Brandon Belt

[McCovey]

I think it's time for Brandon Belt to have his own thread. I'll start with some basic biographical info and go from there.

Brandon K. Belt

Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6' 5", Weight: 195 lb.
Born (http://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/): April 20, 1988 in Houston, Texas, US

Drafted by the Boston Red Sox (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?team_ID=BOS&year_ID=2006&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year) in the 11th round (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=2006&draft_round=11&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round) of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft

Drafted by the Atlanta Braves (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?team_ID=ATL&year_ID=2007&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year) in the 11th round (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=2007&draft_round=11&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round) of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Drafted by the San Francisco Giants (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?team_ID=SFG&year_ID=2009&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year) in the 5th round (http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?year_ID=2009&draft_round=5&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round) of the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft.


Belt was a pitching prospect coming out of high school. Baseball America rated Belt the 67th best prospect in the 2006 draft.

Here are some scouting comments about Belt coming out of high school in 2006.


From BA: "If the draft were held in February and not June, Belt would have been a first-round pick. A lefthander, he was showing an 88-93 mph fastball with good life and a promising curve with bite and depth. There's lots of room for more projection with his 6-foot-5, 180-pound frame. He also was showing feel for a changeup and fine athleticism. Because he's young and not physically developed, Belt hasn't maintained that velocity, pitching more at 85-88 mph as the draft drew closer. His arm works well, so scouts have no doubts that it will come back. Belt has continued to dominate Texas 3-A competition without his best stuff, throwing no-hitters in the district clincher and the opening round of the playoffs."

From MLB.com: "A projectable lefty, his fastball could grow as he does. He also throws a sharp curve and a sinking change, which trails the other two pitches."

From Brewerfan.net: "Belt is already good, but with his frame, which is still growing, he could get much, much better. He throws in the 88-90 mph range with easy [sic], using a very repeatable and athletic delivery that makes pitching look so natural. His curveball is very sharp, and he commands it well, as he does with a good sinking change. All three pitches are thrown very well at different speeds that constantly keeps batters off guard."
Here is Belt in high school.

[SF Kid]

Thanks for the info Mc.

[McCovey]

After being drafted by the Red Sox in 2006 Belt decided to go to the University of Texas. But he changed his mind again and attened San Jacinto Junior College

Some junior college highlights:

· Played one year for San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas as a left-handed pitcher and designated hitter under Coach Tom Arrington.
· Batted .441 with 10 home runs to garner all-conference designated hitter honors and the 2007 Juco World Series Big Stick Award for the third-ranked Gators as a freshman.

[McCovey]

Belt went 2 for 4 tonight. So far he's hitting .417/.492/.792 in 12 AA games.

[WillTheThrill]

Here's what S.J. Mercury writer Alex Pavlovic (who subs for Andrew Baggarly) had to say about Brandon Belt in today's post-game notes:

I know many of you are well aware of Brandon Belt’s exploits in the minors this season, but for those of you who aren’t, it’s officially time to start paying attention. Serious attention. Belt, a first baseman, tore up the California League earlier this year while playing for High-A San Jose and hasn’t slowed down at all since being promoted to Double-A Richmond. In fact, he’s gotten even better, with five homers and a .417 average in 12 games. Add it all up and the 22-year-old is hitting .388 with a .488 on-base percentage and .653 slugging percentage.

Want some pop? Belt has **forgive me** “belted” 15 homers and 29 doubles. Want speed? He has five triples and 18 stolen bases. Want signs that this isn’t a fluke? Well the Red Sox (11th round, 2006) and Braves (11th round, 2007) both tried to snag him before he went to play at Texas. He was picked in the fifth round by the Giants last year.

The regular beat guys know much more about this organization than I do, but I asked around a little and the sense seems to be that it wouldn’t be a shocker to see Belt up here in September. In a recent Baseball America chat, Ben Badler said Belt is in the running for Minor League Player of the Year. The Chron’s Henry Schulman hit me with an excellent comparison, saying Belt’s career path lately is reminiscent of Pablo Sandoval, who after a slow minor league start, rocketed from San Jose to San Francisco in 2008. One difference? Belt’s **I can’t help myself** “belt” is much smaller; he’s 6-foot-5 but just 195 pounds.

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[Jackie-Moon]

You beat ms to it McCovey. Your buddy MR Belt was all over twitter yesterday. His name was being mentioned in numerous tweets/blogs, and he was also mentioned on the TV a few times.
Is there a chance that another team could grab him? Or are the Giants safe? I ask. As I am concerned that the amount of expsoure he is getting, that a team like the Yankees could grab him from under our noses.

[McCovey]

You beat ms to it McCovey. Your buddy MR Belt was all over twitter yesterday. His name was being mentioned in numerous tweets/blogs, and he was also mentioned on the TV a few times.
Is there a chance that another team could grab him? Or are the Giants safe? I ask. As I am concerned that the amount of expsoure he is getting, that a team like the Yankees could grab him from under our noses.
Belt is the Giants minor league system. Another team can't "grab" him. He will play for the SF Giants for at least six years.

[Jackie-Moon]

Thanks for the update.

[McCovey]

I saw this today. :)


Belt has had a blast since joining Flying Squirrels

By Michael Phillips | RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: July 18, 2010

As the batting cage was rolled over home plate Friday, Brandon Belt was the first to take swings on a hot summer afternoon.

The air quickly filled with the thwack of a bat making solid contact against the baseball. An assistant coach behind the cage marveled, "that's a sweet sound." It was a byproduct of a smooth swing that was sending the ball to all parts of the ballpark.

Belt has been connecting during games, too. In his first year with the franchise, he already has moved into the cleanup spot in Richmond, the place where power hitters go. Coming into the weekend, he had hit five home runs in 11 games.

All this from a player who, 13 months ago, was hearing the ping of an aluminum bat as he played for the Texas Longhorns. He said that with the professional bats, the margin for error becomes much slimmer, but the joys of success are more rewarding.

"I think you know a little bit more when you hit a home run with the wood bat, since you have to hit it really square," he said. "And it sounds really good."

It's been a rapid ascent for the 6-5 Belt, who was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round after his junior season and elected to go pro for a reported $200,000 - nothing to sneeze at, but far from superstar money.

He started the year at Single-A San Jose and was promoted to Richmond on July 3. Flying Squirrels manager Andy Skeels has been impressed not just with Belt's hitting, but also his defensive abilities at first base. Asked if his college pedigree helped - the Longhorns are a perennial powerhouse - Skeels said that Belt's talent probably would have carried him regardless of school.

"I think some guys are just baseball players," the manager said. "No matter whether he had gone to Texas or Northwest Minnesota State, that kid would have been a ballplayer."

Belt said that the biggest thing he took from Texas was not about fundamentals but advice on the mental side of the game.

Even in his wildly successful season, a player still has to deal with not getting a hit more than half the time. Working through that has enabled him to keep from getting frustrated, he said.

"I think the best advice I got was to worry about mechanics in the batting cages, and when you get on the field, worry about everything else," he said.

On Friday, his top concern was his teammates. A TV reporter was doing a story for a Texas station about the Longhorn alum's success. Right as in the interview started, rain moved in and the players sought shelter in the dugout - right next to Belt.

They succeeded in distracting him and getting him to laugh during the interview, at which point one of the Squirrels yelled out, "OK, now leave him alone. We need his offense tonight."

Belt is hoping to become a part of the Giants youth movement that is rolling through Richmond. And even though he joined the club later than most of his teammates, he's spent the past two weeks catching up in the stats.

[McCovey]

Some more Brandon Belt info.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2010/7/16/1573696/brandon-belt

Check out the comments section. There are a lot of great comments from people who have actaully seen Belt play in college and in the minors. Good stuff.

[Jackie-Moon]

Tell you what McCovey, this could be huge for us in the near future

[EIM86]

yeah I've been watching him ever since he joined Richmond and man that guy is tearing it up! We need a left handed batter so badly too.

[thebayareabeast]

This guy might have the capabaility to be a beast.

[McCovey]

Eastern League pitchers have adjusted to Belt. In his last 10 games Belt is hitting .263/.349/.553. Belt went 0 for 4 last night with three strikeouts. Let's see if Belt makes adjustments as well.

[WillTheThrill]

This is what Henry Schulman of the Chronicle had to say about Brandon Belt yesterday:

Beat: Prospect Belt making an impression
Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, July 30, 2010

The Giants' difficulty in trading for hitters underscores the need to develop their own, which for many years was not the organization's strong suit. They scored with Buster Posey. The next prospect to come down the pike might be Brandon Belt, a 6-foot-5 first baseman whom the Giants drafted last year in the fifth round out of the University of Texas.

After Belt blew through the Class A California League early this season, the Giants promoted him to Richmond, Va., in the pitching-rich Eastern League, where he has outperformed most of the older prospects who started the year in Double-A.

In his first 23 games for Richmond, Belt hit .344 with five doubles, five triples, five homers and 17 RBIs in 90 at-bats. He had a .404 on-base percentage, and he was slugging .678.

Special assistant J.T. Snow worked with the left-handed hitter during spring training and in San Jose before the promotion. Snow said Friday that after the spring-training session he told other coaches, "The Giants finally have a true first baseman in the system.

"He's good. He gets it. He swings a good bat, and he's good around the bag. He's country strong. From what I've seen, he hits the ball line-drive hard, carrying out of the ballpark."

Snow could not say how Belt's swing would translate at AT&T Park, which neutralizes left-handed bats, but Snow called Belt "a polished hitter."

Though drafted as a first baseman, Belt has started the past two games in left field.

And here's a quick bit in the postgame story from last night by Andrew Baggarly about Belt:

Every double-switch is cause for alarm this time of year. So it’s curious that first base prospect Brandon Belt, who has ripped up minor league pitching on two levels this season, started in left field for the second consecutive night at Double-A Richmond.

From what I understand, it’s not necessarily a showcase move. I think the Giants are assessing whether Belt could help on the major league roster in the near future. In either case, people are intrigued in the former Texas Longhorn. He’s made himself into a top prospect in Sandovallian time.

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[beatLA]

Dude's been a monster. I wonder where baseball america ranks him next year. Cant wait to see him in a Giants uni!

[McCovey]

Dude's been a monster. I wonder where baseball america ranks him next year. Cant wait to see him in a Giants uni!
That depends on what the Giants do with Aubrey Huff. Huff is only signed for this season but I can't imagine the Giants not trying to resign him for maybe two more seasons. But if Huff finishes off a huge 2010 season you can bet he and his agent will want a fat contract extension or more likely test the free agent market. Belt has begun to play some left field this past week so perhaps the Giants are envisioning resigning Huff and playing Belt in LF. IMO, Belt will probably be ready for the majors in June 2011.

[Bear]

That depends on what the Giants do with Aubrey Huff. Huff is only signed for this season but I can't imagine the Giants not trying to resign him for maybe two more seasons. But if Huff finishes off a huge 2010 season you can bet he and his agent will want a fat contract extension or more likely test the free agent market. Belt has begun to play some left field this past week so perhaps the Giants are envisioning resigning Huff and playing Belt in LF. IMO, Belt will probably be ready for the majors in June 2011.

Again I see no reason to hurry him. When does Rowand's contract run out. Is it at the end of this season or next? :shrug:

[McCovey]

Again I see no reason to hurry him. When does Rowand's contract run out. Is it at the end of this season or next? :shrug:
I think Rowand is signed through the 2012 season...

[Bear]

I think Rowand is signed through the 2012 season...

I don't think so. Is there a site we can check to be sure?:eek:

[McCovey]

I don't think so. Is there a site we can check to be sure?:eek:
Yes Rowand is signed through the 2012 season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3152201

[Bear]

Yes Rowand is signed through the 2012 season.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3152201

Merda! We are stuck with this guy for two more season. It's time to cut our losses, and give this guy his release.:(

[McCovey]

Belt is playing right field tonight. And he's 3 for 4 with a HR, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored so far in the game. :beerbang:

[WillTheThrill]

Andrew Baggarly had this to say on August 4th, while talking about a trade that almost happened for the Giants. Good to hear that the Giants are thinking of Belt as "off limits" for trades!

Yep, the Giants nearly completed a trade with Seattle for right-hander David Aardsma at Saturday’s non-waiver deadline. It would’ve cost a couple minor league prospects. Single-A San Jose shortstop Ehire Adrianza was among the names on Seattle’s list.

Heavy hitting Brandon Belt was off limits, though.

I’m hearing the same kind of talk about Belt that I heard about Dan Runzler at this time last year. Namely, this is a guy who can contribute at the big league level right now. If Belt keeps impressing, expect him to be a Sept. 1 callup.

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[McCovey]

I think it's starting to become clear that by playing Belt in the outfield the Giants want to resign Aubrey Huff.

[WillTheThrill]

I think it's starting to become clear that by playing Belt in the outfield the Giants want to resign Aubrey Huff.

I think the Giants would be idiots NOT to resign Aubrey Huff. The guy has been their MVP so far this season. :beerbang:

Huff has clearly been revitalized by playing with a winning team, and has said many times that he's having the best time of his professional baseball career. Huff would be an idiot not to resign with the Giants. And I would be amazed if he doesn't.

So, yeah, they have to find a different place for Belt to play. Or else keep playing Huff in the outfield.

Wonder what this all means for Ishikawa? It's really a shame, since he seems to be finally coming in to his own this season. Do you think the Giants would try to make Ishikawa a super-utility / pinch-hitter / late-inning-replacement or do you think the Giants would just trade him??? :shrug:

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[McCovey]

I think the Giants would be idiots NOT to resign Aubrey Huff. The guy has been their MVP so far this season. :beerbang:

This is true. My one main concern is Huff's injury history.


Huff has clearly been revitalized by playing with a winning team, and has said many times that he's having the best time of his professional baseball career. Huff would be an idiot not to resign with the Giants. And I would be amazed if he doesn't.
Well, I suspect if he finishes off an MVP type season in '10 he'll get plenty of contract offers from other teams.


Wonder what this all means for Ishikawa? It's really a shame, since he seems to be finally coming in to his own this season. Do you think the Giants would try to make Ishikawa a super-utility / pinch-hitter / late-inning-replacement or do you think the Giants would just trade him??? :shrug:

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Ishi was really cooled off recently. And where is the power? He's got just two home runs so far. That's not going to cut it no matter how good his defense is. I hav no idea what th Giants plan to do with him.

[WillTheThrill]

Well, I suspect if [Huff] finishes off an MVP type season in '10 he'll get plenty of contract offers from other teams.

Yeah... but he's GOT to know that his numbers have improved because he is having fun and he's on a contending team. He has said in interviews that he has never played for a winning team before and that it has revitalized him this season. I would think he would like to stay with the Giants because of that.

(And, yes, I know that the Giants aren't the ONLY team in baseball with a winning record! :D )

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[McCovey]

Last night on TV Jon Miller mentioned that he spoke to Jim Davenport last week about Belt. Davenport went to Richmond to see Belt in person and Davenport told Miller Belt has a chance to be a special player. I didn't know Jim Davenport still worked for the Giants. He's 76 years old.

[Bear]

Last night on TV Jon Miller mentioned that he spoke to Jim Davenport last week about Belt. Davenport went to Richmond to see Belt in person and Davenport told Miller Belt has a chance to be a special player. I didn't know Jim Davenport still worked for the Giants. He's 76 years old.

Work or on the payroll? He has not worked since he retired as a player not even when he managed the team. I think he may be a really nice guy, but brains are not his long suit.:nono::eek:

[McCovey]

I forgot Davenport managed the Giants during that terrible 1985 season.

[McCovey]

Another Bradon Belt article.


Thursday, August 12, 2010
Minors: Brandon Belt profile, new Top 10

Jason Grey Blog, ESPN

In the first paragraph of a blog entry, I'm supposed to write some type of compelling opening to entice you to read further. Well, after considering several options, I've decided I will simply present you with the 2010 numbers of a certain minor league player:

High Class-A: 269 at-bats, .383 AVG/.492 OBP/.628 SLG , 18 steals
Double-A: 132 at-bats, .341 AVG/.403 OBP/.652 SLG, two steals

Enticed yet? Those are the numbers of San Francisco Giants (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWin%28%27http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-giants%27%29) first base prospect Brandon Belt, a fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft out of Texas, who has made quite an impact in his first professional season. I haven't written about him yet because I was hoping to get a chance to see him as a pro after seeing him briefly as an amateur. I missed him on my swings through the Cal League earlier this season, and have waited a couple weeks in case he got moved to Triple-A Fresno.

But I've been asked about him quite a bit, so instead of waiting further, I went ahead and talked to a number of scouts who have seen him and then watched a little bit of video of his swing. And let's just say I like what I've seen and heard about him. A 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter, Belt was originally drafted as a pitcher by the Boston Red Sox (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWin%28%27http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/bos/boston-red-sox%27%29) back in the 11th round of the 2006 draft. He didn't sign, though, and went to junior college in San Jacinto, where he started to focus more on hitting (and was drafted as a hitter by the Atlanta Braves (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWin%28%27http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-braves%27%29) in the 11th round in 2007) before moving on to Texas. I'm sure a little bit of his rapid development can be attributed simply to concentrating on becoming a full-time hitter.

Credit is due to the Giants' minor league coaching and player development staffs, who identified Belt's physical tools, but also made some pretty major changes to his swing in order to help him better tap into his natural ability. Belt himself talked about some of the big changes in his strokein this article. (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100608&content_id=10972240&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp) Basically, they've cut out some of the excess movement in his swing and given him less leg kick, making him a little shorter to the ball than when he was in college. Belt has quick hands and good bat speed. With a more upright, open stance, it helps keep him from getting his long levers jammed on the inner half of the plate and lets him get his arms extended more often, and he has incorporated a little more loft in his swing to turn more of his good raw power into game power, yet still allowing his zone to stay in the bat a long time. (Too much of an uppercut stroke makes your bat get out of the zone too quickly for consistent, hard contact.)

He's still mostly a line-drive hitter that squares balls up to the gaps, but he now gets better hip turn and doesn't cut himself off as much, which gets him more carry on the ball. Belt also references being able to see the ball a bit better, and thus far he has demonstrated an ability to handle the strike zone well, walking almost as many times as he has struck out. He also has solid pitch recognition. Scouting reports also say he stays back on offspeed stuff well.

