Said Harper: “(I knew) he’s a high prospect, really good player. Good swing, had some pretty good numbers and pretty good years in the minors. That swing he put on today was pretty good to center field. Sky’s the limit for his future.”

Eldridge also got to chop it up with three-time MVP Aaron Judge, one of the few ballplayers that 6-foot-7 Eldridge can meet at eye level. The two titans stood side-by-side during the top of the first after Judge drove in two runs with a single, and Eldridge told Judge that he had been waiting for the opportunity to see how he literally measures up.

“I was just curious what everyone thought when I got back in the dugout,” Eldridge said. “I kept asking everyone, ‘Who’s taller?’ I mean, he had the helmet on and he was standing on the bag, so he towered over me. But I think we’re pretty similar in height. He might be a little thicker than me. … Now I know how people feel when I stand next to them.”

Eldridge and Judge’s conversation at first base had more depth than height. In 2022, Eldridge captured gold for the United States in the U-18 Baseball World Cup. When the next World Baseball Classic rolls around, Judge wants to see Eldridge representing the stars and stripes on an even bigger stage.

“We hope to see you here on the next go-round,” Eldridge recalled Judge saying.

“I don’t know if he was just trying to be super nice to me or if he meant it, but I’ll take that. It’s just cool. Those guys follow the game and they respect the young guys, which is awesome.”

Those conversations with Harper and Judge will be Eldridge’s core recollections from this day, but the 21-year-old also made a couple of plays worth remembering.

In the top of the third, Eldridge made a diving stop to snag Bobby Witt Jr.’s sharp grounder nearly 20 feet off the bag, then flipped to Adrian Houser, who allowed two runs over three innings. Two innings later, Eldridge fielded a ground ball off Kyle Schwarber’s bat and delivered a strike to second, initiating a 3-6-1 double play.

Eldridge expressed disdain for booting a routine grounder in the seventh, but rookie manager Tony Vitello came away impressed with the top prospect’s effort on defense.

“As a young guy, you can get a little too far down on yourself because you want to impress and you want to do as well as you know you’re capable of doing,” Vitello said. “But I don’t think these guys can lose sight of what their own personal highlights are. … The two plays he made, I don’t know that he makes those earlier in the camp, much less last year. The progress is there.”

Eldridge was far from the only player making memories that will last a lifetime.

After two-time All-Star David Bednar pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh for Team USA, former first-rounder Will Bednar tossed a scoreless frame of his own in the top of the eighth inning for the Giants.

For David, who is six years older than Will, Tuesday’s exhibition was his first opportunity to watch his younger brother pitch in pro ball. What made the moment even sweeter for the Bednar brothers was that their parents and sister were in attendance as well.

“I’m so proud of him, and it’s been cool to watch his journey,” David said pregame. “I know he’s excited for his first big-league camp. To have the worlds kind of collide a little bit right here, it’s awesome.”

“I’m fired up,” Will said pregame. “This is the first time that we’ll ever throw against each other. Hopefully, the first of many, right? I’m really excited to have him be there in-person and see me throw and for me to see him throw.”

Tuesday’s exhibition also provided eight prospects — Dakota Jordan, Gavin Kilen, Zach Morgan, Charlie Szykowny, Lorenzo Meola, Scott Bandura, R.J. Dabovich and John Michael Bertrand — with the opportunity to suit up for Team USA for the day.

Jordan and Kilen, the Giants’ respective No. 8 and 9 prospects per Baseball America, each contributed RBI singles while Szykowny drove in a run with a double. Dabovich retired a batter to complete the bottom of the sixth as well.

“What a great experience to be in the dugout with all those guys,” said Kilen, the Giants’ 2025 first-rounder who played under Vitello at Tennessee. “I got to pick their brains a little bit. I got to play third — I haven’t played third since my freshman year of college. (Mark) DeRosa kind of went down the line and was asking guys who’s available and I thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“I looked over during the national anthem and I was like, ‘Who’s that big, tall guy that looks like Charlie Szykowny?’” Eldridge recalled. “Later on, I get a closer look and it’s him, Bandura, Kilen and all them. I thought we were just going to have pitchers pitching for them, but that was cool. They did very well.”

Logan Webb was relegated to being a spectator for Team USA on Tuesday, but the two-time All-Star got the nod for the United States’ first game of pool play on Friday against Team Brazil. Assuming Team USA advances, as expected, Webb is lined up to then pitch in the quarterfinals.

“It’s an honor just to play for the team, let alone pitch the first game. It’s kind of my job to set the tone, so I’m excited about it,” Webb said.