#will-clark

#will-clark

"Oh! Right off his forehead," the announcer said. "Oh my, Jake Shields is going to feel that for a long time."

I love being here. I'm from Southern California. I've had a great time with fans. You guys treat me great. Everyone's treating my family good....I'm not worried about another contract, not going to bring it up, not going to talk about it. I got two years left. I'm just an employee. I just do my job, and if they want me back, they want me back. But I think Andrew [president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] and everyone knows that I love being here.

This year's class spans generations and disciplines, from Jack Clark the architect of Cal men's rugby to Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford, a cornerstone of San Francisco's championship dynasty in the early 2010s. It includes Olympic excellence in former Cal swimmer Missy Franklin and sprinter Eddie Hart, and Super Bowl pedigree in Jesse Sapolu, the former 49ers center whose career bridged dominance and durability.

Eldridge dedicated the early part of his morning to working on infield defense, beaming with joy as he described his first fielding session with infield coach Ron Washington. Then, as the first position player groups took batting practice, Eldridge grabbed Lee's glove and headed out to left field to shag fly balls alongside outfielder Drew Gilbert. To be clear, Eldridge isn't changing positions anytime soon. He is a first baseman, and barring the unforeseen, he will continue to be a first baseman.