Although Belt has 20 steals this year, it won't be a part of his game at the big league level, as he doesn't have above-average speed. He stole a number of bags earlier in the year simply by taking advantage of Class A pitchers not paying attention to him, but his running game has petered out at Double-A.

As a defender, Belt is consistent and above-average at first base. The Giants have played him a small amount at the corner outfield spots, but his future is at first base, given his good hands there, as well as his poor routes and jumps in the outfield. I think it speaks well for Belt's future development that he has been able to adapt to a new way of hitting very quickly and taken off in such a short time.

Many thought Belt's offensive numbers at Class A were driven by the launching pads of the California League, but he hasn't skipped a beat in a tough hitting environment at Double-A Richmond. The reason I didn't include him in my "Top 10 for '10" rankings for the balance of the season (below) in recent weeks was not because I wasn't buying his bat, but rather because his playing time in the big leagues is very uncertain for the balance of the season.

The Giants appear to be targeting just a September call-up for him right now, and with them in the playoff hunt, it's likely he will still see quite a bit of bench/pinch-hitting time when he arrives rather than being thrust into a pressure situation. If Travis Ishikawa (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWin%28%27http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/fantasy?playerId=6509%27%29) or Pat Burrell (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:newWin%28%27http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/fantasy?playerId=4214%27%29) gets hurt tomorrow, you never know, but I'd say it's unlikely he gets regular playing time on the Giants this season. Lefty power isn't helped by AT&T Park, but Belt can certainly hit 20-plus homers with a ton of doubles and be a premium middle-of-the-order run producer in the big leagues.

Even though he hasn't even finished a full pro season yet, he has rapidly put his name among the best first base prospects in the game, and is a must-add if you have the room in keeper and dynasty formats.

[McCovey]

What is crazy about Belt is that he's hitting for more power in AA-ball than he did in A-ball which is just nuts!

[McCovey]

Belt with a clutch 2-run home run in th 15h inning last night!


Belt Wins Richmond Marathon, 5-3
08/11/2010 11:31 PM ET

The Richmond Flying Squirrels walked off winners on Brandon Belt's two-run home run in the 14th inning that sunk the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 5-3, in front of 5,608 on Wednesday night at The Diamond. With two outs and Nick Noonan aboard in the 14th inning, Belt decked a 2-2 offering from New Hampshire right-hander Ronald Uviedo over the wall in right-center field to give the Squirrels the victory. Belt's blast was the first walk-off home run in franchise history for the Squirrels, as they defeated Uviedo in extra-innings for the third time on the year.

Richmond had started quickly against Fisher Cats' righty Rey Gonzalez, plating a pair of runs in the first inning for a 2-0 advantage. Darren Ford led off and chopped a double up the third-base line. Gonzalez struck out Noonan, but he reached when strike three was a wild pitch, and the Squirrels had runners at the corners with nobody out. Thomas Neal grounded out to second base to bring in Ford, and a batter later, Conor Gillaspie laced a single to left field to bring Noonan in.

New Hamsphire sawed the lead in half in the second when Cats' catcher Matt Liuzza connected on a solo-home run to right-center field off of Squirrels' right-hander Mike MacDonald.

The second-inning home run turned out to be the only chink in MacDonald's armor as he worked through six innings. He allowed just the lone run on five hits. He walked two and struck out four, while not factoring in the decision.
Gonazalez also settled in to work six innings, ultimately earning a no-decision. The only damage he incurred was the first inning as he allowed two runs on six total hits. He walked two and struck out three.

The Squirrels acquired some breathing room in the seventh against a pair of New Hampshire relievers. Neal delivered a two-out double off of right-hander Clint Everts and the Cats went to the bullpen for lefty Boomer Potts to face Brandon Belt. Belt cracked an 0-2 pitch for a double to center field to bring in Neal and stretch the Richmond lead to two runs, 3-1.

Rafael Cova came on to try to close out the ballgame for Richmond in the ninth, but wound up blowing his fifth save chance of the season. Scott Bowman led off and blasted a solo-home run to left-center field to cut the Richmond lead to one. Cova then walked Adam Loewen before David Cooper ripped a game-tying double off the wall in right-center field. Cova did recover to force extra-innings by retiring the next three batters.

Following the ninth, Cova retired the next nine batters in succession, but Richmond couldn't rally for the win as Cova called it a night after four innings of relief. Left-hander David Quinowski (1-0) entered in the 13th and earned his first victory at the Double-A level by working two scoreless innings.

The finale of the series is scheduled for 7:05 PM on Thursday night at The Diamond. RHP David Mixon (10-6, 3.63) will make the start for Richmond against RHP Zach Stewart (6-2, 205) for New Hampshire.



http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/08/11/EfReDSGt.jpg

[McCovey]

Brandon Belt scouting report!

http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/08/14/first-look-scouting-brandon-belt

[McCovey]

OMG!!!! Belt has been promoted to AAA Fresno! I had no idea!!! And what does he do in his first game? He goes 1 for 3, HR, 2 BB, 3 R!! :beerbang:

http://fresno.grizzlies.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100825&content_id=13917140&vkey=news_t259&fext=.jsp&sid=t259

[WillTheThrill]

OMG!!!! Belt has been promoted to AAA Fresno! ...

Awesome news!!! Go Belt!!! :beerbang:

.

[McCovey]

The rumor now is that Belt won't be at Fresno very long and will be promoted to SF next week! Holy Cow! :eek: One question though. Where is he going to play? :shrug:

[WillTheThrill]

The rumor now is that Belt won't be at Fresno very long and will be promoted to SF next week! Holy Cow! :eek: One question though. Where is he going to play? :shrug:

How about the outfield? The Giants don't have enough outfielders. :pound:

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[McCovey]

How about the outfield? The Giants don't have enough outfielders. :pound:

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:pound:

[Bear]

The rumor now is that Belt won't be at Fresno very long and will be promoted to SF next week! Holy Cow! :eek: One question though. Where is he going to play? :shrug:

In my opinion they are rushing this Kid. They will use his bat off the bench and get him a few inning in the field at first but I think the real reason for the call up is to showcase him for a trade this off season. If they brought him along and played him in AA and then AAA for the next two seasons they them could have a stud ready for the bigs for the next 10 to 15 years. No I see him going somewhere else before next season. I don't like this approach at all.:nono:

[McCovey]

Wow, Bear so pessemistic. :p Why does Belt have to play two more seasons in the minors to be ready? Belt destroyed Cal League pitching. He dominated Eastern League pitching. The Eastern League is considered a very tough pitcher's league. How tough is the league? Only five hitters are hitting over .300. Belt has shown that he has an uncanny ability to adjust to his leagues in quick order. I am surprised with the move to AAA, though. I thought for sure he'd finish at AA. The Eastern League season ends on September 6th. My thought is that he would have started the 2011 season at Fresno then perhaps get a call up in June if he was playing well at AAA. But, apparently the Giants have other ideas. I'm kind of shocked how agressive the Giants are with Belt given how conservative they were with Buster Posey.

[Bear]

Wow, Bear so pessimistic. :p Why does Belt have to play two more seasons in the minors to be ready? Belt destroyed Cal League pitching. He dominated Eastern League pitching. The Eastern League is considered a very tough pitcher's league. How tough is the league? Only five hitters are hitting over .300. Belt has shown that he has an uncanny ability to adjust to his leagues in quick order. I am surprised with the move to AAA, though. I thought for sure he'd finish at AA. The Eastern League season ends on September 6th. My thought is that he would have started the 2011 season at Fresno then perhaps get a call up in June if he was playing well at AAA. But, apparently the Giants have other ideas. I'm kind of shocked how agressive the Giants are with Belt given how conservative they were with Buster Posey.

I am not pessimistic. I just don't see the need to rush young players when there is not a pressing need at a position. He is young so let him gain the experience and target 2012 or 2013. It is my guess that they see him as trade bait, and that is why the rush. This is just my feeling, but we will see soon enough.:eek:

[McCovey]

I am not pessimistic. I just don't see the need to rush young players when there is not a pressing need at a position. He is young so let him gain the experience and target 2012 or 2013. It is my guess that they see him as trade bait, and that is why the rush. This is just my feeling, but we will see soon enough.:eek:
I guess we have a different definition of "rushing" a player. :) To me rushing a player is when a player is promoted even though he hasn't had success or is still very raw as a player to merit being promoted. This doesn't apply to Belt IMO. He's 22 years old and has dominated both A and AA ball. He's very close to being ready for the majors. Everyone agrees the Giants need more hitters. When you have a great hitting prospect like Belt smart teams make room for him on their roster. And lately he's been playing the outfield as well so he may start out as an outfielder. I still think June 2011 is the most likely time frame when Belt will be ready for the majors. I think Sabean is hedging his bets in case the Giants can't resign Aubrey Huff. With Huff's great 2010 season he's going to demand a huge contract extension. If the Giants don't offer him that huge contract some other team certainly will. That would leave a hole at first base and Belt could step right in.

[WillTheThrill]

I guess we have a different definition of "rushing" a player. :) To me rushing a player is when a player is promoted even though he hasn't had success or is still very raw as a player to merit being promoted. This doesn't apply to Belt IMO. He's 22 years old and has dominated both A and AA ball. He's very close to being ready for the majors. Everyone agrees the Giants need more hitters. When you have a great hitting prospect like Belt smart teams make room for him on their roster. And lately he's been playing the outfield as well so he may start out as an outfielder. I still think June 2011 is the most likely time frame when Belt will be ready for the majors. I think Sabean is hedging his bets in case the Giants can't resign Aubrey Huff. With Huff's great 2010 season he's going to demand a huge contract extension. If the Giants don't offer him that huge contract some other team certainly will. That would leave a hole at first base and Belt could step right in.

I totally agree! :beerbang:

.

[McCovey]

Some Brandon Belt video hitting his first AAA home run! :)

http://www.22gigantes.com/2010/08/video-belt-homers-in-triple-debut.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FhlLT+%2822gigantes %29&utm_content=Twitter

[WillTheThrill]

That video, and one of the still photos on the same page, reminded me of something that I noticed when the Grizzlies were in Portland playing the Beavers: Steve Decker, the Grizzlie's manager, is always on the field as the third base coach when the Grizzlies are batting.

Is that unusual??? (Certainly for the majors, it is! :D ) But do you think that it is a Decker idiosyncracy, that he wants to be more involved in what is going on when his team is batting? Or is that normal for the minor leagues? (Maybe teams in the minors don't have the budget to pay someone extra to be a third base coach???)

.

[McCovey]

I think it's fairly common for minor league managers to be the third base coach. Minor league teams don't carry as many coaches as major league teams do.

[McCovey]

Belt has an interesting crouched open batting stance.

[WillTheThrill]

Several of the Giants' beat writers doubt whether Belt will get the callup this season even when the rosters expand, because of the 40-man roster squeeze. Here's what Henry Schulman has to say about it today:

Fans who are dying to see top hitting prospect Brandon Belt with the Giants when rosters expand next week should know his promotion is no slam dunk.

General manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy will weigh the pros and cons of bringing the 22-year-old first baseman and outfielder to San Francisco. There are two big cons.

First, to promote the former Texas Longhorn they would have to remove another player from the 40-man roster, which has little fat now. They had hoped to sneak Matt Downs through waivers when they needed a spot for Cody Ross, but Houston grabbed him. If the Giants want to promote Dontrelle Willis, that would require another 40-man spot.

The Giants have to consider the wisdom of losing one player just to see Belt in the majors for a few weeks.

Second, Belt or any other hitting prospect would not play much with the Giants in a pennant race, Bochy said Friday.

"That's fair to assume because of our situation," he said. "We have a lot of outfielders and infielders. Edgar (Renteria) is real close to being ready by the first (of September). But you never rule anything out."

Belt is on a track similar to Buster Posey's In his first professional season, Belt has blown through pitching at Class A San Jose (.383, 10 homers, 62 RBIs in 77 games) and Double-A Richmond (.337, nine homers, 40 RBIs in 46 games). He was promoted to Fresno over the weekend and homered in his first Triple-A game. For the year, his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages) is a robust 1.089.

Bochy said Belt could benefit from being a Giant in September the way Posey did last year, even though the catcher had only 17 at-bats.

"It was valuable, especially for him seeing what the game is about," Bochy said. "He got a little playing time, not much. When he came up this time, he had a sense of belonging, knowing what the game is about. I think that little cup of coffee helped him."


And here's part of what Chris Haft said about the same subject, yesterday:


If Belt doesn't finish the season with the Giants, the organization may find extra activity for him by assigning him to the Arizona Fall League.

Giants vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans gave no indication that Belt would advance to the big leagues after roster limits expand to 40 on Wednesday.

"Obviously, we're pleased he was able to get to the Triple-A level. And he's off to a good start there," Evans said. "At the same time, [general manager] Brian [Sabean] has added to the Major League club. So there's no pressing need right now."

.

[EIM86]

Belt with two HR's in two days! He's adjusting really quickly

[McCovey]

Belt is DA MAN!!!! He's had an interesting start in AAA. He a great first game, then went hitless in four straight games, then goes 5 for 8 in his last two games with two home runs. In one of those hitless games he scored THREE runs because he walked three times. Even though he's hitting just .240 so far he has 3 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 9 BB in seven games. His stats so far...

[McCovey]

It looks like Belt is going to play in the Arizona Fall League. His profile page at minorleaguebaseball.com already listed him as a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions. :)

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=474832

[Bear]

Is it possible this Kid is better than Buster?:shrug::No_clue::shrug:

[McCovey]

Is it possible this Kid is better than Buster?:shrug::No_clue::shrug:
Belt is probably the better hitter. But Posey is more valuable because he's a catcher with good defense. A great hitting catcher with great defense is very rare. Plus, Posey has shown he can hit major league pitching. Belt hasn't played in the majors yet. Either way the Giants have potentially another stud rookie on their hands.

[McCovey]

Tonight Belt was 2 for 4, 1 RBI, double, 1 BB, 2 K.

[McCovey]

So Belt ended up playing 13 games at AAA Fresno. He hit

61 PA, 11 for 48, .229/.393/.593, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 13 BB, 15 K.

From what I read he will not be called up because the Giants have 40-man roster issues. That's ok by me. He's going to play in the Arizona Fall League and then take a much needed break. He should be one of the most interesting stories in spring training next year.

[McCovey]

FYI. The Arizona Fall League season starts on October 12th.

[McCovey]

Belt's final line for the 2010 season comes out to:

136 games, 595 PA, 492 BB

.352/.455/.620, 173 H, 23 HR, 112 RBI, 99 R, 43 2B, 10 3B, 93 BB, 99 K, 22 SB, 8 CS

[Jackie-Moon]

Just how much potential does this kid have?
Does he have the potential to be q big time slugger for us? Another Barry Bonds maybe?

[Bear]

Just how much potential does this kid have?
Does he have the potential to be q big time slugger for us? Another Barry Bonds maybe?

In our dreams, maybe. He might, and I say might be very good, but Bonds, I think not.:nono:

[McCovey]

Just how much potential does this kid have?
Does he have the potential to be q big time slugger for us? Another Barry Bonds maybe?
I think his upside is someone who hits .320/.440/.600, 20 HR, 45 doubles, 100 RBI, 100 R, bascially Todd Helton-ish.

[WillTheThrill]

I think his upside is someone who hits .320/.440/.600, 20 HR, 45 doubles, 100 RBI, 100 R, bascially Todd Helton-ish.

I'd take that! :beerbang:

.

[McCovey]

Me, too! :D

[McCovey]

In our dreams, maybe. He might, and I say might be very good, but Bonds, I think not.:nono:
Players like Barry Bonds are VERY, VERY rare. :)

[WillTheThrill]

Players like Barry Bonds are VERY, VERY rare. :)

If not unique.

.

[Jackie-Moon]

Well, those numbers would be good enough for me :)

[McCovey]

If not unique.

.
Right now I can only think of two players that have the physical skills of a young Barry bonds and they are the Upton brothers.

[Bear]

Right now I can only think of two players that have the physical skills of a young Barry bonds and they are the Upton brothers.

They may have the skills but they don't have it between the ears to come close over a career:shakehead:

[McCovey]

They may have the skills but they don't have it between the ears to come close over a career:shakehead:
I was going to mention that too! I just don't understand why the Upton brothers aren't just dominating the game? But I've read that both have developed somewhat bad attitudes in terms of receiving coaching and working on their games. For all of Bonds' personality faults he was an extremely hard worker especially in the offseason. I think he would take October off and then start preparing for the next season in November. That is was separates the true superstar, the willingness to work hard to improve their game. Plus Bonds had a great baseball mind. He really knows the game, especially hitting.

[WillTheThrill]

Plus Bonds had a great baseball mind. He really knows the game, especially hitting.

I actually think that Bonds would make a good hitting coach, maybe a great one.

Not that any team in baseball would ever touch the guy with a twenty-thousand foot pole. And not that Bonds would actually do it in a million years. :rolleyes::pound:

.

[SF Kid]

twenty-thousand foot pole.:bugeye:

[thebayareabeast]

Another Barry Bonds maybe?


:pound:

[McCovey]

Belt is playing in the Arizona Fall League. He's picked up where he left off during the regular season. So far he's hitting .368/.425/.526 in five games.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=474832

[McCovey]

More scouts who are convinced Belt is ready for the majors next season.


Monday, October 25, 2010
Scouting the AFL: Brandon Belt profile

By Jason Grey

The player I was looking forward to seeing the most at the Arizona Fall Leagues this year was not necessarily the Washington Nationals (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/wsh/washington-nationals'))' Bryce Harper (as I had seen him before), but San Francisco Giants (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-giants')) first baseman Brandon Belt.

I wrote about Belt's breakout season extensively back in August (http://insider.espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog?name=grey_jason&id=5459070). As I mentioned in that blog entry, I hadn't seen him play this year but talked to a number of scouts who had. The gist was to throw out any scouting reports on Belt as a hitter prior to this season. That's because starting in instructional league in 2009, just after he was taken as a fifth-round pick, Belt completely revamped his stance and swing. The idea was to give him a more direct path to the ball and help him see the ball better. I go into more detail about the changes in that piece.

