SF Giants’ Devers-Eldridge duo has become a scary sight—and it’s just getting started

When the SF Giants unexpectedly traded for lefty slugger Rafael Devers last summer, it hit then-20-year-old Bryce Eldridge that the pair would form a special tandem. He hadn't even made his major-league debut yet; he just knew it.

"As soon as we traded for him, that's all I could think about was being a battery with him," Eldridge told The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly. "I thought about it from the jump when we picked him up last year: Me and him could be really dangerous."

Eldridge and Devers could be scary for opponents

More than a year later, it's been confirmed: pairing those two guys in the lineup is a headache for opposing teams. For a couple of weeks now, the Giants have given their rookie slugger the responsibility of hitting behind Devers. While power hitters such as Devers tend to be streaky, when they're hot, they're on base a lot. Over his last 16 games, Devers has reached base safely in almost half of his plate appearances (.493 OBP).

Streaky hitters are a marvel to watch when they're feeling it, just as much as they're a tough and frustrating watch when they're on a cold stretch. That was Devers over the first month of the season. In March and April combined, a 31-game stretch, Devers batted a meager .207 with a .537 OPS and collected just two home runs. Then the calendar turned to May and Eldridge joined the big-league club on May 4 to bring some juice to a lifeless offense. Since May began, Devers has been one of the most productive bats in all of baseball and has put up historic numbers.

In his last 115 games, he ranks third in OPS (.947), second in home runs (33), third in RBI (81), and first in doubles (32), while also becoming the first Giant since Hall of Famer Jeff Kent in 2002 to compile at least 35 homers and 35 doubles. Last week, he was named the National League's Player of the Week after homering six times in seven games. He became the first Giant to win the award in consecutive seasons since Buster Posey won it in 2013 and 2014 (Devers also won it around the same time last year).

Somehow, Devers' most impressive attribute might not even be the way he can rake, but his ability to stay healthy. During a season in which basically every player who was in the lineup on Opening Day is either on the injured list right now or has been at some point, Devers has remained a regular in the order. Yesterday marked the first time since August 24 of last year that Devers' name wasn't in the starting lineup. Manager Tony Vitello decided not to use him as a pinch hitter, which put an end to his iron man streak of appearing in 309 consecutive games. Vitello mentioned that nothing was physically wrong with Devers; they had just been seeking to give him an off day.

Having a guy that can reach base at a high rate and send the ball over the fence more than 30 times a year is good; having two of them is a nightmare for any opponent, especially when they're following each other in the order. Eldridge is currently riding an 18-game on-base streak after he put together a career-best 22-game stretch from May 23 to June 17. By doing so, he became the first Giants rookie to record multiple on-base streaks of at least 17 games within the same season since Orlando Cepeda recorded two 17-game stretches back in 1958.

During the type of hot stretch Devers has been on, he can basically send any ball 400 feet. No pitcher wants to face him when he's in that mode, not even Logan Webb.

"Honestly right now I would walk Devers probably every at-bat," Webb said. "That guy is unbelievable right now."

Both the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals went with the strategy suggested by Webb, and Eldridge made them both pay. First in Pittsburgh last week, Eldridge hit the go-ahead double in extra innings after they had intentionally walked Devers. A few days later, in the same setting, Eldridge again came through with a game-tying single in the 10th inning. The young hitter is relishing those opportunities.

"It gives me more confidence, honestly. Rafi gives me more confidence, too," he said following his clutch hit against the Cardinals. "They'd pitch around him, they'd throw around him, they'd intentionally walk him and he looks at me and he's pumping me up. So yeah, I love that guy."

Teams could opt to walk Devers every time he's up when he's feeling like that, especially if there weren't any ramifications attached to that decision. Eldridge's presence behind him forces opposing pitchers to at least try him. That's a reason why Devers could reach 40 home runs and 100 RBIs this season instead of just padding his walk rate. He's currently at 35 with 15 games left on the schedule. The last Giant to finish a season with at least 40 deep shots and 100 runs driven in, you ask? I think you know who it was. In case you don't, it was Barry Bonds in 2004.

The dilemma at first base

Good news Giants fans, those two guys should be around for a while, as Devers is signed through 2033 and Eldridge is under team control until after the 2032 season. But one question arises: Who should play at first base? My answer is actually another question: why not both. Both guys have seemed fine with the way the innings have been distributed this season.

In 2026, Devers is still the better fielder, but Eldridge has shown impressive flashes of potential. Just look at that diving catch on a 102 mph liner. His hand-eye coordination has stood out, his footwork is improving and his 6-foot-7 frame makes him a bigger target for other infielders. Eldridge didn't play the position at the professional level until 2024, but he's put in a lot of work throughout the season and even before spring training started.

"I've been working my tail off, so it's nice when it shows off on the field and people take note of it," he said. "I started before spring training even started; I was out in Arizona, I was working out there on the field every day."

Ron Washington deserves a lot of credit for the strides Eldridge has taken with the glove, just as Devers does for his approach at the plate. Though their styles of play are different, Devers has shown the rookie what a locked-in, top-tier slugger with a strong hitting acumen looks like at the plate.

Those two guys should be in the lineup every day for a long time. And Giants fans should be glad, even the ones who wanted Devers gone a few weeks ago. Opposing pitchers, though? Not so much.

Christian Koss put it best: "That's a two-headed monster there that teams have got to worry about. I'm glad they're on our team."

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