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00:00I'm just going to be real with you. I've been waiting for this moment. I've been waiting
00:03for us to get a chance to talk to this young man. This young man. This young man who joins
00:08us now
00:09on the River Islands guest line. It is the top prospect in the Giants organization,
00:15but he might not have that label for very long because they don't call you a prospect anymore
00:20if you're on the big league roster. Here's Bryce Eldridge, everybody on Willard and Dibbs. Bryce,
00:25welcome to the show. How are you, man? I'm doing fantastic. I love that introduction right
00:30there. That was awesome. Thank you guys for having me. Yeah, we're excited. So I'm thinking
00:35a 109 mile an hour triple off of a left-hander, which happened just a few hours ago. That might
00:44help your case, Bryce. Yeah, yeah. That one felt good. You know, I've been getting more and more
00:50comfortable at the plate. Spring's gone on. So that one definitely felt good off the lefty.
00:55You know, those are, those are always rewarding. So I think that might be the first triple I've
01:00had in a pretty long time, but you know, I'll take it. So I wonder how you'd answer this.
01:05Do you feel ready? Oh, a hundred percent. You know, I have full confidence in myself.
01:11I think that's, what's gotten me to this point at a young age is just being sure of myself. And
01:17I've just, you know, really enjoyed being around these guys. I feel like I've gotten so much better
01:20this spring, especially on defense. And from what I saw last year, you know, I really felt like I
01:25belonged. What's different this spring from last spring, as far as, you know, how you feel,
01:30especially at the plate. Yeah. I mean, I think just the big thing is kind of getting one under your
01:35belt. So, you know, what to expect at camp a little bit and being around the guys more. I think
01:41that's just letting me free up and, and kind of be myself more and being around wash has
01:47been great. You know, I've been working at, at defense a lot with him. So I'm definitely
01:51at the plate feeling better, just more confident myself over, you know, having two, four years
01:55of pro ball. So it's been good.
01:57Bryce Eldridge is with us here on weathered and dibs. Yeah. Bryce, like from what I hear within
02:01the organization, everybody is thrilled with what they see from you defensively from last
02:07year to now. So can you kind of take us through what you think is happening and what needs to
02:14happen for you to potentially actually be an everyday first baseman?
02:20Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I just, like I said, I've gotten a lot better. My, my footwork's cleaned
02:24up and that's really freed up my gloves. So, um, you know, I'm giving major props to Ron
02:29Washington. You know, he, he has us out there every day doing, doing a lot of reps. And I think
02:34at this point in time, it's just kind of natural instincts, you know, on defense and not too
02:38much thinking. And I think when you're thinking on defense, um, you know, bad things happen
02:43and I've, uh, you know, I've done a lot of reps, gotten a lot better, but I think obviously
02:47I'm, I'm going to continue trying to get better and I'm looking for a gold glove in the future.
02:51And I think Ron Washington is definitely going to help with that.
02:54What is it about wash? Obviously the fundamentals and the things he's teaching, but there's something
02:58about wash that just kind of gives everybody a certain amount of life and gives them
03:05inspiration. Yeah. I mean, he's just an amazing guy. Um, I think showing up to the, to the field,
03:10you know, he's out there and he's got the same energy every day. I think the guys really
03:15appreciate and respect that. And, um, you know, when you're doing things right, you know, he's
03:19your favorite guy in the world. And when you're not, you know, he's going to get on you a little
03:23bit, but, um, you know, we go through it together and he's just, he's the same guy every day.
03:27He's got positive energy and, and we all love him over here for sure.
03:30Bryce, I, I got to imagine that relationships are starting to build now that you're, you're
03:35with, uh, the big league club on a daily basis. So I'd love to hear about that. Let's say
03:40you have a, a rough at bat or a rough game or whatever. Things aren't going your way.
03:45Who, who's the teammate that you go talk to for a little advice?
03:49Um, you know, it's, it's been guys who I've shared triple A time with definitely Grant McCray
03:54and, and Tyler Fitzgerald. Those guys are right next to me in my locker and, and 100%, uh,
04:00drew Gilbert. That guy is like one of the best teammates I've ever had. He brings such
04:05good energy. Um, you know, even though he's a little bit crazy, um, it's all good energy
04:10and the guys love it. And, uh, I'm just very thankful for that guy. And he's always looking
04:15after me a little bit crazy. Mark and I have joked around about like last year when he was
04:19up at the big club, he's, he's choking people in big moments and he's running around and
04:23doing wild things. Like what is something that's not crazy about him?