Belt was drafted twice before as a pitcher, so he is really relatively new to hitting full-time, and said the Giants told him when he was drafted they were going to make some changes.

"There was no resistance at all," Belt said. "I had always worked on pitching, so I hadn't really had much instruction as far as hitting goes. I was pretty open-minded to whatever they wanted to do and I was ready for it. I thought I'd always been able to hit, but I'd never really had that instruction to where I could put it all together and have better mechanics that worked the best for me on the field, so that's what the [Giants' coaching and player development staff] really helped me with the most."

The end result was a season in which Belt played across three levels (finishing with a cup of coffee at Triple-A), hitting .352 in 492 at-bats with 43 doubles, 23 homers, almost as many walks (93) as strikeouts (99), a .455 on-base percentage and .620 slugging percentage. He also swiped 22 bags for good measure, mostly at Class A when pitchers weren't paying enough attention to him. However, that really won't be part of his game going forward, as he has just average speed at best.

Although I'd talked to a number of other scouts and seen video, I wanted to see him for myself up close. Having done so for the first couple of weeks of the AFL, there's no doubt in my mind Belt is legit, and a potential middle-of-the-order threat in a big-league lineup capable of hitting for average and power.

I've liked Belt's approach, the quality of his at-bats, his ability to generate power without over swinging, and his ability to go to the opposite field with some juice. He's played good defense at first and has showed good athleticism, enough that I've changed my mind to think he might not look out of place should the Giants choose to play him in left field, where he dabbled a little bit in the minors this year, and that he could improve his route-running and other aspects of outfield play with more consistent time there.

The two things Belt still needs to shore up are: a) getting too anxious at times, thus getting out in front trying to pull too much, and b) handling the pitch under his hands a little better. If a pitcher misses trying to get the ball inside under his hands, Belt can make him pay, but big-league hurlers will do a better job of hitting that spot. Still, considering how quickly Belt was able to adjust to new hitting mechanics in a big way in less than a year bodes well for his continued development as hitter and efforts to maintain a consistent batting stroke.

"Toward the end of the year, I got a little bit off mechanically in my swing, so I'm just trying to get back on track with it for the offseason," Belt said about his time in the AFL. "I think the most important thing is just to have quality at-bats out there and the rest will take care of itself."

Professional players are always expecting to do well, but in his wildest expectations did Belt expect to have a season like he did?

"Yes and no," Belt said. "I knew I had the ability to put the bat on the ball, but I didn't know I would adjust that quickly to the mechanics they were teaching me. I've been able to put the bat on the ball my entire life, so I told myself entering this season that's what I was going to focus on doing and see what happened, and fortunately it worked out for me."

The Giants are likely to have at least one opening, if not two, at first base or left field next season they could look to Belt to fill. It would not surprise me to see him on the Opening Day roster, and although AT&T Park is not helpful to lefty power, he can have fantasy impact right away. He's one of the best first base prospects in the minors.

[McCovey]

Belt continues to play well in the Arizona Fall League. He's hiting .362/.415/.569 so far in 15 games. I can't wait to see this kid in spring training next March.

[McCovey]

Belt had another good game last night going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI, 1 R. He's now hitting .365/.414/.571 in 16 games.

[SF Kid]

This guy better not bust out in the BIGS. :)

[McCovey]

This guy better not bust out in the BIGS. :)
This kid could be another Todd Helton type of hitter. That would be huge for Giants. :beerbang:

[SF Kid]

Sabean seems to think this kid will be the next big thing.

In Sabean We Trust.

[McCovey]

Sabean seems to think this kid will be the next big thing.

In Sabean We Trust.

I think Sabrean knows this kid could be special. And since the Giants will have a tight budget on their payroll they need to get quality players that are dirt cheap. Obviously, Belt would be dirt cheap for many years.

[SF Kid]

I am a little worried that we might be forced into counting on Belt to be ready from the jump next year. We have no idea if he is ready to hit ML pitching. Rather have a little more flexibility. Signing Huff wold be my first choice and bring Belt up later to see what he has.

[McCovey]

Oh I agree. I don't think Sabean is just going to hand the first base job to Belt. Sabean is not the type of GM that goes with rookies right off the bat. I think Belt starts 2011 at AAA. I think if Belt pounds AAA pitching we'll see him in SF By June.

[McCovey]

The Future!

http://www.sfdugout.com/site/attachment.php?attachmentid=326&d=1283321261

[McCovey]

The hitter.

http://projectprospect.com/files/media/content/Brandon-Belt%20300x450%20(Mitchell).jpg?0

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/07/25/KNgOzFUB.jpg

[McCovey]

The defense.

http://www.sfdugout.com/site/attachment.php?attachmentid=312&d=1277097859

http://www.csnbayarea.com/common/medialib/223/243076.jpg

[McCovey]

A Brandon Belt interview where he talks about how the Giants alters his swing. From the interview.


AF: I've talked to people who say they see more bat speed out of you now that you have that stance. Is that something that you feel too?

BB: Oh definitely. And, you know, it's a tribute to pretty much all our hitting coaches in the organization. They just help me with so many different things, as far as my load and gettin' my hips through the ball. It's definitely helped with my bat speed.


Wow, gotta give the Giants minor league coaches some serious props for making these changes to Belt's swing.

http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/11/07/brandon-belt-swing-mechanics-interview

[SF Kid]

Heh. Looks like a playa.

[McCovey]

Heh. Looks like a playa.
He talks like one, too! I like his seemingly low-key attitide, giving major props to the Giants coaches for altering his swing. The results so far speak for themselves. I look forward to seeing Belt in San Francisco sometime in 2011.

[McCovey]

Some Belt batting practice video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdR6gJ5_dQ&feature=player_embedded

[SF Kid]

Thanks for the video Mc.

[McCovey]

You're welcome, Kid. Like I said before I can't wait to see this kid in spring training.

[McCovey]

Belt had a huge game last nite.

3 for 4, double, triple, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 BB.

Belt is now hitting .388/.447/.627 in 17 games.

[Bear]

Belt had a huge game last nite.

3 for 4, double, triple, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 2 BB.

Belt is now hitting .388/.447/.627 in 17 games.

He is making a statement.:clap:

[McCovey]

The Kid is raking so far, Bear. Spring training should be vey interesting for sure.

[Bear]

The Kid is raking so far, Bear. Spring training should be vey interesting for sure.

I agree but lets not make him Saint Belt just yet.:)

[McCovey]

"Saint Belt" sounds like the patron saint of Giants fans! :pound:

[WillTheThrill]

"Saint Belt" sounds like the patron saint of Giants fans! :pound:

"Saint Belt" sounds like the patron saint of chocolate chip fudge brownie cookie fans!!! :pound:

[McCovey]

If the Giants are really, really, really fortunate, Belt could be a Todd Helton-ish kind of hitter. That would be huge for the Giants.

[Bear]

If the Giants are really, really, really fortunate, Belt could be a Todd Helton-ish kind of hitter. That would be huge for the Giants.

I think you maybe repeating yourself. He is closer to Saint than Helton at this moment.:)

[McCovey]

I think you maybe repeating yourself. He is closer to Saint than Helton at this moment.:)

:pound:

What is amazing there is great debate in the scouting community whether Belt is a better first base prospect that Eric Hosmer. Belt was a 5th round draft pick in 2009. Hosmer was the #3 overall pick in the 208 draft.

[Bear]

:pound:

What is amazing there is great debate in the scouting community whether Belt is a better first base prospect that Eric Hosmer. Belt was a 5th round draft pick in 2009. Hosmer was the #3 overall pick in the 208 draft.

Well let's just hope he is good enough to make a difference.:beerbang:

[McCovey]

I think he will be. If he comes up in early June he should be ready.

[Bear]

I think he will be. If he comes up in early June he should be ready.

That's only seven months away. We will see soon enough.:)

[McCovey]

Another Belt article.


11/10/10 9:18 PM EST
Belt, Harper help Scorpions sting Sags

Nationals top pick knocks in two runs, Norris goes deep

By Danny Wild / MLB.com

Few Minor Leaguers had statistics as gaudy as the ones Giants prospect Brandon Belt posted in 2010. For the former fifth-round Draft pick, however, that's already in the past.

"I'm trying to be consistent and stay consistent and forget about what happened last season," Belt said. "Just move on and start a new season."

Belt batted .352 with 23 homers and 112 RBIs across three levels during the regular season, although, to his credit, he's doing a pretty good job of topping those stats in the Arizona Fall League. On Wednesday, he flirted with the cycle and raised his average to .388 in the Scottsdale Scorpions' 11-1 rout of the Peoria Saguaros.

"I think probably the past three weeks I've been seeing the ball really well," said Belt, who has 17 hits in his last 10 games. "I'm staying back on my back leg, and that's been a big key for me."

Belt was hardly the only Scorpion with a smile on his face Wednesday. Top overall pick Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 with two triples and a pair of RBIs in his first game since Nov. 5 and fellow Nationals prospect Derek Norris hit a three-run homer to build an 8-0 cushion by the third inning.

Harper got the start as part of the Scottsdale taxi squad, a group of players who typically see action only once or twice a week. Despite the inconsistent playing time, he is batting .357 with six RBIs in six games.

The Las Vegas native lined a two-run triple and scored in a four-run third, then tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Thomas Field (Rockies) in the seventh.

Belt walked in the first, tripled and scored in the third, singled in the fourth, walked again in the sixth and smacked a two-run double in the seventh. Padres prospect Brad Brach, who set a California League record with 41 saves, finally retired him on a groundout in the eighth.

"I was thinking about [the cycle] beforehand, but once you get up to the plate, you forget about it," Belt said. "I'm just trying to get a hit. It ended up working out. It was still a good day, I guess."

Not a bad afternoon for a hitter with a .447 on-base percentage. A homer off Brach might have been a bit much to ask.

"I had never faced him, but I knew he was a pretty good pitcher," Belt said. "I got up there, he's got some really good stuff. He stayed away from me and then finally he got in on me. But he's really good."

Belt's triple in the third helped spark the offense for Scottsdale (16-9), which plated runs in each of the first three frames.

"I guess I got good wood on it," the Houston native said. "He gave me something I could handle and I just got it out and got into the outfield."

Belt's two-run double put the game out of reach.

"They had pitched me away as the game went on and I went up there looking fastball away," he said. "I'm looking for one to drive, and that's what I got. "I've been working with our hitting coach, Alan Zinter, and that's helping me a lot. I'm staying on my back leg, staying deep and trying to hit it solid.

[McCovey]

Cool shot...

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2010/11/10/HRuKCbdJ.jpg

[Bear]

How big is this guy? He looks to be on the small side for a first baseman.:confused:

[McCovey]

He's listed at 6'5", 195 lbs but I think he's gained some wieght.

[Bear]

He's listed at 6'5", 195 lbs but I think he's gained some wieght.

My God have him room with the Panda! They can help each other.:pound:

[McCovey]

My God have him room with the Panda! They can help each other.:pound:
:pound:

[McCovey]

I saw this blurb ina Buster Only article today.


A new young buck for the Giants
As the Giants weigh their options on what to do at first base and in the corner outfield, they operate in the knowledge that a top prospect will likely have an impact in the majors next year: Brandon Belt, who put up ridiculous numbers in the minors this year (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=belt--001bra), mashing 76 extra-base hits, driving in 112 runs, stealing 22 bases and drawing 93 walks.

A rival evaluator gave this assessment of Belt's skills: "We like Belt as a strong regular for first division team. The strikeouts are a bit concerning and usually they do not lend themselves to hitting for much of an average but it sounds like he has some semblance of a two-strike approach. He could be major league ready in June or July."

[Bear]

I saw this blurb ina Buster Only article today.

Lets hope Only is right.:beerbang:

[McCovey]

I believe Belt is going to be a solid contributor to the 2011 Giants. Sabean needs to find spot for Belt on the 25 man roster somewhere. I wonder if this spells the end of Ishikawa as a Giant?

[Bear]

I believe Belt is going to be a solid contributor to the 2011 Giants. Sabean needs to find spot for Belt on the 25 man roster somewhere. I wonder if this spells the end of Ishikawa as a Giant?

Not in 2011!:nono:

[McCovey]

Not in 2011!:nono:

Ishi doesn't play much and has zero power. :o If the Giants are planning to have Belt play in SF sometime in 2011 that means someone will lose their job. Who is that going to be? :shrug:

[Bear]

Ishi doesn't play much and has zero power. :o If the Giants are planning to have Belt play in SF sometime in 2011 that means someone will lose their job. Who is that going to be? :shrug:

Maybe Ishikawa, but not until Belt is called up. I don't see that happening until July if then.:)

[McCovey]

Maybe Ishikawa, but not until Belt is called up. I don't see that happening until July if then.:)

Works for me.

[McCovey]

A quick Brandon Belt interview.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13006691

[McCovey]

I know the AFL is a big time hitters' league but over the past 10 games Belt is hitting .500/.551/.929!!! :eek:

[LTR]

Per rotoworld.com:
Belt is by far the best combination of high ceiling and readiness for the major leagues. Coming out of college as a pitcher that could hit pretty well, the Giants changed his batting stance - widening his base and quieting his hands - and he's been nothing short of spectacular since. Last year, he played (and played well) everywhere from Single-A to Triple-A. Though he stumbled a little in Triple-A, he still showed great power (.563 SLG) and got on base (.393 OBP). The average batting line at the AFL is skewed towards hitters, but Belt's .392/.449/.658 line is great even in the thin desert air. The best news is that Belt looks athletic enough to play the outfield for a few years, so he should be in San Francisco no matter what happens with Aubrey Huff.

[McCovey]

I think the Giants are going to give Belt a long hard look in spring training to see if Belt is ready to start the 2011 season in the majors. I still think June 1st is the likely debut for Belt.

[McCovey]

So what do you think of Brandon Belt? Will he break camp with the Giants? Will he debut in mid-season? Will he debut in September?

[SF Kid]

Depends what happens with Huff. The Giants may have no choice but to give him a shot right away.

[McCovey]

Depends what happens with Huff. The Giants may have no choice but to give him a shot right away.

That would be interesting.

[Bear]

So what do you think of Brandon Belt? Will he break camp with the Giants? Will he debut in mid-season? Will he debut in September?

If Huff returns, and he is hot at the end of May or early June would be my guess. If Huff leaves he will have a shot out of spring training. If he tanks we may never see him. ;):eek:

[McCovey]

From Baseball America's Jim Callis, September 17, 2010.


Belt Busts Out

The year's most shockingly productive prospect is Giants first baseman Brandon Belt. A 2009 fifth-round pick who didn't make his pro debut until April, he batted .352/.455/.620 while racing from high Class A to Triple-A. He led the minors in OPS and ranked second in hitting and on-base percentage.

Mind you, Belt couldn't crack our Giants Top 30 in the 2010 Prospect Handbook. The only mention he rated in our Giants draft report card was for his defensive prowess.

Belt first surfaced on the prospect radar as a lefthander at Hudson High (Lufkin, Texas) in 2006. He showed first-round potential with an 88-93 mph fastball and a promising curve early in the spring, but faded to 85-88 as the draft approached. We rated him as the 67th-best player available, but he fell to the Red Sox in the 11th round and opted to attend San Jacinto (Texas) JC.

Belt's velocity didn't return at San Jac, so Boston declined to sign him as a draft-and-follow. He had more success as a DH/first baseman, hitting .421 with nine homers, and transferred to Texas. He started for the Longhorns for two years, hitting .321 with 16 homers, and doubled as a reliever in 2008 before giving up pitching as a junior.

Scouts liked Belt's disciplined approach and gap power, but hated how he hit out of a deep crouch and cut off his swing. The Giants switched him to a more upright stance that allowed him to better turn on pitches and handle inside fastballs, and he has been a totally different hitter.

Whether Belt can sustain that production remains to be seen, as scouts who saw him this summer were split on whether he was likely to be a solid regular or something more. Similarly, Bautista and Wilson will have to prove that 2010 wasn't a fluke. But all three players have far exceeded their original scouting reports, thanks to their resilience and ability to make adjustments.

[McCovey]

Belt got serious consideration for Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year. He didn't win but he got serious consideration.


Ben (Leland Grove): I'm assuming it was a very close race this year. Was it the closest in Baseball America's history?

J.J. Cooper: It's hard to say for sure, as none of use here stretches back to when Mike Marshall or Ron Kittle was winning the award. But I can say it was clearly one of the best crops of candidates we've had in a long while. In many years, we are choosing between a solid prospect with a great season and a great prospect with a very solid season. Rarely do you see such a massive number of excellent prospects have outstanding seasons. I don't want to speak for the whole staff, but the general feeling seemed to be that there were six to eight candidates who if they had won it, we would have felt good about. Brandon Belt didn't make our final three, but if we had picked him, it would have been a completely defensible choice, the same with Hosmer, Moustakas, Trout and several other players.




John Fresno (Murfreesboro, TN): Did Brandon Belt get any considertation for POY? If so, where did you rank him?

John Manuel: Belt did get a lot of consideration. For me, he had the best year of anyone in the minors this season. In the past, we've stayed away from guys who were good or OK prospects who had monster years, and we've been proven correct. Two instances that stick out in my mind in a good way were picking Delmon Young over Brandon Wood in 2005, mostly because Wood did most of his work in A-ball, and then Jeremy Reed in '03, when he had a monster year but we gave the award to Joe Mauer. As I mentioned, in 2004 I think we just didn't know what to do with Ryan Howard, when he hit 46 homers at Double-A and Triple-A. I wish I remember exactly why we didn't give it to Howard that year; I just know Francis had a monster year too, with a 196-29 K-BB ratio at Double-A and Triple-A. Francis has represented well, but obviously Howard is Howard.

