Brandon Belt Should Enjoy Breakout Season in 2015

One of the biggest gripes with the San Francisco Giants this offseason was their neglect in addressing the lack of power in the lineup. The two big offensive additions to the starting lineup were Casey McGehee and Nori Aoki. The two newcomers combined for five home runs, with four coming from the bat of McGehee. But fear not, for the Giants will be welcoming a power hitter back to form in 2015.

Brandon Belt is poised to have his true breakout season in 2015. Early on, it looked like 2014 would be Belt’s coming-out party, as he bashed five out of the park in his first eight games, putting him on pace for over 100 home runs over the season. Obviously that would never happen, but he seemed to be on track to become the first Giant to hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds blasted 45 in 2004.

Oct 24, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) defends during the eighth inning in game three of the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Bad luck completely derailed Belt’s excellent start to the year. On May 9th, Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Paul Maholm ran a fastball in tight to Belt, hitting him on the left hand and breaking his thumb. At the time, he was hitting .264 with nine home runs, which was good for third in the National League. He was subsequently placed on the disabled list.

On July 4th, Belt gained his independence from the DL, but wound up playing in just 11 games before he found himself back on the shelf. In another freak accident, Belt was hit in the face by an errant throw in batting practice, suffering a concussion. That was his second concussion, as he was struck in the head by a pitch in 2009 while at the University of Texas. He was knocked unconscious by the shot, and he told Grant Brisbee he has no recollection of the incident at all.

Belt would return to the lineup two weeks later, but his symptoms recurred, and after five games, he landed on the disabled list for the third time that season. He would miss over a month, but on September 17th, he returned again, this time for good. He seemed to be getting back in a groove after his return, as he hit .381 (8-21) with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI over his last six games before the postseason.

In the postseason, Belt remained hot, hitting .300 (18-60) with eight RBI while playing all 17 games. He also had one huge home run, and an epic bat drop.

Belt finished the 2014 campaign hitting just .243, but it’s hard to judge him based on that number. Because of all the starts and stops to his year, he couldn’t get in a rhythm and get comfortable, and his average suffered because of it. He did hit 12 home runs last year, in just 61 games. Even at that pace, Belt would have hit 32 longballs over 162 games.