04:29Um, I mean, he's, he's, he's just your regular dude. Um, he's just not afraid to be himself
04:35on, on the big stage with all the cameras around, you know? So, um, you know, he's just a genuine
04:40guy. I've, I've never seen him be the different, a different guy on a, on a daily basis. You know,
04:45he shows up, has a smile on his face every day. And that's all you can ask for out of
04:50your teammates. Bryce, how's things going with Vitello and how does he compare to others
04:54who have been your manager in the past? He's great, man. He's great. Um, you know,
05:00the guys are really getting behind them and his plan and his message, I think is definitely
05:04hitting home with everyone. You know, we're, you know, we're tired of being the mediocre team
05:09and we want to keep finding ways to keep pushing past that 500 mark. And, um, he's been,
05:15he's been really confident in us and he's been working us and he brings intensity to practice
05:20into the games. And that's definitely something that we need. If you come in and, uh, you have
05:25to, you know, be with the big club and you're a DH or you go back to AAA and you
05:30get to play
05:30every day and be a first baseman, have you started to think about like what you'd rather
05:34do? Obviously you'd rather be with the big club, but if you're just DHing, you know, four
05:38out of seven games, would it be better for you in AAA? Have you thought about all that
05:42stuff? Yeah. You know, I'm just, whatever they got me, whatever they got planned for
05:47me is what I'm going to do. And, um, you know, my goal is obviously to help the big
05:51league team win ball games. And, um, you know, I, I was talking to my dad about this
05:56the other night, you know, I'm, I got youth on my side and I'm 21 years old. Whatever
06:00happens at this point is going to be for the better of my longterm future. And, um, I'm really
06:06just taking it day by day. And, you know, I think I'm in a, in a good spot for, for
06:10where
06:10I am, where I'm at and in my age. So I'm going to obviously would love to be with the
06:14big league team, but whatever they got planned for me, I'm just going to put my head down
06:17and keep working. By the way, what'd you do on your 21st birthday? Um, you know, I got
06:24some dinner, uh, maybe, maybe a glass of wine or two. Okay. But yeah, the legal, the first
06:30legal one felt good. Yeah, I bet. What's a, what, what, if you're going to order a glass
06:34of wine, what's, what's your grape? What are you going for? Uh, my, my mom really
06:41likes some white wine and, um, she's a big fan of some Savion Blanc. So that would
06:46be my choice. More, more white than red for sure. Okay. All right. Fair enough. Hey,
06:51I'm interested in this, uh, this smoked ball off of a left-hander today. Cause I know
06:57you right now, and I know we're, we're dealing with an incredibly small sample, but
07:01uh, you've only had two big league at bats against the left-hander so far. Um, I keep
07:07hearing from people, Oh, Bryce Eldridge, like maybe he'll be there on opening day. Maybe
07:12not, but he probably won't be in the lineup cause the Yankees are going to start Max
07:15Freed. What's your response to that? Like, can you, can you do this against righties and
07:22lefties? What are the splits? 100%. And my first year in pro ball, my, my splits against
07:28lefties weren't very great. And last year, um, I think they were about the same, if not
07:33better against lefties. I think lefties kind of free me up and get my angles, um, you know,
07:38with my setup, right. And I feel really comfortable against lefties. I really do. And, um, I think
07:44I can, I can dominate lefties, righties, anything in this game for a long time. And obviously
07:49I'm going to keep improving once I keep seeing better arms, but I think definitely I can be
07:53an everyday guy in there for sure. What's the one zone or the one pitch that you're trying to work
07:58on being better against? Uh, probably the low and away stuff. Um, you know, I'm, I'm usually
08:05really good at staying to the left side and left center and those ones low and away, you know,
08:10change ups, low and away, lefty sliders, you know, when they put it in that spot, I just got
08:14to work on, you know, keep using my legs. Obviously I'm a tall guy and the more I can use
08:18my legs and
08:19stay down, uh, stay harnessed into the ground, the better for me. And, um, that's definitely
08:23something I've been working on. Bryce Eldridge is with us on Willard and dibs. Tell us about
08:28your experience going up against that, uh, WBC team USA earlier this week. And how did it feel
08:34to have Aaron judge come out afterward and be like, yup, that's going to be a foundational
08:39player in the future? Yeah, it's pretty cool. Um, I mean, that's quite, quite literally stuff
08:45I dreamed about when I was younger, um, growing up in DC and sharing names with Bryce Harper.
08:51That was an easy guy for me to kind of idolize and look up to. And that was the first
08:55time
08:55I got to meet him. So that was pretty cool. And, and judge, I mean, he's such a nice guy.
09:00Like I said, I, I don't know if he was trying to be nice to me, but you know, I,
09:04I'll take
09:04that compliment and, um, yeah, he's an awesome guy and I really appreciate that. It's pretty
09:09cool. Yeah. We feel like, uh, both those guys you mentioned are the ones that got away,
09:13but, uh, we've got you and I just wonder, Bryce, uh, do you miss pitching?
