Giants selected James Madison HS (Vienna, VA) 1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge with the 16th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Already dubbed as the potential “American Ohtani,” the 6-foot-7 Eldridge slings a mid-90s fastball and also brings some serious thunder at the plate. He’s the latest two-way project for San Francisco, joining last year’s first-round selection Reggie Crawford. While the 18-year-old pitches from the right side, he bats left-handed and has reportedly maxed out at 110 mph in exit velocity. In his senior year at Madison High School, he put up an ungodly 1.706 OPS as a hitter in addition to a 1.06 ERA as a pitcher. It’s unfair to compare any player to Ohtani, but odds are he’ll get a shot to prove himself as one of the most intriguing talents in this year’s class.