[WillTheThrill]

Sounds like Sabean is convinced about Belt... and it also sounds like the chances of Belt making the team out of Spring Training have really improved. Check out what Sabean had to say about Belt, as written by Carl Crawford from the Mercury. Wow. :eek:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2010/12/08/how-sabean-and-colletti-get-along-now-brandon-belt-raves-and-other-winter-meetings-fodder/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ExtraBaggs+%28Extra+Baggs%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

One thing they’ve really drawn a bead on is just how special Brandon Belt very well could be. Sabean spent much of his 30-minute session with the media talking about how their internal people are raving about the kid, and then he threw a few heaping helpings of rare effusiveness on top of it. I wound up writing my print story about that and I’ll provide a link to it as soon as it’s up online. But here are a few Sabean random comments to whet your appetite …

About his chances of making the team in 2011: “For Belt to be in the mix (on the major-league roster), he’ll have to play every day. He’s much like Posey _ when his time comes, it’s going to be a definitive opportunity and we won’t look back. But this kid seems to be on a mission and he’s opened everybody’s eyes, so we’re open-minded.”

On this week’s staff evaluations of him: “If you were in these meetings, there were a lot of compelling things said. He’s very advanced as hitter. Belt’s situation (unlike Posey’s) is not tied to what he has to do on the defensive side, because he’s an accomplished first baseman now. He’s way above average at that position. He needs schooling in the outfield because that was a short-term experiment last year, but I think what also would help him is the best-case scenario out of spring training he’d hit down in the lineup. I think there would be less pressure.

“He could be the first baseman and Huff could be the left fielder. It’s whatever suits Belt best, how and when he comes up. I don’t want to put him in a do-or-die situation. But this kid, from the scouts that saw the games he played in left and right, it comes pretty easy to him.”

Other staff assessments: “Some of the comments today were ‘best baserunner in our organization, best baserunner in awhile that we’ve seen come through here, can really work a count, is very selective, knows the strike zone, can hunt pitches. He’s got power _ he’s basically a line drive and alley hitter _ but he’s got power. And he’s similar to Posey in a lot of ways, because Posey has that quiet confidence and they’re up at the plate trying to do something with every at-bat and they’re ready to hit every pitch. That’s tough to teach.”

About putting pressure on Belt with such heavy praise: “He’s got no choice. He’s put himself in this position.”

On when the time will be right for him to be in the big leagues: “It’s usually up to the player. It’s so obvious that you can’t hold him back, that there’s nothing to be learned or nothing to be gained by either starting the year in Triple-A or staying down there. We were really in that position with Posey. He’ll make it easy on everybody. He should be more relaxed or apt (than Posey) to really show something in spring training. Not that Buster didn’t, but he needed some lessons behind the plate. And that needed to be done no matter what he did in spring training.”

Actually, that’s pretty much all of the good stuff that was included in my story. But I found it quite interesting that the Giants would be so straightforward in their gushing about a prospect, even a very good one. It really does sound like Belt is going to be the real deal, and it’s just a matter of when.

.

[McCovey]

I truly believe that Belt can be a major contributor on 2011. The kid is the real deal. As I've said many time before this kid could be a Todd Helton/Justin Moureau type of hitter. That would be huge for the Giants.

[SF Kid]

I truly believe that Belt can be a major contributor on 2011. The kid is the real deal.It's easy to say he's the real deal based on what he has done in the minor league but let's face it -- we really don't know how he will perform against major league pitching.

As I've said many time before this kid could be a Todd Helton/Justin Moureau type of hitter. That would be huge for the Giants.We're going to find out but I'm not into making any sort of definitive statement one way or the other until he plays in major league games that count.

FTR, I hope this kid is the next coming...We need more hitting.

[McCovey]

It's easy to say he's the real deal based on what he has done in the minor league but let's face it -- we really don't know how he will perform against major league pitching.
You may not believe this but it is possible to take a player's minor league stats, analyze them, and come up with pretty accurate estimates of how a player will do in the majors. It's not 100% accurate, obviously, but they work more often than not.

Check out this website.

http://minorleaguesplits.com/mlecalc.html

I ran Buster Posey's AAA stats at Fresno and got his "major league equivalences".

It spit out .286/.360/.545 for Posey. Posey actually hit .305/.357/.505 in the majors. So it gave a fairly accurate estimate for Posey. Now, we shouldn't put too much weight on this if we don't have enough AB's for the player. Too few at bats and the program doesn't work so well.


We're going to find out but I'm not into making any sort of definitive statement one way or the other until he plays in major league games that count.
I agree. My previous comment was about what Belt may be capable of doing, best case scenario. I wouldn't definitely state that he IS going to be as good as Todd Helton or Justin Mourneau. But Belt does have that kind of talent. Also, the transition for the minor leagues to the majors is never easy. Sometimes players struggle in the majors initially and need time to adjust to major league pitching. Every player is unique in that regard.


FTR, I hope this kid is the next coming...We need more hitting.
That's an understatement!

[SF Kid]

They have a mathematical formula for everything in baseball.

We're just going to have to wait and see.

[McCovey]

They have a mathematical formula for everything in baseball.
Do they a mathematical formula for Pando beng a fat tub of goo?! :D

Hey fat F*^k! Stay away from the chalupas!"


We're just going to have to wait and see.
I can't wait for spring training! :beerbang:

[SF Kid]

After this last season I can't wait for ST either.

Gonna be cool to watch the Giants defend their World Championship!

Wait...wat?

[McCovey]

After this last season I can't wait for ST either.

Gonna be cool to watch the Giants defend their World Championship!

Wait...wat?

WE GOOD KID!!!! :beerbang:

[McCovey]

Some more Brandon Belt photos.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/12/01/W7pLmoct.jpg

http://media.rvanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/brandon_belt.jpg

http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/image_php_871973.jpg

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/11/18/6SYCE2R8.jpg

[McCovey]

This one is kind of cool. Belt standing in the fog...

[McCovey]

More Belt...

http://yardwork.mlblogs.com/belt.jpg

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/08/25/xLgbdGBW.jpg

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/08/26/dro3ySYI.jpg

[WillTheThrill]

Are minor league batting helmets bigger than major league batting helmets? :shrug: I ask because almost every time I see a picture of a minor leaguer batting, they look like a little kid wearing a helmet several sizes bigger than it should be!!! :pound:

Or is it just my imagination? :D

.

[McCovey]

I believe those are the new mandated batting helmets for minor league players. They are supposed to be safer. Eventually they will be mandatory in the majors as well. In 2009 after Mets third baseman got beaned in the head by Matt Cain he wore the new helmet for a few days. I think his teammates made fun of him. He does kind of look like a movie character. :)

http://blog.nj.com/mets_main/2009/09/large_gazoo.jpg


http://mydivx.lihoman.ru/order/direct/brooks/brooks.spaceballs.jpg

[SF Kid]

Skinny little dude. He better be able to hit when he gets to the big city!

[McCovey]

Skinny little dude. He better be able to hit when he gets to the big city!

He will, Kid! Ya know Ted Williams and Will Clark wer skinny littles dudes, too. :D

http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv217/BillBurgess/Player%20Tributes/Image7-9.jpg

http://tnasearch.swagbucks.com/content/uploads/prizes-4/image15723.jpg

[SF Kid]

Screw Ted Williams. :p


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[McCovey]

From Andrew Baggerly's December 8th blog.


One thing they’ve really drawn a bead on is just how special Brandon Belt very well could be. Sabean spent much of his 30-minute session with the media talking about how their internal people are raving about the kid, and then he threw a few heaping helpings of rare effusiveness on top of it. I wound up writing my print story about that and I’ll provide a link to it as soon as it’s up online. But here are a few Sabean random comments to whet your appetite …

About his chances of making the team in 2011: “For Belt to be in the mix (on the major-league roster), he’ll have to play every day. He’s much like Posey _ when his time comes, it’s going to be a definitive opportunity and we won’t look back. But this kid seems to be on a mission and he’s opened everybody’s eyes, so we’re open-minded.”

On this week’s staff evaluations of him: “If you were in these meetings, there were a lot of compelling things said. He’s very advanced as hitter. Belt’s situation (unlike Posey’s) is not tied to what he has to do on the defensive side, because he’s an accomplished first baseman now. He’s way above average at that position. He needs schooling in the outfield because that was a short-term experiment last year, but I think what also would help him is the best-case scenario out of spring training he’d hit down in the lineup. I think there would be less pressure.

“He could be the first baseman and Huff could be the left fielder. It’s whatever suits Belt best, how and when he comes up. I don’t want to put him in a do-or-die situation. But this kid, from the scouts that saw the games he played in left and right, it comes pretty easy to him.”

Other staff assessments: “Some of the comments today were ‘best baserunner in our organization, best baserunner in awhile that we’ve seen come through here, can really work a count, is very selective, knows the strike zone, can hunt pitches. He’s got power _ he’s basically a line drive and alley hitter _ but he’s got power. And he’s similar to Posey in a lot of ways, because Posey has that quiet confidence and they’re up at the plate trying to do something with every at-bat and they’re ready to hit every pitch. That’s tough to teach.”

About putting pressure on Belt with such heavy praise: “He’s got no choice. He’s put himself in this position.”

On when the time will be right for him to be in the big leagues: “It’s usually up to the player. It’s so obvious that you can’t hold him back, that there’s nothing to be learned or nothing to be gained by either starting the year in Triple-A or staying down there. We were really in that position with Posey. He’ll make it easy on everybody. He should be more relaxed or apt (than Posey) to really show something in spring training. Not that Buster didn’t, but he needed some lessons behind the plate. And that needed to be done no matter what he did in spring training.”

Actually, that’s pretty much all of the good stuff that was included in my story. But I found it quite interesting that the Giants would be so straightforward in their gushing about a prospect, even a very good one. It really does sound like Belt is going to be the real deal, and it’s just a matter of when.

[McCovey]

So from everything I have read spring training will go a long ways in determining where he starts the 2011 season. :)

[McCovey]

I ran Belt's A and AA stats through a major league equivalency (MLE) program and got the following. There's slight issue with Belt's AA conversion. The Giants AA team moved to Richmond, VA for the 2010 season. Previously, they had played in Norwich Connecticut. The MLE program hasn't been updated to include the Richmond ballpark data.

[McCovey]

A 2011 forecast for Belt from the folks at The Hardball Times.

[SF Kid]

I thought he had some power? :confused:

[McCovey]

I thought he had some power? :confused:
He does. Just wait and see. :)

[McCovey]

Belt's 2011 ZiPS forcast.

[McCovey]

I thought he had some power? :confused:

From Keith Law's ESPN chat today.


eric (sf)
Where does Brandon Belt rank in your top 100? Top 25? What is his ceiling? 30 Hrs?

Klaw (2:49 PM)
I'm not answering any ranking questions until the ranking comes out later this month. No sense in pre-empting myself. I'd say 25-plus HR power.

[McCovey]

More from Keith Law...


Ranking 2011's impact prospects

January, 31, 2011
By Keith Law

The most frequent question I received on last week's top 100 prospects package -- other than "Why do you hate my team?" and "Where's Ryan Kalish?" -- was about the players on the list most likely to make an impact in 2011.

The 20 prospects listed here are, in order, the ones I consider most likely to get playing time and produce in that time this year. So, to be clear: That means that I've ignored any question of long-term potential. We're talking about impact in 2011, period.

...

16. Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco | Prospect Rank: 17
The only reason he's not at or near the top is the lack of a job for him on Opening Day, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he Poseyed his way into the majors before the June period when clubs looking to prevent super-two designations recall their prospects. (That said, the new CBA may very well wipe out super-two status entirely, which would be a net positive for baseball.) If Belt does get a full season in San Francisco, I'd like his chances to challenge Freeman for NL Rookie of the Year.

[LTR]

This makes no sense. Bryce Harper is in the top five of every list I have seen and he has zero shot of a job on Opening Day.

[McCovey]

This makes no sense. Bryce Harper is in the top five of every list I have seen and he has zero shot of a job on Opening Day.

:confused: What does Harper have to do with Brandon Belt?

[LTR]

:confused: What does Harper have to do with Brandon Belt?

It went towards the reasoning behind Belt being so low. Law said Belt was so low because he didn't have a chance of making the squad out of spring training but yet Bryce Harper is near the top and has zero chance of making the squad. His reasoning makes no sense. That's what it has to do with it!

[Bear]

It went towards the reasoning behind Belt being so low. Law said Belt was so low because he didn't have a chance of making the squad out of spring training but yet Bryce Harper is near the top and has zero chance of making the squad. His reasoning makes no sense. That's what it has to do with it!

Point, LTR!:eek:

[McCovey]

It went towards the reasoning behind Belt being so low. Law said Belt was so low because he didn't have a chance of making the squad out of spring training but yet Bryce Harper is near the top and has zero chance of making the squad. His reasoning makes no sense. That's what it has to do with it!

What are you talking about? Harper is not listed on Law's "Top 20 most likely to make an impact in 2011" list. Here is Law's list. Where is Harper on this list?


Ranking 2011's impact prospects

The most frequent question I received on last week's top 100 prospects package -- other than "Why do you hate my team?" and "Where's Ryan Kalish?" -- was about the players on the list most likely to make an impact in 2011.


The 20 prospects listed here are, in order, the ones I consider most likely to get playing time and produce in that time this year. So, to be clear: That means that I've ignored any question of long-term potential. We're talking about impact in 2011, period.

1. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta | Prospect Rank: 43
Right now, Freeman appears to be the only rookie position player in the majors who has a full-time job locked down, and his history of making contact and hitting for average with good doubles power in the minors bodes well for his transition to the majors. He's just 21 and doesn't walk a ton, so there's some risk, but Atlanta made a wise move giving him the job and allocating the money they might have spent on a replacement elsewhere.

2. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Tampa Bay | Prospect Rank: 14
As ready as it gets, with command of four pitches, plus control, and a delivery he repeats easily. He doesn't have the ceiling of the guys ahead of him on the top 100 (like Julio Teheran or Shelby Miller) but the Rays should be very confident that he can fill Matt Garza's shoes without a major drop off -- as long as he keeps the ball in the park.

3. Kyle Drabek, RHP, Toronto | Prospect Rank: 13
Drabek's development over the course of 2010 made it easier for the Jays to trade Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee, as their prospect added a cutter and a two-seamer to keep hitters off his hard but often flat fastball. His stuff is big league ready, but his command needs work, and I wouldn't be shocked to see some high strikeout and walk totals if he does spend the full year in Toronto. He has to win a job in spring training but is better right now than any of his competitors.

4. Mike Minor, LHP, Atlanta | Prospect Rank: 61
Solid command of an average fastball/above-average changeup; he'll flash an average curveball, on which nights he'll be very good, and there's always a chance he rediscovers the plus velocity he showed in the first half of 2010. The best part about Minor for Atlanta is that he's very unlikely to be awful or require a demotion; if he's healthy, he'll help the big club.

5. J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto | Prospect Rank: 82
I don't think he's the long-term answer in Toronto, but he's the short-term answer, with big power that should compensate for a low OBP at a position where replacement level currently sits at the bottom of a crevasse. I'd feel a little better about him if he had 70-80 more at-bats down the stretch last year, when instead Cito Gaston decided to play John Buck just because he could.

6. Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia | Prospect Rank: 3
Should have the right field job locked down, but the Phillies seem strangely noncommittal, as if they'd seriously entertain a Ben Francisco/John Mayberry platoon or something. Brown did scuffle in a tiny sample last year, but he's not going to learn to hit major league quality changeups by going back to Triple-A. He has succeeded because he's so athletic but needs to work on things like pitch recognition and throwing mechanics. That will only happen in the majors, and he's talented enough to contribute at a lower level while he develops.

7. Chris Sale, LHP, Chicago White Sox | Prospect Rank: 67
Where he belongs on this list depends on his role. If he's in the 'pen, he and Craig Kimbrel will battle it out for top rookie reliever, and you can't underestimate the effect Don Cooper and Ozzie Guillen seem to have on relievers. If he's starting, he'll probably go back to the minors, and I share the general industry consensus that he won't hold up for 180 innings. Let's hope the Sox stick him in the 'pen and let him go until he breaks; they'll be better off in 2011 for it.

8. Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Atlanta | Prospect Rank: NR
Has the pure stuff to miss bats; his rate of strikeouts per nine innings was the highest in history for any pitcher with at least 20 innings. (Oddly enough, three more of the top 14 occurred last year: Carlos Marmol, Kenley Jansen, and Billy Wagner.) He's also got a long history of below-average control, only "improving" when rosters expanded in September of last year. But it's big stuff and Atlanta seems inclined to give him first shot at closing.

9. Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Cincinnati | Prospect Rank: 15
I do think Chapman could start; he has three pitches, and while he was pretty high-effort in relief, he can sit at 94-95 while throwing at about 80 percent effort, and from a lefty that's comfortably plus. But the Reds see him as a reliever, and if that's his role, he'll probably spend all of 2011 in the bullpen, striking out hitters left and right. He did lose a little something on back-to-back days in 2010, something to keep in mind as we watch Dusty Baker fire up the ol' arm-shredder.

10. Hank Conger, C, L.A. Angels | Prospect Rank: 62
I'd like to think that the trade of Mike Napoli opens up not just a roster spot for the switch-hitting Conger, but 400 or so at-bats as well. But the Angels have an irrational love of the infinite out-making capacity of Jeff Mathis, who now boasts a .265 OBP in more than 1,000 career plate appearances in the majors -- and if that ain't evidence that he can't hit, I'm a potted plant. Conger won't kill the Angels behind the plate and he'll be worth an extra couple of wins over giving Mathis the full-time job.

11. Kenley Jansen, RHP, L.A. Dodgers | Prospect Rank: NR
Didn't get the publicity that Kimbrel got, probably because the Dodgers didn't make the playoffs, but Jansen has a similar profile -- big fastball to miss bats, below-average control -- with a little more upside because he's only been pitching for a year and a half. He did get the ball in save situations the final week or so of the season and has to be somewhere in line for the closer job after the next Jonathan Broxton implosion.

12. Zach Britton, LHP, Baltimore | Prospect Rank: 11
Britton is close to ready now, and has a good argument to be listed as one of the five best starters in the Baltimore system. But the Orioles aren't contending this year, and there's some financial logic to promoting Britton in June rather than in April. Two months in Triple-A to work on tightening up his command won't hurt him any.