09:18Uh, every now and then, you know, I'll be up there during a pitching change and I'll look
09:23into home plate and, you know, that gives me some confidence. I was like, ah, you know,
09:27maybe I can still do this, but, um, you know, I think, you know, taking the hitting route and
09:32the hitting only route worked out really well for me. And I've gotten so much better, uh, with
09:37my bat over the last few years. So at this point, I'm not looking back on it. Just going
09:41to keep moving forward and hopefully keep breaking. Okay. But this June, when you take
09:46a 17 to four lead on the Dodgers in the eighth inning, will you go to Tony Vitello and say,
09:52put me in coach. If he's willing, you know, he recruited me as a pitcher, uh, when I was
09:58in high school. So he knows I can sling it a little bit. And if he needs some, some quality
10:03innings, you know, I'm always there for him. I think I'd like to hear about your recruiting
10:07experience with Tony Vitello. It was awesome. Um, you know, he, him and, uh, university
10:14of Alabama were down to my last two choices and it ultimately came down to, to me being
10:19a lifelong fan of Bama and that being my dream school. And obviously had a great, you
10:24know, tour there, but, um, you know, there's a reason that I was choosing between him and
10:29the other option. And he's, uh, he's a, he's a damn good coach. And obviously he's built an
10:35amazing program at Tennessee. And I think that's definitely going to transfer on here
10:38in, in San Francisco.
10:40So it was your love of Bama as opposed to like Tony, no, thank you.
10:45Oh yeah, for sure. Um, Bama, Bama, I became a Bama fan during the, uh, I think 2012 or 13,
10:54uh, Natty when they were playing Notre Dame. Um, and I saw that they showed AJ McCarron's girlfriend
11:00on the screen. So I immediately became a Bama fan at that point.
11:03Yeah. Brett Musburger too. You were nine years old.
11:06You and everybody else, Bryce.
11:08Exactly.
11:10I believe Brett Musburger's call was, Oh baby.
11:13It is something.
11:14Yeah.
11:15You're listening to 95.7, the game KGMZ FM and HC1 San Francisco on Odyssey Sports Station
11:21in the home of the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries. Always live on the free Odyssey app
11:24coming to you live from the Laughing Monk studios. We're talking with Bryce Eldridge,
11:27number one prospect for the Giants may well be their opening day. Bryce, speaking of your fandom,
11:32why don't you share with everybody why you're going to wear the number eight?
11:37Yeah. So like I said before, I'm from the DC area and, uh, Alex Ovechkin was a big part of
11:44my
11:44childhood. I had season tickets to the Washington Capitals and he was drafted the year I was born
11:48in 2004 and he is still with the team. So that guy's been around my whole life. Um, he's always
11:55meant
11:55a lot to our area. And obviously the record he set last year was unbelievable. I, I literally shed a
12:01tear when that happened. So, um, and Lamar Jackson, I'm a big Ravens fan too. So Lamar Jackson's been
12:07the quarterback of my team for a long time now and he wears eight. So those are kind of two
12:12of my
12:12favorite athletes.
12:14And how's your hockey game?
12:17Oh, I'm, I'm too tall to balance on those skates. I can never skate. I can play some street hockey
12:22a
12:22little bit though.
12:23You might have to, uh, you might have to fall in love with the hockey team that's here, Bryce. I
12:28don't, I don't know if you've checked this all out or if you've seen Macklin Celebrini
12:32play yet, but, but you might need to go to a game.
12:35Oh yeah. I've been following him. That kid is a stud for 19. He is, uh, he's gonna be really
12:40good for a long time. So it's, it's definitely exciting for, for the Bay area. That kid's a stud.
12:45He calls him a kid. I love it.
12:47You're 21. That kid's going places. That is so good. You know, that kid's got a bright future.
12:53Have you ever called someone a whippersnapper before, Bryce?
12:56I've never heard that before.
12:58Oh, okay. Yeah. Usually, you know, young whippersnapper. Anyway. Hey, Bryce, are you,
13:04uh, I know baseball players are always into these superstitions. Are you a superstitious guy?
13:09Uh, not, not too much. Um, I mean, I'll, I'll put on kind of the same arm sleeve and tape
13:16combo, but that's really about it. Okay. All right. Fair enough. Um, Hey, um, when, uh,
13:23when we get someone fancy like you on, we love to do the big finish on the way out the
13:27door and
13:27it's perfect to get to know you a little bit better. Are you cool with that? You ready for
13:31the big finish price? Let's do it. Okay.
13:36Big finish with Bryce Eldridge. We get big music and horns, the whole thing for you, Bryce. So here's
13:41the deal. We, uh, we have two categories. You pick one and then we'll ask a couple of questions.
13:45One category is music to my ears. And the other one is six, seven. Oh God.
