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Bryce Eldridge’s Triple-A Stint Is Rare, But Perhaps A New MiLB Trend

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Bryce Eldridge
Bryce Eldridge

Image credit: Bryce Eldridge (17) Sacramento River Cats vs Round Rock Express in a Triple-A PCL game at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas on Sunday, September 15, 2024 (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)

The Giants promoted first baseman Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. 

Eldridge already has 10 plate appearances in Triple-A. He’s likely to finish the week with 30+ Triple-A plate appearances.

If he even gets to 20 plate appearances, Eldridge, the Giants’ 2023 first-round pick, will become only the third high school draftee of the 21st century to see that much Triple-A playing time in the year following their draft selection.

But he’s potentially part of a new trend.

Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, got 91 Triple-A plate appearances last year. Dodgers first baseman Andrew Lambo has the second-most plate Triple-A plate appearances for a prep pick in the following season. He logged 38 with Jacksonville in 2008.

There is one significant caveat to all of these stats. The minors have changed, which have created an incentive for teams to promote players more aggressively.

The reorganization of the minors in 2021 has shuffled and changed how teams move prospects up the ladder. Before that, the MiLB seasons at all full-season levels wrapped up on roughly the same day. In 2019, all full-season leagues wrapped up on Sept. 1 or Sept. 2, and the short-season and rookie league seasons ended around that date as well.

Nowadays, the Double-A season ends a week after the Class A season wraps up. The Triple-A season lasts for another week past the end of the Double-A season.

So if teams want to keep their top prospects playing, it makes sense to move them up another level (or two). There’s little risk of pushing prospects too quickly. One week of games is too short of a sample to expose players who are over their heads. It’s also a useful way to help the players acclimate to their expected starting point for the following season.

With the new schedule, teams are pushing players to higher levels as the Class A season ends to get them a few more games.

The number of high school draftees who are reaching Double-A the following year bears this out. There were three this year who topped 20 Double-A plate appearances (Eldridge, Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins and Phillies shortstop Aidan Miller). There were three last year (Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, Holliday and Rays shortstop Carson Williams) and there were three in 2021 (White Sox third baseman Wes Kath, D-backs shortstop Jordan Lawlar and White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery).

So there’s been three a year in each of the past three years. Before the minors were reorganized, there were only eight who did so in the previous 19 seasons. Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic (2019) and Angels outfielder Jo Adell (2018) were the only high school players to get 20+ Double-A plate appearances in their post-draft year from 2009-2019.

Here’s a look at the prep position players who had 20+ plate appearances in Double-A in the year following their draft year in the 21st century.

PlayerPos.SeasonTeamLeaguePAs
J.J. HardySS2002Rocket City Trash PandasSouthern League160
Sergio SantosSS2003El Paso DiablosTexas League148
B.J. UptonSS2003Orlando RaysSouthern League127
Billy Butler3B2005Wichita WranglersTexas League119
Andrew McCutchenOF2006Altoona CurveEastern League87
Brett Lawrie3B2009Rocket City Trash PandasSouthern League53
Jo AdellOF2018Mobile BayBearsSouthern League71
Jarred KelenicOF2019Arkansas TravelersTexas League92
Wes Kath3B2022Birmingham BaronsSouthern League52
Jordan LawlarSS2022Amarillo Sod PoodlesTexas League97
Colson MontgomerySS2022Birmingham BaronsSouthern League52
Roman AnthonyOF2023Portland Sea DogsEastern League44
Jackson HollidaySS2023Bowie BaysoxEastern League164
Jett WilliamsSS2023Binghamton Rumble PoniesEastern League26
Bryce Eldridge1B2024Richmond Flying SquirrelsEastern League40
Walker JenkinsOF2024Wichita Wind SurgeTexas League28
Aidan MillerSS2024Reading Fightin PhilsEastern League22

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