13. Jordan Walden, RHP, L.A. Angels | Prospect Rank: 85
I don't know if they'll keep Walden to start the season, but I have heard the Angels' coaching staff was very impressed by what they saw from Walden, particularly the 99 mph bowling ball he throws. Like Kimbrel and Jansen, he's got command questions, but the Angels have a pretty good track record for coaxing improvement from relievers in the big leagues over the last decade or so.

14. Michael Pineda, RHP, Seattle | Prospect Rank: 21
What I said for Britton also applies to Pineda, who should see the majors by midyear but will probably stay down as the team manages his service time. He's also a year younger than Britton and had trouble with the long ball in Triple-A, so there's a viable baseball argument to send him down, although that was the only real blemish on his 2010 performance.

15. Desmond Jennings, CF, Tampa Bay | Prospect Rank: 20
Before the Manny/Damon signings, it seemed much more likely that Jennings would garner 500 at-bats in the majors in 2011, but that probability has dropped, and even so, Jennings does have to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. If he plays in the majors this year, he'll have more immediate impact with his glove and legs than his bat.

16. Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco | Prospect Rank: 17
The only reason he's not at or near the top is the lack of a job for him on Opening Day, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he Poseyed his way into the majors before the June period when clubs looking to prevent super-two designations recall their prospects. (That said, the new CBA may very well wipe out super-two status entirely, which would be a net positive for baseball.) If Belt does get a full season in San Francisco, I'd like his chances to challenge Freeman for NL Rookie of the Year.

17. Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle | Prospect Rank: 7
Like Belt, Pineda and Britton, he'll probably stay in the minors for service-time reasons, but he'll also continue to work on his defense -- the last thing the Mariners want is to bring their top prospect to the majors, only to see him blow out his knee a week in when Billy Butler takes him out on a double play. I'd expect Ackley to contribute some average and stolen bases once he's recalled.

18. Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City | Prospect Rank: 23
Not ready now, but it's not like Brooks Robinson is in his way, and the Royals are going to feel a lot of pressure this year to give fans a reason to come see the major league club. Promoting their closest top-shelf prospect would qualify; even if he struggles to hit for average, he'll hit some moonshots that will get Royals fans talking.

19. Kyle Gibson, RHP, Minnesota | Prospect Rank: 32
I understand that he's well down the Twins' depth chart, but I'd bet good money that Gibson is a superior option to two members of the Twins' rotation by July 1. That's as much an endorsement of Gibson's combination of strikes and ground balls as an indictment of Spots 4 and 5 in Minnesota.

20. Jesus Montero, C, N.Y. Yankees | Prospect Rank: 4
I have little doubt that he'll hit if he plays, but don't have a good sense of when he'll play -- or if he'll end up traded for a starting pitcher.

I considered Brett Jackson (Cubs), Ben Revere (Twins), and Chris Carter (A's), among others, but couldn't see enough playing time for them in 2011 to include them on the list.

[LTR]

100% my bad. I thought it was top prospects, not impact prospects.

[McCovey]

No problem. LTR. :toast:

I do wonder how fast Bryce Harper will climb the minor league ladder. The only sort-of-negative I've heard about him is that he's susceptible to great breaking ball stuff away. Since he's so young I'm sure he'll adapt to off-speed pitches eventually.

[Bear]

No problem. LTR. :toast:

I do wonder how fast Bryce Harper will climb the minor league ladder. The only sort-of-negative I've heard about him is that he's susceptible to great breaking ball stuff away. Since he's so young I'm sure he'll adapt to off-speed pitches eventually.

Point Mac!:pound:

[LTR]

No problem. LTR. :toast:

I do wonder how fast Bryce Harper will climb the minor league ladder. The only sort-of-negative I've heard about him is that he's susceptible to great breaking ball stuff away. Since he's so young I'm sure he'll adapt to off-speed pitches eventually.

I'll buy those beers:)

I don't see Harper getting there anytime soon. His only experience really is playing in the AFL. He did well but with his age and learning a new position, I would say a couple of seasons minimal.

[McCovey]

From John Sickels.


Prospect Smackdown: Brandon Belt vs. Freddie Freeman

by John Sickels on Feb 3, 2011 7:00 PM EST

The three best first base prospects in baseball right now are Eric Hosmer of the Kansas City Royals, Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves, and Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants. The least-known of the trio entering 2010 was Belt, who came out of (seemingly) nowhere with a monstrous '10 campaign. Let's do a Prospect Smackdown between Belt and Freeman.

Background and Intangibles

Belt: Brandon Belt was primarily known as a pitching prospect growing up in Texas and was drafted in the 11th round by the Red Sox in 2006. He went to junior college at San Jacinto, where he emerged as a hitting prospect and was drafted again in the 11th round, this time by the Braves in '07. He passed that up and went to the University of Texas, playing for two seasons and doing enough to earn a fifth round spot in the '09 draft with the Giants. He was solid but not spectacular in college, but last year he tore through the minor leagues, destroying the California and Eastern Leagues and holding his own in Triple-A. He's now one of the elite offensive prospects in baseball. His work ethic and makeup are considered excellent.

Freeman: Freddie Freeman was well-known to scouts on the California high school circuit, earning a spot in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Braves. He pitched a lot in high school and many teams liked him better on the mound, but the Braves preferred his bat. His rookie ball debut was mediocre, but he took a big step forward in '08, hitting .316 with 18 homers in Low-A at the age of 18. A wrist injury hampered him in '09, but in '10 he blasted Triple-A International League pitching with a .319/.378/.521 mark, posting an impressive +22 percent OPS at age 20, leading the league in base hits and total bases. He is very mature for his age and scouts like his makeup.

Advantage: Both players were pitching prospects in high school but preferred hitting. Belt went the college route and Freeman got into pro ball first, but both moved very rapidly through their respective farm systems. Both have good makeup. This seems even to me.

Physicality, Health, and Tools

Belt: Belt is a 6-5, 210 pound left-handed hitter and thrower, born April 20, 1988. Although physically large, he is a good athlete with average speed. He's very aggressive on the bases and will swipe more bags than the average first baseman, is an excellent defender, and runs well enough to see time in the outfield, where his arm is playable. Belt is physically strong, but scouts weren't sure his college swing would work in the pros and that he could get tired up inside too often. The Giants made some adjustments to his stance last year, opening it up, and the results were outstanding. He's always had good plate discipline and doesn't strike out excessively for a power hitter.

Freeman: Freeman is a 6-5, 220 pound left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, born September 12, 1989. He is a decent athlete, with average speed but smooth moves around the bag at first base. He doesn't run quite as well Belt and wouldn't fit as readily in the corner outfield, although he has a stronger throwing arm. His swing is well-regarded, simple and generating power to all fields. He doesn't strike out much for a power hitter and shows decent knowledge of the strike zone, but is rather aggressive and not a walk machine.

Advantage: They are the same height. Freeman carries a bit more size on his frame and is a tick slower, but also has a stronger arm than Belt. Both will be above average defensive players at first base, though Belt could play some outfield when young. Both feature above average, though not spectacular power. Both have good knowledge of the strike zone, though Freeman is more aggressive and less willing to wait for walks. I think Belt is a slightly better athlete, but Freeman is a year and a half younger, which is a major advantage in terms of future skill growth projection. Overall this balances out as even.

Current Performance

Belt: Belt began 2010 with San Jose in the High-A California League, his first professional assignment since he signed too late to play in '09. He annihilated Cal League pitching with a .383/.492/.628 mark in 77 games, including 58 walks and just 50 strikeouts in 269 at-bats. He even stole 18 bases in 25 attempts. Promoted to Double-A Richmond, he remained unstoppable with a .337/.413/.623 mark in 46 games, retaining his power and plate discipline in a much more difficult park/league context. A late promotion to Triple-A resulted in a .229/.393/.563 mark for Fresno; the batting average was low, but that looked like a BABIP fluke, given that he retained power and strong plate discipline. His composite line on the year was .352/.455/.620 with 93 walks, 99 strikeouts, and 22 steals in 30 attempts; 43 doubles and 10 triples were included. He then hit .372/.427/.616 in the Arizona Fall League. There were no statistical flaws that I can see in his performance.

Freeman: Freeman spent the entire minor league season in Triple-A ,hitting .319/.378/.521 with 35 doubles, 18 homers, 43 walks, and 84 strikeouts in 461 at-bats for Richmond. Promoted to the majors for September, he went 4-for-24 (.167), but two of his hits were for extra bases, including a home run against Roy Halladay. Considering that he was a 20-year-old hitting in Triple-A, his season was excellent. He went just 2-for-16 in the Arizona Fall League, but both hits were for extra bases and of course the sample is miniscule.

Advantage: Both players had very strong seasons, although it is hard to compare them directly since they played (for the most part) at different levels. Belt was certainly more dominant on the surface, leading the entire minor leagues in OPS, but he was also playing against less difficult competition in High-A and Double-A, and is a year and a half older than Freeman. But check this out: Freeman's .898 OPS in Triple-A was 22 percent better than International League context. Belt's .956 OPS in Triple-A was 22 percent better than Pacific Coast League context. In other words, their Triple-A numbers were virtually the same in OPS terms, although given that Belt's sample size was just 13 games, we can't take assume that would hold up over a full season. This is another very close call but I'll give a slight edge to Belt considering how amazing his season was in aggregate.

Projection

Belt: Belt's MLE for 2010 was about .280/.360/.520. Scouts project he should hit .270-.290 in the majors, with at least 20 homer power and a high walk rate and strong defense. He turns 23 in April, and assuming a standard growth curve he has the ability to be an above-average producer at first base at worst, and very possibly an All-Star, assuming he stays with the swing and approach he used this year.

Freeman: Freeman's MLE for 2010 was about .290/.340/.460. Scouts project that he should hit .270-.290 in the majors, with at least 20 homer power and strong defense. Unless his walk rate spikes, his OPB will be rather dependent on his batting average. He will play 2011 at age 21 and doesn't turn 22 until the middle of September. He projects as an above-average first baseman, with All-Star potential down the line if he maximizes his potenital.

Advantage: They project as similar players at this point. Belt should draw more walks and have an OBP less dependent on batting average, but Freeman is younger and has more room to improve on the age curve, assuming of course that his development curve is typical, which it may not be.

Summary
Very close, like all good smackdowns. I rate them as even on background and intangibles, even on tools, Belt with a very slight edge on current performance, and Freeman a tiny edge on future projection due to his youth. This is really close.

In my 2011 book, I gave them both Grade A- ratings, with Freeman just slightly ahead on the Top 50 list because he is younger. I expect both of these guys will be around for a long, long time.

[Bear]

After reading John Sickels report on Belt vs. Freddie Freeman and now having the same information he has I would side with the Belt supporters. This is not just because he is a Giant but because as a first baseman I feel it is to Belt's advantage that his speed, fielding, and the fact he is a left-handed thrower will make him a better first baseman. The throwing part I feel is a big deal at first base and is also a BIG advantage. :rolleyes:

[SF Kid]

Left handed players are usually GREAT.

[McCovey]

Interesting that the Braves didn't look for a veteran first baseman this off season. They just decided to give Freeman the first base job.

[Bear]

Left handed players are usually GREAT.

Not always. I know at least one who could not get out of his own way. They are usually more fragile the the stronger more talented right handers. :nono:

[McCovey]

After reading John Sickels report on Belt vs. Freddie Freeman and now having the same information he has I would side with the Belt supporters. This is not just because he is a Giant but because as a first baseman I feel it is to Belt's advantage that his speed, fielding, and the fact he is a left-handed thrower will make him a better first baseman. The throwing part I feel is a big deal at first base and is also a BIG advantage. :rolleyes:

Pretty much agree with you 100% Bear. :awesomework.gif You don't see many athletic first baseman in the majors. Spring training is really going to be interesting for Belt. I look forward to seeing him play.

[SF Kid]

Can't wait to see Belt in ST. I really hope he sticks and can play this year in SF.

[McCovey]

Some pics from Belt's days at the University of Texas.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2010/1025/fan_a_bbeltts_576.jpg

http://rotoexperts.com/images/stories/newroto/cmra535_brandon_belt_iconsmi.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/03Vd8wBgck8y8/610x.jpg

[SF Kid]

Looks like a skinny little fucker. :p

[McCovey]

Looks like a skinny little fucker. :p
Well, those photos are about 2-3 years old. He graduated from UT in 2009. Besided like I said before Ted Williams and Will Clark were skinny little dudes, too. :)

[Bear]

Looks like a skinny little fucker. :p

When is 6-5, 210 = skinny little fucker? What does the make you? Puny?:pound::eek:

[McCovey]

Baseball Prospectus' report on Brandon Belt.


1. Brandon Belt, 1B
DOB: 4/20/88
Height/Weight: 6-5/195
Bats/Throws: L/L
Drafted/Signed: Fifth round, 2009, University of Texas
2010 Stats: .383/.492/.628 at High-A (77 G); .337/.413/.623 at Double-A (46 G); .229/.393/.563 at Triple-A (13 G)
Best/Worst Tool: Hit/run

Year in Review: An unheralded pick at the time, Belt was the biggest breakout in the entire minor leagues in 2010, with scouts being universal in their belief that it was the real deal.

The Good: Belt has plus-plus pure hitting ability, showing no real weaknesses against lefties or righties, any pitch type, or thrown in any location. His hands are tremendous, and he's equally adept at going with pitches or turning on them with plenty of bat speed. The bat plays even better due to outstanding plate discipline and pitch recognition. He's a very good defensive first baseman, and runs well enough to play in the outfield, where he held is own in some late-season looks.

The Bad: Belt doesn't have traditional power for a first baseman, and scouting projections for him vary from 15 to 25 home runs annually. He had some struggles in Triple-A against a steady diet of breaking balls, and might still need to make some adjustments at the highest level.

Ephemera: He was a 46th-round pick in the 2005 draft by the Astros out of Hudson High School in Lufkin, Texas, a school with no football program. That's right, a Texas high school with no football.

Perfect World Projection: Belt's sweet lefty swing drew multiple optimistic comparisons to Will Clark.

Fantasy Impact: He could produce in every category, even chipping in with a handful of stolen bases.

Path to the Big Leagues: Belt will get a long look this spring, as the re-signing of Aubrey Huff does not block him, since one of the two could move to left field once Belt's bat is deemed ready.

ETA: 2011

[McCovey]

From Andrew Baggarly's blog today. I like the fact Belt came into camp early. :awesomework.gif


I introduced myself to first baseman Brandon Belt today. He doesn’t have to be here until Friday, but he was among the dozen or so minor leaguers who participated in a mini conditioning camp in Arizona last week, and figured he’d just continue to work out and hit locally.

Belt had some funny things to say about his appearance at a card and autograph show in the Bay Area this winter.

“I really felt like I didn’t belong at all,” he said. “I look around and see Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith, and I’m thinking, `What am I doing here?’ But it was a good experience.”

Belt’s autograph was $25. You could get five of them for the price of a Buster Posey autograph.

Belt didn’t have to pay for any of the signatures he collected, though, and you’d better believe he made sure to get Emmitt Smith’s script on a few items.

“Oh yeah, I was all over it,” he said. “I grew up a Cowboys fan.”

Belt said he plans to be reserved and keep his ears open this spring. He named Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell as veterans from whom he hopes to learn. As Henry Schulman tweeted, we’re assuming young Brandon is talking about on-field lessons here.

[McCovey]

The guy who "discovered" Brandon Belt. He also discovered a small undersized Las Vegas high school pitcher named Greg Maddux. Great story.


Giants scout uncovered a gem in Brandon Belt

By Andrew Baggarly
02/26/2011 09:52:48 PM PST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Doug Mapson works for the Giants. He is what they call a cross-checker. And his job has an unfortunate consequence.
He often wakes up in a hotel room and needs a solid minute to recall what town he is in.

"Curtains are closed. Room is dark. "... Where am I?" said Mapson, who spends more than 200 nights a year on the road. "It happens more than you'd like to admit."

But on a good day, after throwing those curtains open, the light will come streaming in. And Mapson will notice something interesting about a flawed college baseball player such as Brandon Belt.

Belt is not a flawed player now. After just one full pro season, he is the Giants' top prospect -- a polished and disciplined left-handed hitter with extra-base power, no apparent weaknesses and Gold Glove skills at first base. He blitzed through three minor league levels last year, then tore up some of the game's top young pitching prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

Belt isn't knocking at the door. He is standing there with a battering ram.

But on draft day in June 2009, Belt was a lightly regarded college junior with an aluminum-bat swing at the University of Texas. His stance was crouched and closed off, preventing him from driving the ball. You needed to squint hard to see a future big leaguer.

It took a talented minor league coaching staff to change Belt's approach, open his stance and give him the tools to barrel up pro pitching. Before that, it took a seasoned scout dreaming a little on an athletic kid -- and having enough conviction in that dream to raise his hand in the middle of a crowded draft room.

"We liked him in the past, but the question was what kind of power he'd have to profile at first base," Giants scouting director John Barr said. "Doug stood up and spoke for him. He said, 'He has the power.' "

The room fell silent. Scouts are paid for their opinions. The best ones give them firmly but sparingly.

"It's knowing when to step up and be counted," said general manager Brian Sabean, who made Mapson one of his first hires when he came to the Giants as vice president of scouting in 1993. "Doug has done it so long. People pay it huge respect when he's promoting somebody."

They should. Twenty-five years earlier, Mapson stood in the Chicago Cubs' draft room and spoke passionately for a short, weakly built Las Vegas-area high school pitcher named Greg Maddux.

"I really believe this boy would be the No. 1 player in the country if only he looked a bit more physical," Mapson's now-famous report said.

It's a story Mapson, 61, is asked to retell so often. While working as an area scout, he met Maddux's parents a half-dozen times. He spoke to his high school coach. But it took seven visits before he exchanged a word with the young right-hander.

"More than anybody I've ever scouted, he told you everything on the mound. You had nothing to ask him," said Mapson, who persuaded the Cubs to take Maddux in the second round of the 1984 draft. "In retrospect, even in high school, it was artful and masterful. But remember, this is hindsight. I wasn't smart enough to project what he'd become."