13:57Exactly. Uh, I'll, I'll go with the second option just for the comedic, uh, part of it.
14:03You're, you're a good sport. All right. Seven, here we go. So the six, seven meme went viral as a
14:10Gen Z guy. How much are you locked in on social media trends? Uh, I'm, I'm on top of everything.
14:19So if, if there's a trend, I'm, I'm definitely in on it and I'm probably making jokes with my
14:24friends about it, but that, uh, that six, seven meme definitely drove me a little crazy last year
14:30cause I am six foot seven. So a lot of kids, you know, ask me how tall I am and
14:36they freak
14:38out when they find out six, seven. So it kind of got old, but yeah. Um, yeah. You probably
14:44should just tell people you're like six, six and a half something. Yeah. That's definitely
14:48a better idea. I don't know what I was thinking last year. Are you like Instagram, Tik TOK?
14:52What's your social media preference? Uh, I'm kind of all over everything. Um, I'm not,
14:58I'm not on Twitter. Um, but I do, I do, uh, I do like Tik TOK. I do like Instagram.
15:05Those
15:05are really the two that I use and, um, not much else. I'll be on Facebook just so I can
15:10keep up with, uh, the parents, you know, I mean, or the grandparents in our case, cause
15:16boy, both of my, both of my kids are older than you. So I know I get that. Yeah. We
15:21kind
15:21of stole Facebook. The grammar school kids stole six, seven. If someone says I saw it
15:26on Facebook, they're at least 65 years old. Yeah. Anyway, that's right. Yeah. That's
15:31right. You got to keep in touch with them on there. That's the only way they'll see
15:34what you're posting. It's the only way a question number two for you, Bryce. What's
15:37the best thing about being tall and what's the worst thing about being really tall?
15:43Usually the worst thing is I hit my head on so many things and I'm just surprised I
15:48haven't had a concussion yet, but definitely nail my head on some things, which is very
15:53frustrating. Um, best thing about being tall is I play first base and my infielders love
15:58me. That's a good point. Seriously. I dare you. If they throw it over my head, that's
16:05not my, not my problem. You know, I think it's hard to miss, uh, by the way, on that first
16:11base thing, like just a quick aside on the baseball thing, like how, like have you and
16:16Rafi Devers talked about this? Is there a friendly competition? Um, how's that
16:21gone? It's been amazing. He, he's such a good dude and he's such a good teammate and
16:26he's, he's been great to me. Um, we've been taking infield, you know, every day
16:30together. Um, and he's just such a nice guy and he's been, he's been very supportive
16:35of me, which I really appreciate. And, uh, you know, maybe I think maybe while we're
16:39over there, you know, we kind of, you know, hold each other accountable and are competing
16:43against each other. But, um, I think he definitely brings out the best of me and I
16:47hope, I hope he could say the same about me. Love it. Love it. All right. Back to you being
16:51really tall. One more, Bryson. It's this, when, when did you get your growth spurt or have
16:56you essentially always been taller than your peers? I've always been taller than my peers.
17:02Um, I was telling someone this the other day, my, uh, my kindergarten class called me Mr.
17:07B when I was in kindergarten because I was almost the same height as the teacher.
17:12Oh my God. That is wild. Yeah. I was always taller. How tall were you in kindergarten?
17:20I mean, I must've been pushing five feet tall. Oh my gosh. That was my junior year.
17:26Yeah. I'm not sure. But, um, I mean, if I had to guess probably pushing five feet, which
17:32is crazy to think about. All right, Bryce. Um, I, I just had this idea in talking to you.
17:37I want to start a pool here at the office and we're going to get the calendar out and everybody
17:42is going to guess what date you hit your first splash hit into the water at Oracle park.
17:49What, what, what do you think the date is? Give me, give, give, give us a little hint.
17:55Wow. Um, you know, I don't know if I could ever predict that to happen. Um, but I I'm hoping
18:02it happens before all-star break. How about that? And if not, it'll, it'll happen at some
18:06point. Yeah. All right. Great. I thought you were going to ask him, uh, if he was still growing
18:10cause he's only 21 and it's seven. I mean, yeah. What's your shoe size, Bryce? Uh, I
18:17wear a 14, which people don't think is too big for my size and I don't think it is either,
18:22but a 14 foot. Um, I mean, maybe that's still, it's definitely still big, but yeah, I think
18:28you're stopping at six, seven. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Hey, Bryce, you're, you're, you're a ton
18:35of fun, man. It's really great to talk to you and we look forward to meeting you over at
18:39the yard here soon. Awesome. Yeah. I appreciate you guys. Y'all have a good one. Okay. You
18:43too. Bryce Eldridge right here on Willard and dibs 95, seven, the game is a keeper.
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