Bryce Eldridge looms as one of the most talented in the next MLB Draft, as a future star of both ways.
But then you see Bryce Eldridge at 6-foot-7, 223 pounds. You grab that strong right hand capable of throwing a 97 mph fastball. You look at the powerful frame and core that helped him put up a 1.716 OPS his senior year of high school. And you hear the stories about how he outgrew his teacher at the end of kindergarten. How he avoided what could have been an ugly fate when a massive oak tree crashed into his bedroom. How he put his hometown team on his broad back on the road to a state championship.
I know not many people can do it. dice Eldridge. “But it’s something I’m very dedicated to.”
If nothing else, Eldridge looks like a superstar.
“Show me another kid who looks like this at 18 years old.” says Pudge Gjormand, Eldridge’s coach at Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia. “Is incredible”.
Eldridge, who participated in the MLB Draft Combine, is as serious as he is imposing. Those close to him describe him as a gentle giant.
“I guess I’m a scary guy” dice Eldridge. “I am very tall, I am 18 years old and I have a beard. But you can come closer to me. I’m a good guy and I’ll be very respectful.”
He’s also shown respect for the work it takes to be great in both facets of the game.
As it became clearer that Eldridge’s massive raw power at the plate and his speed and feel on the mound gave him the opportunity to fully explore each area, he committed to extra core work, extra leg work and the strange hours
“It is not easy to do the bidirectional, with everything that is required”, says about father, Ben. “He doesn’t complain about it; he thrives on it. At first I told him, ‘The day I have to ask you to exercise, you’re done.’ That day he never came. Instead, it’s me asking him, ‘Hey, can I see you for a change? Can we go to dinner, maybe?”
OUTSTANDING
No feeling was better than Eldridge’s in the state championship game on June 10, when he came on in relief in a tied game and pitched three perfect innings with six strikeouts. The Warhawks took the lead late, and Eldridge hit the last batter of the game. Tears ran down his black eye at the post-game celebration.
That capped a year in which Eldridge struck out 66 batters with just eight walks in 39 2/3 innings and also hit .422 with eight home runs. He was named Virginia’s 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year and now intends to follow in the footsteps of Madison alumnus James Triantos (a second-round pick by the Cubs in 2021) by turning pro.
Eldridge, who committed to Alabama his freshman year of high school, has a fastball/slider/changeup repertoire with good speed and movement. He has a relatively short left-handed swing and can throw the ball to all fields. He is also extremely athletic for his size. He moves very well at first base, but he also has the arm to play right field.
For now, the “American Ohtani” he embarks on his professional career with the skills, the sincerity and, yes, the size to take on this most difficult task.
FUENTE: MLB
2023-07-04 04:28:08
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