Signing an automatic first-ballot Hall of Famer? That's career credibility for a scout. Yet Mapson isn't the sort to abuse it.

A Monterey-area native who coached high school baseball for 10 years before beginning his scouting career, Mapson could have written references to Maddux in dozens of reports over the years. But he has dropped the name only once, when he saw current Cincinnati Reds right-hander Mike Leake pitching for Arizona State two years ago.

"Doug has convictions, but he doesn't have an overbearing personality," Sabean said. "And he's indefatigable. He'll jump on a plane at a moment's notice to go anywhere, any time."

So many of today's general managers own a master's degree. Sabean, the longest-tenured G.M. in the game, has a background in beating the bushes and sitting on aluminum bleachers. He values the legwork and experienced sets of eyes.

"What we have is unusual," Sabean said. "That's one reason the World Series was so unique. We've had so much continuity in player development and scouting -- so much of the original group. The byproduct is that you're more and more on the same page and you understand how to coexist."

Said Mapson: "These days it seems experience isn't the most desired commodity. But Brian always has valued it. We stood in the back of the room on draft day, and he just looked out and said, 'My gosh, just look at all the years we have here.' "

When draft day arrived in 2009, Belt expected he might be picked in the 10th round. If he was lucky, he might go a round or two earlier.

The Giants took him in the fifth. They had complete reports from their area scout, Todd "Tiny" Thomas, who had tracked Belt from his days as a high school pitcher. Regional supervisor Joe Strain added another positive report.

Most of all, they had the conviction of a 30-year veteran scout whom everyone in the room respected.

Mapson had seen Belt hit a home run in the Cape Cod all-star game, turning around a 98 mph fastball.

"It was in there," Mapson said. "You can't make that up."

Mapson knew Belt's background, too, and gave him credit for his aptitude when injuries forced him to convert from high school pitcher to junior college hitter.

Mapson even knew that Belt was the son of a high school football coach and geometry teacher and that he scored a 98 percent in his dad's class and still remembers the Pythagorean theorem.

"A-squared plus B-squared equals C-squared, right?" said Belt, standing in front of his locker in the Scottsdale Stadium clubhouse.

Math is finite. Scouting is more of an art.

"Listen, understand and apply," Mapson said. "That's what we hoped he could do. But to be honest, it was still just a hope. Until the player gets on the field on an everyday basis and makes it happen, you don't really know."

When it does happen, when it all comes together for someone such as Brandon Belt, there are few things more satisfying to a crosschecker.

Really good blackout curtains come close.

[McCovey]

Belt's getting some national press now. :beerbang:


Giants' Belt makes strong spring impression

By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Baseball Writer – Sat Feb 26, 5:16 am ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The hype surrounding Brandon Belt compares to that around Buster Posey two years back.

Posey is now the reigning NL Rookie of the Year. The San Francisco Giants have equally lofty hopes for the highly touted Belt, their fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft.

Especially after what the sure-handed first baseman showed last year in his first season of pro ball: batting .352 with 23 home runs and 112 RBIs in 136 games between high Class A, Double-A and Triple-A. He wound up with 76 extra-base hits, a .455 on-base percentage, drew 93 walks and stole 22 bases.

All of that and Belt, the soft-spoken Texan with the big left-handed bat, is still feeling like the new guy in big league camp this spring. Probably not for long.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing," the 22-year-old Belt said, standing at his locker before a recent workout. "I'm just following the people who have been here before. I'm still trying to not look very stupid."

He took over at first base in the sixth inning of the Giants' 7-6 victory against Arizona in their Cactus League opener Friday and grounded out to the pitcher in his only at-bat.

"It felt good. It's nice to get that first one out of the way," Belt said. "I'll probably be more relaxed in the next one."

Belt is doing a lot of observing of the veterans for now, keeping his mouth shut and going about his work.

He is still a mystery to most of his teammates — and Belt has been working mostly on a back field so far, away from the regular roster players for the World Series champions. The Giants' brass came out to watch him and others in an intrasquad game Thursday at Scottsdale Stadium. Belt got one hit.

"I don't know how much advice he needs," Posey said. "He batted .350 with 20-something home runs last year. He probably has a pretty good idea of what he wants to do this year."

The plan is for Belt to start the season at Triple-A Fresno to give him more time to develop, though the talented infielder will stay in major league camp at spring training for as long as the front-office executives need to fully evaluate him.

"It's early. He's trying to find his timing," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I look forward to seeing him this spring."

The Giants project Belt as their first baseman of the future, though he also can play the outfield.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Belt is focused more on his nutrition and training this season, determined not to lose the 15 or 20 pounds he dropped a year ago just over the course of a grueling season. He also was fatigued by the end, learning he has to take better care of himself to stay at this level.

Pitcher Madison Bumgarner has been impressed with Belt's focus and performance so far.

"I'd heard about his hitting. I knew he could hit, but I hadn't seen him at first base and didn't know how good he was," Bumgarner said. "He's smooth and makes good plays."

Belt definitely feels the buzz of being part of the World Series champions — even if he wasn't part of the special run last fall to the franchise's first title since moving west in 1958 and first overall since the New York Giants won it all in 1954.

"It's very exciting right now," Belt said. "It's fun to come in here and see all the banners. It's a good opportunity for me to show people in the front office what I can do."

[SF Kid]

Superstar? :sunny:

[McCovey]

Superstar? :sunny:

So I guess you like Brandon Belt. :p

[SF Kid]

So I guess you like Brandon Belt. :pSure. Why not? He hasn't done anything wrong YET. :D

[McCovey]

Sure. Why not? He hasn't done anything wrong YET. :D

I see! So should we just get rid of him now instead of waiting until he sucks? ;)

[McCovey]

Sabean says Belt likely to start the season at Fresno.


Top Giants prospect Brandon Belt likely to open year at Fresno

By Andrew Baggarly
02/28/2011

PHOENIX -- Will top prospect Brandon Belt open the season with the Giants? GM Brian Sabean doubts it.

"I personally would like to see him get more at-bats at Triple-A," said Sabean, noting that Belt played just 13 games at Fresno at the end of last season, his first as a pro.

"He seemingly is a special talent, and you don't want to kill somebody's incentive or tell them they don't have a chance. But he'd really have to force our hand, or bad luck -- injuries and such -- would have to befall us."

Belt put on a forceful show Monday, collecting three well-struck hits and driving in four runs in a 10-9 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale.
Most impressively, Belt took a 2-2 slider in the dirt one pitch before splitting the gap in right-center with a bases-clearing double. Later, he displayed his all-fields approach while doubling off the wall in the left-field corner.

"He had a game, didn't he?" said manager Bruce Bochy, who agreed that Belt swings like a left-handed version of Buster Posey. "They're similar. They don't panic. They have power, but they stay in the middle of the field. It keeps them on the ball longer."

Bochy said Belt will play almost every day this spring, making frequent starts at first base. He'll have plenty of chances to force the issue.

"I was probably pressing a little bit at first," Belt said. "I wanted to get that first hit. Now I can just come in and do my thing."

[SF Kid]

Why would Sabean jump the gun? I just don't get that. One week into Spring training and the kid is going to stay in Fresno.

Hey Sabean :fu:

[WillTheThrill]

Yeah, what is the point of Belt even trying if he knows that he's going down no matter what he does? :shrug:

Of course, he's a professional and he wants to make an impression, anyway, so I'm sure he'll still play his hardest. But still, way to take away the guy's motivation. Sheeeeesh.

I thought it was a good move for the Giants to resign Huff (even if I thought they overpaid for him) this offseason, but now I'm wishing they hadn't. If they had needed a first baseman, Belt would have almost definitely been it. :nono:

.

[McCovey]

It's obvious Sabean wants to delay Belt's arbitration by a year.

[SF Kid]

It's obvious Sabean wants to delay Belt's arbitration by a year.Well yes but it's BS. At the expense of putting the best possible team on the field day 1? that sucks. Fuck him.

[McCovey]

Brandon Belt interview on KNBR. :)

http://www.knbr.com/portals/3/podcasts/murphmac/0303brandonbelt.MP3

[McCovey]

Video of Belt's first spring training HR!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13146321

[SF Kid]

Video of Belt's first spring training HR!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13146321Cut him. NOW. :beerbang:


http://www.katzy.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/shoot7.gif Sabean

[McCovey]

Ok, the Giants will have issues with which position players to keep on the final 25 man roster. So Belt goes to Fresno. But when the Giants bring up Belt later this season they still have to demote or release another player. Who will that be?

[SF Kid]

Ok, the Giants will have issues with which position players to keep on the final 25 man roster. So Belt goes to Fresno. But when the Giants bring up Belt later this season they still have to demote or release another player. Who will that be?

The Bear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WillTheThrill]

Ok, the Giants will have issues with which position players to keep on the final 25 man roster. So Belt goes to Fresno. But when the Giants bring up Belt later this season they still have to demote or release another player. Who will that be?

I have a bad feeling that an injury or possibly a trade will answer that question.

.

[McCovey]

A recent Brandon Belt interview.


Ten Questions with Brandon Belt

01/31/2011 10:00 AM ET
By Danny Wild / MLB.com

Few players established themselves last season as well as Brandon Belt did. And it's possible he is the Giants' first baseman this spring after he so thoroughly impressed a front office that is still celebrating a World Series victory.

A fifth-round pick in the 2009 Draft, Belt stormed through the Minor Leagues last summer, reaching Triple-A before earning Rising Star status in the elite Arizona Fall League. General manager Brian Sabean, who assembled the Giants' World Series-winning roster, has been gushing about the infielder.

"He seems to be on a mission," Sabean told the San Francisco Chronicle in December. "He opened everybody's eyes."

Sabean compared him to Buster Posey, the new standard among young catchers. Calling Belt "way above average" defensively and "very advanced as a hitter," he said the 22-year-old -- with just one year in the Minors -- could emerge as the Giants' everyday first baseman or outfielder this spring.

So it's a good time to be Brandon Belt, recently ranked No. 26 on MLB.com's list of the Top 50 Prospects. The Texas native recently spoke to MiLB.com:

MiLB.com: I'd typically ask how excited you were to be drafted, but your story is a little different. When the Giants selected you in 2009, it was the third time you'd been drafted, and I believe you were nearly picked by the Cubs out of high school. Was it just a relief to finally sign a contract and know your future?

Brandon Belt: Oh, yeah, definitely. I had some troubles, I guess, with the Draft early on, I didn't know where my career would go. I was a pitcher at first. I thought that's what I'd be as a professional, and when that didn't work out, I didn't know what would happen. When the Giants drafted me, it lifted a weight off my shoulders. It was fun to go out and play baseball and just enjoy it.

MiLB.com: Some fans may not know you were an excellent pitcher in high school and college. And you recently said you believed you'd make it to the pros as a pitcher, not a hitter. Do you miss pitching? Do you find yourself in the field thinking about what you'd throw if you were on the mound?

Brandon Belt: Yeah, I definitely miss it a little bit. I did it for so long, I thought I'd do it as a professional. I still find myself going through mechanics. It's something you think about -- what would you throw in certain situations? And I think that helps me at the plate. I like to play every day, so it worked out for the best. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the future.

MiLB.com: Who'd you follow growing up in Texas? Is it possible to pitch at the University of Texas and not be a Roger Clemens fan?

Brandon Belt: It was hard not to be a Roger Clemens fan, especially being from Texas. I went to San Jacinto College, too, which is where he went after high school. So I was definitely a Roger Clemens fan and a huge Randy Johnson fan -- I looked up to [Clemens]. Those were my main guys. I met Roger one time at Texas -- he came into our locker room and met everyone. It was pretty cool and exciting.

MiLB.com: You had an incredible rookie season at three levels, hitting over .350 with 23 homers and 112 RBIs. Earlier this week, you were ranked No. 26 among the Top 50 Prospects in baseball by MLB.com. Baseball America didn't even have you in the top 20 among Giants prospects entering 2010. How can you sum up your first year?

Brandon Belt: It was real exciting. I've always known I could put the bat on the ball, but I didn't know how quickly I would adjust to the new mechanics the Giants had me doing. I wasn't sure how the season would go, but once we figured it out, I told myself I'd go hit the balls and not worry about mechanics. It helped propel me to the season I had, and, like I said, I'm looking forward to next year and do the same thing, having the same mentality, and hopefully it'll carry me far.

MiLB.com: Giants general manager Brian Sabean said in December that the team wasn't ruling out having you as an everyday first baseman or left fielder in 2011. This is a team that just won the World Series. What's it like to know that opportunity is so close?

Brandon Belt: I can't explain how exciting it is for me. I've dreamed about it since I was a little boy. I feel honored and extremely excited that anyone would say that about me. I need to show what I can do. If it works out for me, I'll be the happiest person in the world, but if it doesn't, I'll do what I do wherever they send me and make it up as soon as possible.

MiLB.com: Sabean, among others, has compared you to Buster Posey, which I'm sure is an honor for any young Minor Leaguer. Do you feel there are similarities?

Brandon Belt: I think the biggest similarity is the approach at the plate. Obviously, you can only hope to have the season he had and be the hitter he is. We have a similar approach, staying in the middle of field, we're not afraid to go the other way. And that's what helped me have the year I had. It's something I wanted to carry into next year.

MiLB.com: I read you got married after playing in the Arizona Fall League. What has this offseason been like? Did you go anywhere cool for the honeymoon?

Brandon Belt: No, actually, we haven't gone anywhere. She wasn't done with school and needed to finish up a semester, and then it was Christmas and then New Year's -- we just haven't had time. And now I'm at a conditioning camp in Arizona. But hopefully we can do something next year. I think she's always been a fan of Jamaica or the Bahamas -- any island, I think. I've never been out of the country before, so it would be pretty cool.

MiLB.com: You played a season on Cape Cod, mostly as a hitter. What was it like living on the Cape, as compared to Texas, and playing in that league?

Brandon Belt: The funny thing is, the Cape reminds me of where I'm from, except it's on the beach. It had that down-home feel, the big trees everywhere. It was a lot of fun. And, really, it got me prepared for professional ball, to see great players day in and day out. It was a lot of fun. There was a difference from Texas with the people, but the terrain reminded me of home.

MiLB.com: Do you have any pregame superstitions or routines, favorite meals or music you have to listen to?

Brandon Belt: I'm probably the least superstitious person you'll ever meet. I just turn my iPod on. Whatever's playing gets me going -- I don't have anything specific. Although I do like to eat nachos every now and again -- I'm a Mexican kinda guy, so anytime I get my hands on nachos or Mexican food, I'm pretty happy.

MiLB.com: Favorite video game?

Brandon Belt: I'd have to say Halo 2, that's really the only video game that I've ever played in my entire life. When I was in junior college, we played that every single day, nonstop, with all the guys on the team. And we had a lot of fun doing that.

[McCovey]

Belt continues to impress. :)


Giants notebook: Belt's bat making a convincing argument

By Alex Pavlovic
03/16/2011

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Brandon Belt has refused to lobby for himself when asked about his chances of making the opening day lineup, but his bat isn't being quite so respectful.

Belt had another big day at the plate Wednesday, coming up a triple shy of the cycle and winning two prolonged battles with White Sox ace Mark Buehrle.
Barring a trade or release of a veteran, Belt appears ticketed for Triple-A Fresno, but he's not making the decision easy.

"This thing is going to go probably to the last few days before we know which way we're going to go," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's doing all he can."

Belt, who started at first base and hit sixth in the lineup, got off to a so-so start. He drew Buehrle's only walk of the day in the second inning but was promptly picked off first base.

In his second at-bat, Belt once again took Buehrle to a full count before roping a single to right.

"When somebody like that is on the mound you raise your intensity a little bit," Belt said.

In the sixth inning, Belt crushed a 1-1 offering from Jeff Gray into the left-field bullpen. Belt went the opposite way again in his next at-bat for an RBI double. He came around to score on a single, taking out catcher Donny Lucy in the process.

"He's done nothing but impress me," said Tim Lincecum, who allowed one run in 51/3 innings.

Lincecum, however, won't be making the decision on Belt's immediate future. General manager Brian Sabean is among those who will, and he told the Mercury News on Tuesday that Belt has "certainly got everybody talking inside and outside the organization as a guy who looks like he could be ready."
"Only thing I can think of is that'd be awesome, but you know, that's something I can't control," Belt said when asked about Sabean's comments. "They get paid a lot of money to make those decisions.

"If they decide I'm ready, they decide I'm ready. If not, I think they're going to do what's best for me."

[McCovey]

Belts circling the bases after hitting another home run.

[McCovey]

From Extra Baggs.


— The notebook should be up soon also, and leads with Brandon Belt, who had a huuuuuge day. Belt was a triple shy of the cycle, and was impressive in just about every way.

His home run was to the opposite field, about 370 feet into the left-field bullpen. He also added a double, and came around to score on a Nate Schierholtz single. The throw beat him to the plate, but the kid from Texas channeled his inner linebacker, upending White Sox catcher Donny Lucy with a hard slide.

Despite all that, I was most impressed with Belt’s second-inning walk. Facing Mark Buehrle, Chicago’s ace and Opening Day starter, Belt fouled off a couple tough pitches before taking a close one for ball four.

Time after time, Belt’s coaches and teammates have said it’s his eye that’s going to make him special and he showed that Wednesday. By the way, Buehrle is one of the game’s best control artists… not exactly the easiest guy to draw a walk off of.

The Giants are going to face a very tough choice with Belt, just like they did last year with Buster Posey. Someone asked me in an email if Belt could just replace Ishikawa or Schiertholtz on the roster. The thing to remember is that Belt needs to start for the big club, otherwise you’re stunting his development. The only way that can happen is if Aubrey Huff is in left, and as Henry Schulman pointed, out Huff hasn’t played an inning in left yet this spring.

My guess would be that Belt is ticketed for Fresno. But he still has a couple weeks to change some minds.

[SF Kid]

My guess would be that Belt is ticketed for Fresno. But he still has a couple weeks to change some minds.Why? Because Sabean is being a stubborn idiot?

[Bear]

Why? Because Sabean is being a stubborn idiot?

