SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The timing of Bryce Eldridge’s debut will be as contingent on his defensive development as his offensive exploits. To that end, the Giants have brought in someone Eldridge calls a “first base guru.”
“That’s something I could really use in my life right now,” Eldridge laughed.
Among the Giants’ many guest instructors this spring is J.T. Snow, a six-time Gold Glove Award winner during his playing days. Given Snow’s defensive acumen, it should come as no surprise that he has one special assignment: mentoring Eldridge at first base.
“My first impression is he’s 20 years old and I told him, ‘You can’t even buy me a beer after a workout. When I was your age, I was a sophomore in college,’” Snow laughed. “He’s a great kid. He’s a great listener. He wants to listen and learn. He’s engaging. He asks good questions.”
The Giants don’t plan on throwing Eldridge into the fire this spring as he continues his education. Last season was Eldridge’s first full year at the position after playing right field in 2023. Over 100 games, Eldridge committed 18 errors. Manager Bob Melvin said Eldridge will likely play in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs as a first baseman off the bench, but the majority of Eldridge’s playing time this spring will be at designated hitter.
“Obviously, it wasn’t perfect last year,” Eldridge told reporters earlier this spring. “We’re going to keep having growing pains, but the goal is to be steady over there and be the best I can be and help out the big league team and help out whatever team I’m on. That’s been a priority here. We’re just trying to hammer that down and keep getting better fundamentally and slow things down there.”
Snow, for his part, is beginning his professorship with the fundamentals. Prior to Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, Snow and third base coach Matt Williams — who won four Gold Gloves of his own — worked with Eldridge on picks and pop flies. Along with the basics, Snow is guiding Eldridge on the subtleties of the position: bunts, relays, cutoffs, positioning.
So far, Snow has been most impressed by Eldridge’s instincts, hands and athleticism. He framed Eldridge’s inexperience more positively as a “clean slate,” noting how Eldridge hasn’t established any bad habits. One of the biggest keys for Eldridge, in Snow’s estimation, is getting his infielders to trust him.
“You get a camaraderie with your infielders if they know, ‘I got a guy over there that I don’t have to be perfect with every time,’” Snow said. “That’s what I wanted to get when I played.”
Along with his inexperience, Eldridge’s 6-foot-7 frame is a two-way sword. On one hand, Eldridge’s height affords his infielders some leeway on high throws. On the other, Eldridge will have to squat down lower to pick throws out of the dirt. Snow, standing at a more common 6-2, didn’t shy away from telling Eldridge that his height can be a detriment in some areas.
According to Baseball-Reference’s Stathead, there have only been nine players in league history to play at least 100 games at first base who were 6-7 or taller, a list that includes Frank Howard, Tony Clark and Richie Sexson. Coincidentally enough, one of those players was Damon Minor, who joined the Giants as an assistant hitting coach this offseason.
“I told him, ‘You’re at a disadvantage in some things because you’re so tall. You have to get down. You’re taller, you’re lankier. You have to really work,’” Snow said. “He might have to work a little harder than guys who are 6-1 to get down with the ball. But he’s athletic. I’m impressed with his athleticism.”
The Giants don’t need Eldridge to provide Snow-esque defense, nor do they have that expectation. The majority of Eldridge’s value will derive from his bat, and on Saturday, Eldridge flexed his muscle against major-league competition with a two-strike 450-foot home run to center field against the Texas Rangers — a display of power that has Giants fans clamoring for him to be on the big league roster.
“Pat Burrell and I were in the dugout when he hit it and we both flinched,” Snow said. “It’s a different sound.”
In time, those home runs will be hit at Oracle Park, not Surprise Stadium. Will Eldridge have an opportunity to step into Oracle Park’s left-handed batter’s box as early as April? Likely not. The Giants believe in Eldridge, and when they eventually call him up, they want to make sure he sticks.
Offensively and defensively.
“Patience is the biggest thing,” Snow said. “He’s young and he’s learning a position, but he’s farther along than I thought. We talk a lot.”