Brandon Belt’s Injuries Keeping Him From Unlocking Potential For Giants
Each and every year, first baseman Brandon Belt is surrounded by incredibly hype. After being drafted out of the University of Texas, Belt shot his way through the San Francisco Giants‘ farm system and has had people believing that he would be the team’s next great first baseman.
The Giants have been known for the many great first baseman in their franchise history as Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Will Clark, and J.T. Snow have manned the position. Belt has been projected to be the next to join that list, but he has not quite lived up to that potential yet.
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There have been flirtations with the potential power and consistency at the plate, but one concern has come up every season for the first baseman — injuries.
Most recently, in Tuesday’s game with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Belt had to leave the contest with a reported groin strain. The injury does not appear serious enough for a trip to the disabled list, as an MRI revealed it to be only be a minor sprain.
Minor though it may be, this latest injury only adds to the difficulties Belt has endured early in his career.
While consistency has been somewhat elusive, and has occasionally been a reason for his benching, injuries have become a serious player in Belt’s inability to tap into his true potential.
In 2013, he battled a stomach virus to begin the season. And in 2014, Belt suffered a concussion during fielding practice when Marco Scutaro threw a ball that hit him in the head. Belt originally went on the DL for the concussion, but returned relatively soon after. The injury was more intense than originally thought though. And it was serious enough that Belt needed to be sent back for a second stint as a result of lingering complications.
Belt slugged an astounding 12 home runs before the concussion that took a portion of his season away — a pace that would have likely seen him hit 20 plus home runs on the season.
Coming back from the injury, Belt had one of the three important home runs in the Giants’ 2014 playoff run, as he connected on one at one of the most opportune times — a solo shot in the 18th inning against the Washington Nationals.
Oct 24, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning during game three of the 2014 World Series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
It was a no doubt home run the moment the ball left the bat, and belt knew it. You could see the confidence in his face, knowing that it was gone the moment he’d made contact.
For Giants’ fans, Belt’s most recent injury obscures what he has meant to the team in the time he has been on the field. Instead of discussing his accomplishments, conversations about his injury history are more prominent.
A mild strain should only keep Belt out a short period of time, but it begs the question — will this continue to be a repeated pattern for a player with so much potential?
There is reason for Giants’ fans to mildly panic as injuries have already been plentiful in the young season. Travis Ishikawa, Hunter Pence, Jake Peavy, and most recently Belt are battling some injuries.
Already scrambling to fill the pieces temporarily, the Giants need answers. And healthy bodies.
Belt is too valuable to trade, as he also provides solid defense at first. Eventually, the Giants need to scope out when they want Buster Posey to make the Joe Mauer transition to first base permanently, but that likely won’t be for quite some time. Will Belt even be around then?
Injuries get the best out of players at times, as they must travel a very difficult road to get back to the level they were originally playing at. Scott Kazmir, a former highly touted prospect who dominated for a short period of time, battled doubts that he would ever play again after numerous surgeries to his arm.
Through grit, hard work, and sheer determination, Kazmir found his way back into the league, landing a spot with the Cleveland Indians in 2013, and followed that up with a solid season as a member of the Oakland A’s in 2014.
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Injuries can never be completely prevented, of course. But the many small injuries, as well as the concussion Belt has already endured, is alarming when contemplating his future. The injuries are starting to pile up.
While it looks like Belt will avoid a stint on the DL — possibly missing a short amount of time, perhaps a week at most — he needs to rediscover and unlock the potential that has eluded him since being called up in 2011.
The pressure and hype may be unjust for Belt, but baseball and Giants’ fans have witnessed moments of what he could become. It is only two games into the 2015 season and the Giants already have a lot of doubt surrounding the team, from their offseason moves, to injuries during Spring Training and the early part of the season.
What the Giants can’t afford is for Belt to continually be injured, and miss out on joining the Giants’ list of some of the greatest first basement, not just in franchise, but in league history.