Bryce Eldridge has turned one of the trickiest parts of a young hitter’s profile into a real strength, and the numbers put him in some pretty loud company.
Against left-handed pitching this season, the Giants rookie is hitting .298/.370/.504 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 135 plate appearances. That production gives him a 144 wRC+, which ranks 32nd among qualified hitters overall. But the more telling part is how he stacks up against other left-handed bats facing same-sided pitching.
Among left-handed hitters with at least 100 plate appearances in those matchups, Eldridge’s 144 wRC+ is tied with Brandon Nimmo for sixth. The names ahead of him are a star-studded group: Corbin Carroll at 160, Pete Crow-Armstrong at 157, and Kyle Schwarber at 145. Crow-Armstrong, in particular, has a very strong case to take home the NL MVP Award this year.
Eldridge is also outproducing Shohei Ohtani, who sits at 136 wRC+, and Yordan Álvarez, who is at 130. For a player who once came through the system with some concern about how he’d handle lefties, that’s a pretty striking leap.
That concern was real enough that, in spring training, the Giants would pick and choose those matchups to keep him away from some of the top southpaw pitchers in the game. Eldridge didn’t just accept that challenge - he embraced it, and he understood it was an area he had to improve.
A few months later, he’s gone from someone the Giants might have had to sit against a top left-handed starter to one of the best left-on-left bats in the league. For a season that hasn’t gone right in many ways for San Francisco, that breakout stands out. It also serves as a reminder that this could be Eldridge’s team before long, if it isn’t already.
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It also gave his current club a reminder that this season has been about more than just results. Vitello said he appreciated having family and friends in the stands, and he touched on the experience of guiding the roster through the year while working with players such as Rafael Devers. For a Giants team still learning its manager, the trip back home showed a more personal side of the job, and perhaps a better sense of what drives him. [Read more 🡒]
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San Francisco managed little against the Cardinals pitching and defense after early chances faded, while rookie catcher Leo Bernal kept the home side moving with three hits and an RBI. Alec Burleson delivered the go-ahead single in the fifth, and the St. Louis bullpen handled the rest, with Riley OBrien securing his 37th save as the Giants were left to wonder where the run support went. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Suddenly Face A Francisco Lindor Question This Offseason
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From the Giants perspective, the fit is easy to understand in theory, which is why their name has already surfaced in early speculation. San Francisco has been floated as a possible landing spot, but the financial side of such a move makes it a long shot rather than a likely path. For now, the more immediate story is not where Lindor goes, but whether the Mets truly open the door at all. [Read more 🡒]