The real reason is that he just signed Huff for 22 mil., and he wants to play him at first base. Also they want Belt to play first so you do the math. They have created a log jam.:nono:

[McCovey]

It looks like Brian Sabean is at least considering Brandon Belt being a Giant to start the season. :awesomework.gif This should make the SF Kid happy! :D


If Belt's ready to help, GM's ready to let him

Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, March 18, 2011
(03-18-2011) 04:00 PDT Scottsdale, Ariz. --

Brandon Belt started at first base against the Angels on Thursday night and batted seventh, which was not a random stroke of the pen. Giants general manager Brian Sabean said if Belt makes the team, he will hit seventh and not be thrown to the wolves in the middle of the lineup.

More significant, Sabean said the decision will be based on whether management believes the Giants will be a better team at the start of 2011 with Belt than without him. The two years left on Aaron Rowand's contract and the lack of minor-league options for Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz will not be big factors.

"If Belt forces his way on, it would have to be legitimate, and we're all agreed he would be the seventh hitter," Sabean said. "The caveat is, there are high expectations and we certainly hope he'll be in a winning situation immediately. There's more pressure associated with that.

"But you still always are going to pick the best team. You're going to pick the team with the most versatility that gives you the best chance to win each game and series. That's what it comes down to."

The decision is far from made. The staff still has to see a lineup with Belt at first base and Aubrey Huff in left field. Thirteen days remain before Opening Day. In Sabean's world, that is an epoch for decision-making.

Unless a position player starts the year on the disabled list, Belt, Rowand, Schierholtz and Ishikawa need to fit into two roster slots.

Trading Rowand is not likely even if the Giants are willing to eat his contract. The Giants are drawing little or no interest in the center fielder, so it seems the team would have to release him if it decides he is not one of the 25 players they want.

Outside interest in Ishikawa is thought to be tepid as well. More teams are looking at Schierholtz because of his left-handed bat, arm and outfield defense, but the Giants might want to keep him for all the same reasons.

Sabean was adamant before spring training that Belt needed a season in Triple-A but said the 22-year-old has forced his way into the GM's thinking.

"I think we're all more open-minded now because he's played a lot, and because of that, has faced front-line pitching," Sabean said. "He's started a lot of games. It's not like he's coming in the second part of a game and not facing major-league pitching. With each day that he holds his own or excels, it turns your head."

Elsewhere on the diamond, Sabean said Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot have impressed this spring, including at shortstop, and a late-spring trade for a Miguel Tejada backup is "less likely" now.

Sabean also confirmed that a host of pitchers, including Jeff Suppan, Ryan Vogelsong, Dan Runzler and Guillermo Mota, are competing for a 12th spot on the staff that the Giants probably will carry, even with early off days. The starters' big workload last year factors into that decision.

[McCovey]

According to the article I just posted Belt, Rowand, Ishikawa, and Schierholtz could be fighting for two roster spots. How do you guys think this should be resolved?

[SF Kid]

According to the article I just posted Belt, Rowand, Ishikawa, and Schierholtz could be fighting for two roster spots. How do you guys think this should be resolved?Belt will lose that war this year. Ishikawa is probably gonna go too! I just don't see the Giants biting the bullet on Roward's salary by releasing him and there is probably very little trade value there.

[McCovey]

Another Where is Belt going?" article.


After Brandon Belt's big day, where does he start?

Henry Schulman, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, March 17, 2011

(03-17-2011) 04:00 PDT Glendale, Ariz. -- On the warmest day of spring training so far, Brandon Belt raised the heat on management as it prepares to decide its biggest question: Should Belt be the Opening Day first baseman in San Francisco or Fresno?

Belt was just short of perfect over five plate appearances in Wednesday's 5-3 victory against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. The left-handed hitter went the other way for a homer and double against right-handers Jeff Gray and Brian Bruney, respectively, after two equally impressive turns against Chicago's Opening Day starter, Mark Buehrle.

Belt forced the left-hander into two full counts before drawing the only walk Buehrle allowed, then singling.

The 22-year-old has hit for average, slugged, drawn walks, rebounded from an 0-for-9 stretch and played solid defense. In other words, he has done all he can to show that he is ready for the majors. The question becomes, does he fit on this 25-man roster?

"We're staying open-minded," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We're not looking at rosters. We're looking at what's best for the club. He's playing great."

Reporters keep asking Belt about his prospects of making the team, an unfair question for a kid in his position. He answered diplomatically Wednesday, saying, "The only thing I can think of is, that would be awesome."

The Belt question has wide-ranging implications. His installation as the first baseman would require Aubrey Huff to move to left field. That Huff has not played one inning there this spring might be a hint that general manager Brian Sabean remains inclined to get Belt some finishing work in Triple-A.

If Huff is an outfielder, it's hard to see Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz both staying. Rowand's 0-for-4 Wednesday dropped his average to .207 and did little to help his cause.

Tim Lincecum started the game and was asked to don the GM's cap and assess whether Belt was ready.

"Personally, just from the way he's playing, yeah," Lincecum said. "It's all a matter of getting experience. I think this has helped him tremendously, getting through camp like this, seeing all these pitchers. He's done nothing but impress me."

Mark DeRosa declined to play GM but said Belt "obviously can hit. It was good to see him go through a little struggle and get out of it, because every night you're going to see top-flight pitching. You've got to take your lumps and bounce back."

Wild thing: Closer Brian Wilson did not pitch on his 29th birthday, his second consecutive game off, but he is expected to work in tonight's St. Patrick's Day game against the Angels, which for him is equally important.

"It's just my heritage day, that's all," said Wilson, who has pitched four innings since his injury-delayed debut.

Briefly: Madison Bumgarner said he was pleased with his four-inning effort against Arizona on Tuesday night. He allowed homers by Chris Young and Justin Upton but struck out six. Bumgarner said he was focusing on his changeup, the last pitch to come around, and threw a bad one to Upton. ... Matt Cain's second start back from elbow tendinitis will be at the minor-league camp Friday. Jeff Suppan will face the Dodgers in the Cactus League game.

[WillTheThrill]

According to the article I just posted Belt, Rowand, Ishikawa, and Schierholtz could be fighting for two roster spots. How do you guys think this should be resolved?

How it SHOULD be resolved: Trade Rowand for some bats, or release his ass. Whatever it takes to get him off the 25-man roster. Addition by subtraction.

Keep Ishikawa and Schierholtz for their defense (and Ish's pinch-hitting). They give Bochy a lot more options for starting lineups and late-inning defensive replacements.

Whenever Belt is TRULY ready (meaning don't keep him with the team unless he is going to START and not sit on the bench), trade either Huff or Burrell to clear a roster spot. The Giants have to admit that they made a mistake signing one or both of those guys. Once Belt is ready, they are just taking up his roster spot.

How it WILL be resolved: Rowand makes the team because the Giants aren't willing to admit they made a mistake. He hits .205 and just takes up a roster spot.

The Giants end up trading Ishikawa or Schierholtz, who will go on to have a pretty decent career playing for other teams. Never will be a superstar, but they'll be the type of utility player that the Giants will wish they had available to them.

Belt will start the season at AAA and waste at least a half a season worth of offense that could have helped the Giants. They do get an extra year of eligibility for him, but it doesn't help them this year.

Giants don't repeat.

How it MIGHT be resolved: Someone gets injured or the Giants, by some miracle, find a team stupid enough to take Rowand. Chance of this happening is less than 5%.

.

[McCovey]

Some new youtube Belt vidoes! Enjoy. :beerbang:

Several Belt at bats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_0O6lDXqHc

2010 Interview when Belt was at San Jose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRb6s6GWFKs&feature=related

Belt hitting an opposite field home run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru6U8bRa070&feature=related

Belt's first spring training home run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v3axAgl_Bs&feature=related

Belt draws a walk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DrkPgO14U&feature=related

[McCovey]

Good post, Will! :awesomework.gif

[SF Kid]

Will...pretty much think you nailed what will happen. In all scenarios Belt will be back in Fresno at least to start the year. That sucks mostly because the Giants are unwilling to admit they make mistakes (Zito/Rowand).

Fire Sabean. :D

[McCovey]

Belt has a nice balanced hitting stroke. He's going to be berry, berry good in the majors. :)

[SF Kid]

Matt Cain is ugly (based on Mc's avatar).

That is all.

[McCovey]

Matt Cain is ugly (based on Mc's avatar).

That is all.

Come on now. BMC is no uglier than some of his other teammates. :)

http://www.jimrome.com/cimages/var/ezjimrome/storage/images/repository/photos/tim-lincecum-matt-cain-brian-wilson-2010-san-francisco-giants-world-series-victory-parade/285293-1-eng-US/Tim-Lincecum-Matt-Cain-Brian-Wilson-2010-San-Francisco-Giants-World-Series-Victory-Parade_photo_medium.jpg

[WillTheThrill]

Matt Cain is ugly (based on Mc's avatar).

Come on now. BMC is no uglier than some of his other teammates. :)

Wilson actually isn't that bad looking of a guy, more handsome than either Cain or Lincecum... but only if he shaves that stupid f***ing beard. Otherwise, as has already been said on this forum, he's a swastika carved into his forehead away from being Charles Manson. :rolleyes:

And if Matt Cain fell out of the ugly truck, then Lincecum fell out of the ugly truck, hit the pavement, skidded, bounced into a boat, then fell out of the boat into the water and hit a bunch of rocks, then was swept down the river over a waterfall and onto some more rocks, then got attacked by piranhas.

.

[SF Kid]

Are the Gaints the ugliest team in MLB? :(

Could be.

[Bear]

According to the article I just posted Belt, Rowand, Ishikawa, and Schierholtz could be fighting for two roster spots. How do you guys think this should be resolved?

Rowand and Ishikawa will remain, Belt goes to AAA, and Nate to another team. This is the way I see it, but I don't like it one bit. Nate and Belt should make this team out of spring training, but I don't see it in the tea leaves. :(

[WillTheThrill]

Henry Schulman seems to think Belt has a chance to make the team. (This is a different column than the one McCovey copied & pasted, above.)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/18/SPKC1IE5P5.DTL&feed=rss.giants

And Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports flat out thinks Belts should make the team. This is a good read. :awesomework.gif

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/san-francisco-giants-cant-hold-phenom-brandon-belt-back-031811

.

[Bear]

Henry Schulman seems to think Belt has a chance to make the team. (This is a different column than the one McCovey copied & pasted, above.)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/18/SPKC1IE5P5.DTL&feed=rss.giants

And Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports flat out thinks Belts should make the team. This is a good read. :awesomework.gif

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/san-francisco-giants-cant-hold-phenom-brandon-belt-back-031811

.

Both are great columns, but the Rosenthal makes the best argument for Belt making the team. I hope he is right. This would mark a big change in the way the Giants handle things with rookie players. In my mind the team would be so much better with Belt, and send a great message to the players in the minors that if the work hard they to will be given a fair shot. It's time to admit that Rowand was a mistake, and move on. In the cases of Nate, and Travis I think they have had the chance to show what they have, and it maybe time for them to move on, and get a fresh start with another team.

:)

[McCovey]

More from Extra Baggs.


With four home runs in his last five games, Aubrey Huff is suddenly tied for the Cactus League longball lead. He’s got five altogether.

“Four of ‘em are probably singles at our place,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m barreling the ball, that’s all I care about.”

Huff certainly doesn’t care where he plays on opening day. First base? Left field? He’ll take anything that doesn’t involve squatting or climbing up a mound.

Huff’s thoughts on Brandon Belt seemed like an appropriate topic for the notebook today as I ease my way back into the beat. (And thanks to Carl Steward and Alex Pavlovic for tending to it so well during my Mexican siesta.) Check for the notes when they’re posted on the site a little later today.

It’s rare for a veteran player with a decade of service time to be so flexible about where he’ll play. It’s certainly been a topic with Aaron Rowand this spring, and that involved a simple move from center field to left field. You don’t have to change gloves for that.

But Huff said he honestly doesn’t care where he plays. Don’t forget, he’s got his self-professed “best athlete on the team” title to uphold.

“Probably best body, too,” he said, not bothering to suck in his gut.

When I left Scottsdale a week ago, I thought Belt probably had a 10 percent shot of making the team. Now I’d say the odds are closer to 66/33, still leaning that he’ll begin in Fresno. But it only takes one injury or trade to change everything.

So the correct answer is … there is no correct answer. Not yet. If Mark DeRosa’s wrist tendinitis flares up into a DL situation, or Rowand trade talks gather any life, or both, then Belt’s chances go up. The kid’s still got to force the issue by showing he’s ready to handle big league pitching, though. That’s the case regardless. And Belt keeps holding up his end.

He had a single to left field today and hit a screamer that A’s right fielder David DeJesus snagged with a sprawling catch. Belt has made so many hard outs this spring that I’ve lost count. You can bet Giants coaches are keeping a tally, though.

[McCovey]

A "cost" argument for starting Belt at AAA.


Brandon Belt should stay in minors

By Dave Cameron, FanGraphs
Friday, March 25, 2011

With Opening Day less than a week away, the San Francisco Giants still have a few things to decide before finalizing their roster: Who will close while Brian Wilson recovers from an oblique strain? Does Aaron Rowand deserve another chance to try and earn his inflated salary? And, most importantly, what should they do with top prospect Brandon Belt?

The left-handed slugging first baseman -- and sometimes outfielder -- demolished minor league pitching last year, climbing from Class A all the way to Triple-A and hitting at every stop along the way. He capped his season with a monstrous showing in the Arizona Fall League and has continued to impress with his advanced hitting skills during spring training. Despite having only one professional season of experience, it appears that Belt has little left to learn in the minors.

However, the decision on whether or not he should break camp with the big league team is more complicated than simply determining whether he's good enough to handle major league pitching right now. The question the Giants need to answer is whether Belt's potential production in the first two months of the season might outweigh the escalating costs they would face down the line. Based on some projections and historical comparisons, we can help them with the calculations.

Let's start with Belt's estimated production. Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projects his season line at .266/.357/.440, suggesting he'd immediately become the Giants' fourth-best hitter if inserted into the lineup on Opening Day. Even with his defensive limitations (or Aubrey Huff's, depending on who they moved to get his bat in the lineup), he's likely a better player than Pat Burrell is right now. And, with Cody Ross set to begin the season on the disabled list, the Giants have the opportunity to give Belt regular playing time out of the gate.

However, the marginal improvement from adding Belt (or Huff) to the outfield rotation on Day 1 may not be as large as you might think. If we just focus on April and May -- Belt will almost certainly be up in early June regardless of what they decide to do next week -- the Giants have about 600 at-bats to distribute between first base, left field and right field. Below are the projected performances with and without Belt:

Huff, Burrell, Ross, Nate Schierholtz, Mark DeRosa: .265/.335/.445
Huff, Belt, Ross, Burrell, DeRosa: .265/.343/.446

Shifting some playing time from Schierholtz and Burrell to Belt represents an upgrade, but not a significant one -- the difference in those two lines is only worth about five runs. A five-run improvement equates to an expectation of about half a win difference in terms of projected finish. Of course, given that the Giants could very well be in a dogfight for the National League West crown, the prospect of potentially adding even just one win to their final record is quite valuable.

Based upon research by Nate Silver in Baseball Between The Numbers, the revenue generated by a win for a team in playoff contention was close to $2.5 million in 2006 -- economic inflation since then likely pushes the total to more than $3 million now. If having Belt on the roster in April and May added half of a win to their expected total, that performance could be worth between $1 million and $2 million in revenue that the Giants wouldn't otherwise get if he spent the first two months in Triple-A.

However, when we look at the long-term cost differences related to the amount of service time Belt accrues this year, $1 million to $2 million quickly begins to look like pocket change. If he were to spend at least 172 days on the active roster this season, he'd be on target for free agency after the 2016 season. If the Giants hold him down for just three weeks, they'll push his ability to hit the open market back by a full year, gaining the rights to his services for the 2017 season that they otherwise would not have. The additional value of having Belt under contract for an additional year -- in what should be the prime of his career -- is worth far more than $1 million or $2 million in potential revenue in 2011.

The bigger question is whether the Giants should choose to leave Belt in Triple-A until early June in order to prevent him from reaching "Super Two" status. While most players do not become eligible for salary arbitration until after they have accrued three years of service time, the top 16 percent of players with two-plus years of service are granted arbitration a year early and end up going through it four times rather than the usual three.

To see the impact this can have on a player's salary, here are two relatively comparable players, one whom was awarded Super Two status and one who was not.

Hunter Pence (Super Two)
2007 -- $380,000
2008 -- $396,000
2009 -- $439,000
2010 -- $3.5 million
2011 -- $6.9 million
Total: $11.6 million

Yunel Escobar (not Super Two)
2007 -- $380,000
2008 -- $402,500
2009 -- $425,000
2010 -- $435,000
2011 -- $2.9 million
Total: $4.5 million

By achieving arbitration a year earlier and using escalating raises to increase his salaries as he goes through the process, Pence has already earned an addition $7 million in salary, and will likely continue to outpace Escobar significantly going forward. By the time they reach free agency after the 2013 season, the difference in career earnings could be as high as $15 million.

The Giants know these numbers and they are well aware of the fact there are significant cost savings to be gained from leaving Belt in the minor leagues for two months. (Remember, they faced a similar dilemma with Buster Posey last year, and chose to keep him in the minors to begin the year.) Given the fact they have viable alternatives at first base and in the outfield, it is tough to argue that the benefits of having Belt on the roster for April and May justify the long-term costs associated with granting him Super Two status, much less allowing him to reach free agency a year earlier.

When it comes to promoting young players who aren't demonstrably better than what you already have on the roster, patience really is a virtue.

Dave Cameron covers baseball for ESPN Insider. He is the managing editor of FanGraphs, where he has worked since 2008, and he began covering baseball when he founded USSMariner.com in 2003. He has written for the Wall Street Journal since 2009. You can find his ESPN archives here, and follow him on Twitter here.

[McCovey]

Cool Belt shot.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/photo/2011/0324/insider_a_belt_b1_576.jpg

[McCovey]

Belt wins an award. :beerbang:


Brandon Belt wins the Harry S. Jordan award, Bochy says rookie still considered for roster; Brian Wilson will stay in AZ

POSTED BY ANDREW BAGGARLY ON MARCH 27TH, 2011

Brandon Belt was making a sandwich when a Giants PR man informed him that he is this year’s recipient of the Harry S. Jordan Award, honoring the most impressive player in his first major league camp.

