Madison High School Grad Chosen In First Round Of MLB Draft

VIENNA, VA — Madison High School's graduating class can now claim an athlete with a future in Major League Baseball.

Madison High School graduate Bryce Eldridge was drafted 16th overall by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft Sunday. Eldridge has been a pitcher and first baseman. MLB.com indicates he could be a two-way player, who can pitch without being counted on the team's active pitcher roster and can hit.

Eldridge was joined by family and friends at Vienna's Bear Branch Tavern as he was drafted into the MLB Sunday. Other supporters cheered on Eldridge from Vienna Inn, including Madison baseball coach Pudge Gjormand.

Michael Holmes, amateur scouting director for the San Francisco Giants, noted Eldridge's strengths as a player via MLB.com.

"He’s obviously unique for his size, being 6-foot-7. Really good body control. At the plate, it’s a unique ability to have power," said Holmes via MLB.com. "He has a very short swing. He’s very short to the baseball, a very balanced stroke...It’s a guy we’ve seen on the mound get to like 95-96 [mph] with a breaking ball. We like baseball players, and first and foremost, Bryce is a tremendous baseball player."

Eldridge was part of the Madison High School baseball team that recently won their second Virginia Class 6 state title in the last three seasons. According to MLB.com, Eldridge was the Gatorade Virginia Baseball Player of the Year, pitching with an 1.06 Earned Run Average and 66 strikeouts in nearly 40 innings. At bat, he had a .422 average, eight home runs, a .649 on-base percentage and 1.716 On-Base Plus Slugging. Eldridge was also the tournament MVP as part of the USA Baseball team that won the gold medal at the 2022 World Baseball Softball Confederation's U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Eldridge has committed to playing college baseball at the University of Alabama but Holmes expressed confidence that Eldridge will join the Giants.

This was the second MLB pick from Madison High School in the last three years. The last pick was James Triantos 56th overall in the 2021 draft by the Chicago Cubs.