The magic and mystery of Emeralds phenom Bryce Eldridge

Let’s talk about the look.

Bryce Eldridge turns away, visibly distraught. Not because he's embarrassed by the facial hair choice in question – in August, he showed up at PK Park, fresh off the all-star break, less like the Emeralds’ prodigal 6’7 son and more like a typical college kid. A somewhat awkward transformation that launched memes (and comments) in the Eugene stratosphere — but because talking about the new look means he has to talk about his least favorite subject, the one that he's been trying to avoid ever since we stood outside the Emeralds’ locker room at PK Park: himself.

Eldridge’s answer is pretty simple — if anything about him is. “I don’t know, the beard was getting long, and the first day back from the All-Star break, I had a four-strikeout game and shaved it myself the next day."

"I thought it was just time for a change, to be honest."

19-years-old and at High-A. The future Giants’ first baseman, signed to a $4 million signing bonus as the 16th player off the board in 2024.

And yet, “He’s just a kid.” Eldridge's uncle, Steve Angeline, is sure to remind you.

Eldridge’s hair has grown back, but he still looks older than his 19-year-old frame (he won’t turn 20 until October), towering over the plate like the biggest kid in Oregon. Today, he's dressed in an Emeralds T-shirt and shorts that were gifted to him on his first day of practice; he drives a Ford Bronco, which was his lone purchase with that signing bonus — everything else? Straight to savings. On top of that, he’s done about a thousand interviews over the past week, the national attention drawn to his batting fourth for the National League team in MLB’s Futures game.

So, yeah: Bryce Eldridge doesn't want to talk about Bryce Eldridge. But that doesn't mean he has nothing to say.

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His first stretch of games in Eugene were a rousing success — something Eldridge is certainly accustomed to after surging through every level of baseball he’s encountered including earning a Team MVP while playing for Team USA and being walked 24 times in 19 games his senior year of high school.

So, when he earned a promotion in early July, making him the youngest player in the Northwest League, going 8-17 with a home run over his first five games in Eugene wasn’t exactly unexpected.

The second stretch was a blur. A seven-day All-Star break stretch that saw him in four different states. Starting in Eugene, he traveled to Arlington, TX, for Major League Baseball’s Future’s game. After staying the weekend with friends, he traveled home to Virginia, surprising his mom. After two “all too quick” days he made his way back to Eugene, then bussing to Tri-City, of course, soon sporting his new look.

“Well you get called up and it’s such a high, and then you go to Arlington and have that whole experience,” Angeline said of Eldridge. “And sometimes to come back here, it can be a bit of a letdown as you recover emotionally.”

Eldridge shrugged and remarked that his body doesn’t miss it when asked about now being just a hitter, dropping the two-way hype of “the next Ohtani” as Angeline coined him.

If you want to know what it’s like for a teenager, living full-time on the other side of the globe than he’s known, Eldridge will simply tell you it’s fun to explore. And that most guys on the team (mainly Cole Foster and Joe Whitman) see him as their little brother.

“I do like to travel, mostly with my family, but these guys are my family now,” Eldridge said.

“I went to Joe Whitman and said I really appreciate you helping out Bryce, it’s really important for a 19-year-old,” Angeline said. “And Joe goes, ‘Bryce ain’t 19, he's 35”

But does he feel 19?

“Nah,” Eldridge said immediately.

“I grew up real quick,” Eldridge said. “Being shipped out to Arizona right after graduating high school, living on my own on the opposite side of the country.”

Well, how about this one:

What was it like surprising your mom back home in Virginia?

That, Eldridge has plenty of time for.

“She was in Dallas with us for the Futures Game, and when we were leaving she thought I wouldn’t see her for a while. She was pretty bummed out,” Eldridge said. “But she got home and all my buddies were at my house waiting for her when she got there, so I think she knew what was going on, but she was happy, of course.”

Still, teammates everywhere have raved about Eldridge’s maturity throughout the entire process.

“Everyone says this about their kid, but I swear it's true,” Angeline said.“Bryce is a better kid than player.”

And he’s a heck of a ballplayer, so Eldridge is clearly doing something right — even if he doesn’t want to talk about it.