WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2022 MVP Bryce Eldridge called up to MLB

San Francisco Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge, MVP of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2022, has been called up to the Major League roster and could make his MLB debut this week in Arizona. The Giants hope the 20-year-old slugger can provide a late boost in their push for a National League Wild Card spot, with only 13 games left in the regular season.

Eldridge starred for USA at the U-18 World Cup in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida. The then two-way player hit .316 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, a double and 10 runs scored in eight games. On the mound, he earned a win and a save in three scoreless innings, striking out five. In the World Championship Final, he went 1-for-2 with two walks, including a clutch three-run opposite-field homer, before closing out the seventh inning on the mound.

"I'm not thinking too much about the future. Of course I hope I will play in the Big Leagues, but let me enjoy my moment. It's the most important moment of my life,” said Eldridge after the tournament in 2022.

Drafted in the first round in 2023, Eldridge transitioned from a two-way role to a full-time first baseman last year. In 2024, Baseball America named him the Giants’ Minor League Player of the Year. This season, he has hit .259 with 25 home runs and 21 doubles across Double-A and Triple-A in 100 games.

Eldridge is one of seven members of USA’s 2022 U-18 World Championship team who were selected in the first round of the MLB Draft in 2023.