San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Belt, Maxwell, Cain, Peavy, Heston
Apr 6, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt against the Arizona Diamondbacks during opening day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton Will baby giraffe (Belt) ever turned it around? Or will Geoffrey going to have to take his place at 1B?
— Edén Gutiérrez Sr (@EdenoneSF) April 22, 2015
In case you’re a little confused, Eden reminded me that Geoffrey is the Toys ‘R’ Us mascot, who happens to be a giraffe. Very clever, Eden.
So far in the 2015 season, Belt is hitting .167 with no home runs and two RBI. His on-base percentage is just .250, and his slugging percentage is just .167. In addition, Belt has 12 strikeouts in just 36 at-bats. This definitely qualifies as a rough start for Belt.
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Belt, individually, had a frustrating 2014 season, as he was injured for much of the season and only played in 61 regular season games in 2014. 2015 represented a potential breakout season for Belt, as he entered the season fully healthy and entering his prime years.
Belt is struggling at the plate right now, but it’s still incredibly early in the season. He has been a somewhat streaky hitter throughout his career though, so his struggles so far just indicate that he has started off the season cold. He could certainly start a hot streak at any time though, given his power.
Bruce Bochy has already tried to activate a hot streak from him, as he gave him a day off on Tuesday in the series opener against the Dodgers. Bochy has played Andrew Susac at catcher and Buster Posey at first base a few times now, and he can continue to do that if Belt continues to struggle. Sometimes Bochy gives a player a few days off in order to clear their head and, as mentioned before, in the hopes of initiating a hot streak at the plate.
Belt’s struggles stand out more with Hunter Pence out, Posey struggling recently (except he broke out of his slump on Monday), and other key offensive players unable to hit consistently too. Belt will break out of his slump. It’s just a matter of time now.
Sorry, Geoffrey from Toys ‘R’ Us. There’s no job for you on the Giants.
Next: Does Maxwell Deserve a Bigger Role?