As the San Francisco Giants’ top prospect languishes on the bench, president of baseball operations Buster Posey backs unique strategy.
At just 21 years old, the last thing the San Francisco Giants want to do is waste Bryce Eldridge. Somehow, they're managing to do just that.
The sensational rookie has just 32 at-bats since being promoted on May 4. He made three straight appearances against the San Diego Padres, but ever since then it's been hard for Giants manager Tony Vitello to get him consistent playing time.
Of the 11 games Eldridge has appeared in this season, eight of those have been games where he's the team's designated hitter. He's made three appearances at first base, though only one of those games saw him get the start.
Remember, last year Eldridge made six starts as the DH and three starts at first base. This isn't out of the ordinary, but it's mind-blowing to see Giants president or baseball operations Buster Posey defend what the Giants are doing with Eldridge not being an everyday player.
Posey's Comments on Eldridge's Playing Time
The Giants are now 10 games under .500, something that was hard to fathom being a reality on May 21 when the season began. They were just swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and it's clear this team has more than one wrinkle to work out in the immediate future.
One could argue the team's top priority needs to be figuring out what to do with Eldridge. At this point, he's just rotting away on the bench and not even Posey is against what the team is doing with their highly touted prospect.
"Look, you're trying to get the 21-year-old in the best spots you can," Posey said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area on KNBR 680. "Hopefully everybody sees it too, it's a positive that Casey Schmitt is playing as well as he is.
"I think who Bryce was going to originally have some time playing for were some of our veterans, who started to tick up as well, so you're trying to put the 21-year-old in the best spot that you can and we'll just have to evaluate as each game goes on," Posey said.
Will Giants Play or Demote Eldridge?
There's nothing worse than a team not drawing a line in the sand on a top prospect. The choice is simple: Let Eldridge play everyday in the big leagues until he figures things out or demote him until the organization has a clear plan in mind.
Sure, Schmitt has a five-game hitting streak that includes a four-hit game against the Athletics, but the 27-year-old isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Eldridge should be the priority, but for whatever reason the Giants just don't see it that way.
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