Top SF Giants power-hitting prospect continues to flash huge power in 2-homer night

Right before Wilmer Flores blasted three home runs in a 9-1 win over the A's on Friday night, another SF Giants prospect had just put together a multi-homer effort of his own. Bryce Eldridge had a huge night at the plate, blasting two home runs to lead the Richmond Flying Squirrels to a 5-1 victory over the Erie SeaWolves.

Top SF Giants power-hitting prospect continues to flash huge power in 2-homer night

The Eastern League is a tough one for any hitter, especially a young hitter like Eldridge. The large ballpark dimensions, wet climate, and advanced pitching have often proven to be an adjustment for hitters.

If you have watched Eldridge hit lately, you would now know that. He added a home run on Thursday night and then followed that up with two more on Friday. The second one was a huge blast to right-center field.

On the year, the left-handed bat is slashing .306/.383/.583 (179 wRC+) with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 11 runs in 81 plate appearances. This includes a 9.9 percent walk rate, 27.2 percent strikeout rate, and .278 ISO.

Eldridge was slowed by a wrist ailment to start the year, but that injury does not look like it is affecting him at all now.

The power-hitting bat is just one of three players in his age-20 season to take an at-bat in the Eastern League this year. The others are a pair of New York Yankees prospects in Diomedes Hernandez and George Lombard Jr.

It is not just what Eldridge is doing in his age group, but how his numbers compare to the rest of the league. There are only five hitters with a minimum of 50 plate appearances who have put up a higher wRC+ than Eldridge's 179 wRC+ this season. One of them was former teammate Victor Bericoto, who has since been promoted to Triple-A.

Eldridge might not be that far behind. The front office will be much more deliberate in promoting prospects than in recent seasons. They will want a player to get good exposure to a league before they deem that he has graduated from that level.

With the first base prospect, the power is very real. They will want to see him show some marginal improvement in his strikeout rate. That said, Eldridge will likely be in Triple-A sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it was a pretty unforgettable night in the young hitter's pro career.