Spring Training has not been kind to the San Francisco Giants so far, as far too often, the offense has been anemic while the pitching has been unable to keep runs off the board. Things have gotten to the point that manager Bruce Bochy has said the team is “not even close to being ready for opening day.”
Despite the awful start, one of the few bright spots for the Giants’ offense this Spring has been 26-year-old first baseman Brandon Belt. Entering Thursday’s contest with the Milwaukee Brewers, Belt boasted a .357/.455/.750 slash-line to go with a double, two triples, two home runs and five RBI. He has been a consistent presence in the middle of the batting order, and has slugged like one as well.
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On Thursday, Belt was hitting third, and in his first at-bat in the first inning, he struck out swinging, then walked in the third inning. In the fifth inning, Belt was called out on strikes, making him 0-2 with a pair of strikeouts. In the seventh inning, Belt changed his fortunes.
Facing Brewers’ pitcher Rob Wooten, who has been in the major leagues for the last two seasons, Belt stepped up with a one out and his team ahead 2-0. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Belt took a tailing fastball the opposite way, sailing over the left-center field wall for a solo blast, his third big fly of these early games.
Belt didn’t try to pull the pitch that wound up tailing to the outside part of the plate. Instead, he took the ball where it was pitched, bashing the outside fastball to the opposite field. He’s shown the ability to go the other way on multiple occasions this Spring.
Joe Panik had homered earlier in Thursday’s game, his second of the Spring, which tied him with Belt for the team lead. Belt’s seventh inning home run gave him sole possession of the home run crown again.
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The six-foot, five-inch first baseman is no stranger to strong Spring Trainings. In 2013, Belt dominated the preseason games, as he hit .410 (32-78) with eight home runs, seven doubles, 19 RBI, 15 runs scored, and even three stolen bases.
2013’s Spring Training translated to a very nice regular season for Belt. He posted a .289/.360/.481 slah-line, complete with 17 home runs, a team-leading 39 doubles, four triples, and 67 RBI. Except for triples, all of those numbers are career-highs for “Baby Giraffe”.
2014’s Spring wasn’t so pretty for Belt, as he hit just .246 with no home runs and four doubles. That didn’t translate to the regular season, as Belt bashed five dingers in the first eight games, and looked poised to become a true power hitter in the middle of the order. Bad luck injuries ended that hope, as Belt ended up missing 101 games throughout the year.
The Giants are hoping that Belt’s pattern of strong seasons following strong Springs continues, and that Belt can curtail some of the losses on offense, after the departures of Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse. If Belt can become a constant force in the heart of the lineup, he, Buster Posey, and Hunter Pence, when he returns from his injury, will make a solid power trio.
What will happen in the regular season can’t be based off what happens in the Spring. But when players get off to great starts, like Belt has, it definitely inspires confidence.