While many recent high school graduates are enjoying the summer as they prepare for college, one teenager from Vienna, Virginia, is nervously waiting to see if he’ll get a job — as a Major League Baseball player.
“It doesn’t feel real just because this has been a dream of mine for so long,” Bryce Eldridge, 18, said.
The James Madison High School grad is already an accomplished pitcher and hitter, and is considered a top prospect for the upcoming MLB draft, which takes place from July 9 through July 11.
During the final months of high school, Eldridge and his family spent several days meeting with more than two dozen teams.
“We had 28 meetings with 28 teams, and that was a grind for sure,” Eldridge said.
It was Eldridge’s mother who signed him up for baseball at a young age, and he said after that, he fell in love with the game.
“I played a few sports along the way here … football, basketball, but baseball has always been my love and the top priority going through that,” he said.
For Eldridge, among his favorite players growing up was one man he called “his namesake,” former Nationals and current Phillies hitter Bryce Harper. Eldridge said, while playing the game, he mimicked Harper’s stance and swing and admitted he was a bit upset when Harper left D.C. for Philadelphia.
“It’s hard not to like him, just the swag he brings to the game,” Eldridge said.
His biggest supporters are his parents, and he hopes to have them join him on the road if he is selected by a team.
His mom, Beth Kenney, said she would love to join her son but won’t be an “annoying mom.”
“We heard some scout saying, ‘Listen, don’t be the mom who drives him to the field every day.’ So, I promise I won’t do that,” Kenney joked.
Kenney said she is so proud of how far her son has come, and that the whole experience, including the attention her son is getting, has been surreal.
“You can’t wipe the smile off my face … I cannot even believe this is happening. I’m so proud of him,” she said.
If given a chance at the big leagues, the 6-foot-7-inch Eldridge said he hopes to spend time on both the mound and in the batter’s box.
“I hope I never have to drop one or the other, and I can just keep doing both of them as long as possible,” Eldridge said.
As for which team(s) he’d prefer to go to, he didn’t want to go into that but did say his hope is not to spend a long time in the minor leagues.
“I want to get up there as quick as possible and make an immediate impact on a team and a city or organization,” Eldridge said.
Despite the positive meetings with teams, he said he knows nothing is set in stone when it comes to the outcome of the actual draft.
“You hear things from teams prior to the draft, but five other guys could be hearing the same thing. So, you really never know,” Eldridge said.
Now, if he doesn’t get picked, Eldridge has a great back-up plan, which would have him play ball for the University of Alabama.
“I undoubtedly (have) two great options: to go play SEC college baseball or go to the draft. We’re going to see how it plays out,” he said.
If a major league team comes a-calling and the big checks start coming in, Eldridge said he’s still deciding on what his first purchases will be.
“I’m sure my mom and dad want me to pay [them] back for a lot of things, but I think the first thing I’ll do is just take my family out to dinner,” he joked, as his mom shook her head.
He said his goal with his baseball career is to do what not all Hall-of-Famers have had the chance to do.
“I do want to win some championships. That’s the ultimate goal,” he said.
Eldridge isn’t the only Northern Virginia baseball player expected to be picked in the first round, Jonny Farmelo, a Westfield High School graduate, is also among the MLB’s top baseball prospects.