“Sweet!” said Belt, who then resumed his sandwich artistry.

The clubhouse vote was unanimous. Belt certainly has impressed this spring, hitting .306 with three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI — two behind Aubrey Huff for the team lead. Belt also stole two bases, showed very good range and hands at first base and impressed veterans with his poise and even keel.

While it remains most likely that Belt will open at Triple-A Fresno, Giants manager Bruce Bochy isnsited that decision hasn’t been made. The Giants still could carry Belt, Bochy said, citing the big bat they’ll be without while Cody Ross is on the disabled list.

“I liked what I’ve seen from him on both sides of the ball,” Bochy said of Belt. “Quality at-bats, good balance, good discipline at the plate — you see why he had the year he had last year.”

My sense is that Bochy is more open to the idea of handing first base to Belt than GM Brian Sabean. A manager’s impulse is always to take the best 25 guys, but as we know, there are other considerations. Every time we’ve talked to Sabean about Belt, he seems much more wary about giving a job to a hitter with just 13 games of Triple-A experience.

Asked if Ross’s injury improves Belt’s chances, Bochy said, “Maybe a little bit. We lost a pretty good bat in Cody Ross. It would give us another bat, and a left-handed one.”

Belt isn’t a finished product. He came out on fire, had a weeklong lull and then began making hard contact again.

” I feel I got better as the spring went on,” he said. “Maybe I was a little inconsistent at times. I wish I’d been more consistent.”

He said major league pitchers “are out to keep you off balance, disrupt your timing. They make it tough, which is why baseball is a game of adjustments.”

Belt will have to adjust to those fastballs up and in, followed by breaking stuff away. Pitchers will try to change eye levels, disrupt his balance, etc. If he takes on those tasks at Triple-A Fresno, there’s no shame in that. Ask Buster Posey, who wore a Grizzlies uniform on opening day last year.

“They’ve told me absolutely nothing,” Belt said. “I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Does he get an apartment in San Francisco, or Fresno?

“That’s why I got married this offseason — so my wife could take care of all that,” he joked. “I’m very thankful she’s here with me right now.”

[SF Kid]

How much longer can they drag on this drama?

Make a decision Bochy. Season starts in three days.

[WillTheThrill]

Make a decision Bochy.

The funny thing is, I have a feeling that BOCHY has already made up his mind, and it is to play Belt. I think that the hesitation is coming from Sabean and it is because of money.

.

[SF Kid]

Fire Sabean!

[McCovey]

Tim Kawakami chimes in on Brandon Belt.


Tim Kawakami: San Francisco Giants set to decide on Brandon Belt

By Tim Kawakami
Mercury News Columnist
Posted: 03/29/2011 10:13:48 PM PDT

Is Brandon Belt one of the 2011 Giants' best 25 players?

On the eve of the season -- and the start of their World Series title defense -- that's not very much in question.

Actually, if you listen to Bruce Bochy talk about the 22-year-old first baseman, Belt's major league credentials probably are not in question at all.

"He's done all he can do," the Giants manager said of Belt before Tuesday's exhibition in Oakland. "We've told him that. Now it's up to us to make the decision on it."

If you drew up the Giants' best lineup for Thursday's season opener in Los Angeles, it almost certainly would include Belt as the first baseman, batting seventh, with Aubrey Huff moving to the outfield.

That would excite the fan base, get another potential star bat into the order and help fill the injury absence of outfielder Cody Ross.

As another sign of Bochy's general conclusion, Belt was in the lineup as the designated hitter Tuesday -- after starting at first base Monday.

Would it be logical to assume that a rookie who starts in back-to-back games near the end of spring training has a great shot of making the team?

"Could be," Bochy said coyly.

But the Belt decision, as Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean have been signaling for weeks, involves many moving pieces, not all of them controllable by Belt.

At this point, the decision -- which is slated to be announced Wednesday -- is probably still too close to call, and here's why:

The Aaron Rowand factor: If Belt is here from Day 1, the obvious candidate to go is Rowand, but that's extremely unlikely considering the $24 million he is owed this year and next.

If the Giants keep Belt and Rowand, then Travis Ishikawa certainly would be released, and once Ross is back from the disabled list, Nate Schierholtz probably would go, too.

Both Ishikawa and Schierholtz are useful players, and the Giants certainly would hate to lose both, which might nudge them toward keeping Belt in Fresno for a few weeks or months until they figure out how to trade Rowand and offload at least some of his salary.

The arbitration factor: If the Giants keep Belt in Fresno until the end of May, they probably will delay his arbitration eligibility until 2014, which is no small matter.

In fact, this is probably the biggest factor if the Giants already have decided Belt is ready for the big-league roster.

He might be ready, but will he produce enough right away to make it worth the multimillions it would cost (in 2013) to jump-start him a full year on the arbitration clock?

The tough opening-schedule factor: The Giants start with 22 of their first 31 games on the road, and they are intent on putting their strongest foot forward.

That would seem to preclude putting Rowand in the lineup for any significant period. That also might help rule out experimenting with Mark DeRosa at first base or in the outfield.

If you remove those two options, the best one emerges: Belt at first base, Huff in the outfield.

And adding Belt's live bat might lighten the Giants' possible worries about a hole in the lineup if shortstop Miguel Tejada and left fielder Pat Burrell struggle in April and May.

The confidence factor: Could an early slump send Belt into a funk that hurts his development? Would it help to get him some time in Triple-A before dropping Belt into a major league lineup?

Those are important questions, but Bochy seems to have seen enough from Belt for a serene answer.

"He's had a good spring," Bochy said. "He's done a great job at first. I think he's thrown up some good at-bats.

"I think he's handled himself very well. Now it's up to us to decide when to get this going. Could be in two days."

And finally, the Bochy factor: It takes a lot for a rookie to earn Bochy's respect, but Belt has done it.

Sabean has always given Bochy an important role in personnel decisions.
Among all the fascinating factors, if Bochy is totally on board with Belt, that might be the tipping point. And it brings us back to the original point.
If Belt is one of the Giants' best 25 players -- maybe one of their best five or six hitters already -- then he should be on the team and playing first base Thursday, darn all else.

[WillTheThrill]

And here's Kawakami's "topper" from the online version of that article McCovey just posted.

One thing we can all say about this controversy: the Giants actually have a pretty deep team. They have a lot of guys who can start at a lot of positions. And the team is struggling to find a role for all of them. Much better than having a bunch of pathetic guys that can't play anywhere.

I bet there are a lot of teams out there who would wish that their biggest controversy is whether or not to start a potential star rookie and release a potential solid defensive back-up!!! :beerbang:

It looks to me that Mark DeRosa is the likeliest player to get the at-bats available if the Giants keep Brandon Belt in Fresno.

It’s a pretty simple switch-out. DeRosa can play 1B with Aubrey Huff moving to RF, or DeRosa can possibly play OF, with Huff staying at 1B.

(I think DeRosa at 1B, where he played last night, is a far greater likelihood than in the OF.)

Then when Cody Ross is healthy, Bochy can move Huff back to 1B and use DeRosa as a super-sub. And Belt will always be there for a quick summoning from Fresno–whether it’s in late April or, more likely, mid-May (to keep that arbitration clock on “0″.)

The problem with setting up DeRosa as the main replacement (in the batting order) for Ross, however, is that Bochy might want to use DeRosa as a super-sub right away.

DeRosa for Freddy Sanchez at 2B at least once a week.

DeRosa for Pablo Sandoval at 3B here and there if Sandoval struggles.

DeRosa at SS in double-switches if Tejada is struggling and if Mike Fontenot has already been used.

If he’s playing all over the field, DeRosa won’t be available 100% of the time just to play 1B.

But Belt would be available to play 1B immediately and at all times. Once the Giants put him there, he might never go away–the same way Buster Posey grabbed the catcher spot last year and never let it go.

As everyone has said repeatedly, this is no slam-dunk decision. You not only burn a year towards arbitration with Belt if you lock him into the line-up now, you march him one year closer to free agency (it takes 6 full seasons, so a delay to mid-April would halt that clock).

And you’d also have to figure out what to do with Aaron Rowand… and/or Travis Ishikawa and/or Nate Schierholtz.

It’s a lot to consider. It might not be worth it (especially the arbitration part) unless Belt is much better than the alternative.

But that’s the point: He probably is much better than most other options, starting right now.

It’s a hard decision. It’s not hard to see that Belt is probably ready to justify it.

.

[McCovey]

Brandon Belt is the Giants Opening Day first baseman!!!!

:toast: :party: :yourock: :bananadance: :dancing1: :woot:

http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_17736206

[SF Kid]

Well they had to make a decision before they got on the airplane tonight to go to Los Angeles.

Gonna be interesting!

[McCovey]

Well they had to make a decision before they got on the airplane tonight to go to Los Angeles.

Gonna be interesting!

So the Giants shouldn't fire Bran Sabean now Kid? :p So with Belt in the majors now should this thread be moved to the McCovey Cove forum?

[SF Kid]

So the Giants shouldn't fire Bran Sabean now Kid? :p Weill, he can stay for a little while longer.

So with Belt in the majors now should this thread be moved to the McCovey Cove forum?OK.

[McCovey]

Gotta give Sabean and Co. some props. The minor league system developed Cain, Sanchez, Wilson, Romo, Lincecum, Posey, Bumgarner and now Belt.

[SF Kid]

Gotta give Sabean and Co. some props. The minor league system developed Cain, Sanchez, Wilson, Romo, Lincecum, Posey, Bumgarner and now Belt.Not bad.

Now, FIRE SABEAN.

If we re-peat I'll agree to keep that guy!

[McCovey]

A good take on Belt over at Bay City Ball.


Brandon Belt appears headed to Hollywood, not Fresno


By Rory Paap
March 30th, 2011

Last night, a tweet by John Shea really sent shockwaves throughout the Giants’ fan base:

Heard management wants to keep Brandon Belt, leaning toward making him their starting first baseman. Announcement Wednesday.

At the risk of jumping the gun, I think Belt’s going to be playing in Los Angeles tomorrow. And it’s not so much the tweet by Shea, but the fact that Travis Ishikawa is playing first base today and Belt isn’t even so much as in the lineup. He has bags to pack and a plane to catch; he’s probably headed to Hollywood.

I won’t get too much into the details on what this means for the roster. Except I do think this is a farewell game for the aforementioned Ishikawa. He’s an excellent defender, a great guy, and a decent bat off the bench – assuming he’s facing a right-handed pitcher. I’ll also never forget the walk he drew in the divisional series against the Braves that keyed a Giants comeback win. Without that walk, who knows, maybe they don’t win the World Series. But with Belt now in the fold and the incumbent Aubrey Huff, this renders Ishi a superfluous commodity, and frankly one that lacked a ton of utility to begin with.

—-

Despite the Giants’ insistence that Belt would be given a chance to compete for the nod this spring, the news probably came as a huge surprise to many. That’s simply because Giants fans have been accustomed to their front office being cautious with young players in the past, if not a bit perplexing with them. But, when a 23-year-old rookie catcher carries your team to a division crown, pennant and World Series championship – especially with his July laser show – it tends to have a dramatic impact on your management philosophy – it probably really rocked the Giants’ front office.

Me? I’m really excited about the decision. As it turns out, my appetite for competent, cheap top hitting prospects simply cannot be slaked – the considerable gap between Will Clark and players like Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey will do that to a person. But beyond my biased, fanboy pleasure regarding this move, I have reasons to like it objectively.

There is something that gives me some reassurance in this decision, and there’s some chance it’s not what you’ve come to expect from a stats-centric blog such as this. Belt looks good. The decision seems scouting motivated, rather than by a monster spring catalyzed by a huge average on balls in play (BABiP) – so no, Huff won’t hit .369 this season. I’d have thought Belt would need to set the world on fire this spring to make the club; not so. He’s hitting .282/.338/.479 for an .817 OPS with three big flys. That’s decent, but it’s certainly not great. In fact, it’s not good for a first baseman.

The Giants must really like what they’ve seen – or, I guess an argument can be made that they’ve really not liked what they’ve seen from DeRosa, Schierholtz and Rowand. But I think it’s more likely the former. Belt’s probably shown Bochy, Sabean and the player development staff that he can: 1) hit 2) field and 3) run. He’s said to be an excellent base runner; he’s probably proved that. He’s said to be a plus fielder; he’s probably proved that. He’s said to have an excellent eye, excellent plate discipline and an ability to hit the ball with authority from pole to pole; he’s probably proved that. So oddly, the fact that his stats aren’t all that impressive is actually a comfort to me. He stands to provide value… beyond the box score.

Another one is definitely not the major league equivalent (MLE) – which has also been park-adjusted – for Brandon Belt, as provided by this newly rolled out site (a creation of one of my Hardball Times colleagues). The MLE* says his 2010 would have looked like this in San Francisco: .298/.392/.497. I’m not hanging my bells on that, but boy is it nice. Besides, I’m more expecting an Ike Davis type of rookie performance – he would have been in the Rookie of the year discussion if not for stats-greedy buggers like Posey and Jason Heyward – with excellent defense and a slash line of .264/.351/.440 and 19 home runs. That, I’ll take.

*UPDATE: The MLE was far too optimistic, which should have been expected given its audaciousness. The actual MLE slash line should be .244/.329/.406. If you chose to allow it to further your optimism, shame on you; I told you not to. That’ll curb your enthusiasm some.

But another reason is the Giants’ brutal stretch to open the season. They’ll play 22 of 31 on the road to open the season. In what I think we’ll be a tight division with slightly less talented Dodgers and Rockies teams when compared to the Giants – not to mention a still-competitive Padres squad, in my opinion – a few bad breaks here and there, an injury or two or a woeful string of losses (a la Padres 2010), could cost a team the division. If the Giants believe Belt is ready and, when inserted into the lineup, is their best team possible right now, he should absolutely be on the roster from day one.

My last point is that financial considerations should be secondary. If the Giants felt they were nearly as good with Belt than without, it might make sense to stash him for a few weeks. But if they believe there’s a measurable difference, a difference that might cost them even a single win, giving him the honor on Opening Day is the right decision. You can’t make baseball decisions that might not affect you for another four or five seasons, not when a playoff spot hangs in the balance. What’s more, the Giants have a $120 million payroll; they’re not exactly the Tampa Bay Rays or Pittsburg Pirates.

But my personal endorsement of this decision doesn’t come without pause. Fellow writer on this space, Otis Anderson, summed up the hesitation perfectly: “maybe expectations are too high right now for a guy who has one year of professional experience and one year with his current swing mechanics.” Indeed. The former I’m not particularly worried about, though it does carry some concern; he was a college hitter first so his development was, in theory, further along when he arrived. Sometimes a polished college hitter can blast through the minors in a season or less.

But the latter of Otis’ thoughts does carry some weight, and a polished college hitter Belt was not. He had virtually no power in college. So, despite his solid plate discipline, he was available in the fifth round. As soon as the Giants got their hands on him, they lifted his hands, got him more upright and opened up his stance, allowing him to add extra leverage to his swing and increase his bat speed, thereby shoring up some of his holes. With that, he rip-roared through the minors – there’s no need to provide his counting stats, slash lines and such across three levels for the zillionth time.

But if there’s one thing we about major league pitching versus minor league pitching, it’s this: it’s better. Well, that’s obviously simplistic but it’s true. The “stuff” is better and the pitches are nastier, sure. But the real difference is control and repeatability. The third starter for the Phillies, heck, even the third starter for the Royals – well, maybe not the Royals but you get the idea – can and will attack a hitters holes with much greater skill than they will in Triple-A. They do a better job of it in Triple-A than Double-A, and on down the line. And it’s probably worth noting that Belt did the majority of his damage in San Jose (Advanced-A) and Richmond (Double-A) last season.

Every hitter has holes – even Albert Pujols. So what the league will be doing over the course of the season is trying to determine exactly where Belt’s are, and exploiting those that are most glaring on a nightly basis. His ability (or inability) to make adjustments will determine his success (or failure) at the major league level. And the worry is that, given the fact that Belt’s swing is so young having been revamped completely just 12 months ago, he simply won’t know it well enough to make those adjustments. It’s a legitimate concern.

But I guess the best way to figure that out might be to stick the kid at first base tomorrow against the Dodgers, versus sending him to Fresno to beat up on the Triple-A pitchers of the Pacific Coast League.

Personally, I like the move. I’m of the belief that you should field your best team possible, that it was refreshing when Heyward make the Opening Day roster of the Braves last season. With the Giants’ schedule over the first month, they need all the help they can get. They say you can’t win a division in April, but you can lose one. That’s probably an overused statement in baseball, but it might be even a little more true when 22 of your first 31 contests will be away from gorgeous AT&T.

And if the kid struggles, they have recourse; they can send him back to Triple-A to regain his confidence. That’s why they have minor-league options. If he is struggling, the activating of a healed Cody Ross will give them the perfect opportunity to do so. The Giants will still be well-covered at first base with Huff, Pablo Sandoval, and Mark DeRosa all being able to play the position. And the derivative consideration – keeping him under team control for an extra year – will still be met.

I don’t see his confidence somehow being shattered; I don’t think you can ruin a hitter by allowing him to fail. If it comes to pass, he’ll head to the minors, knock the ball around the park and be back in a month… and the Giants will likely (finally) be able to cut ties with Centerfielder Rowand. And hopefully, another rookie will bolster their chances of success for the stretch run. Maybe he’ll even with a Rookie of the Year award in the process. That’d be something.

—-

It’s official… and I won’t need to eat my shoe.

[McCovey]

The Ike Davis comparison is interesting. This is what Davis did as a rookie last season.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/davisik02.shtml

I'd take that from Belt in 2011. :)

[McCovey]

I like this Belt photo. :)

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0331/insider_a_belt_sy_600.jpg

[McCovey]

Ok, let's predict what belt will do this season.

I see .270/.350/.450, 115 OPS+ 18 HR, 80 RBI, 85 runs, 120 Ks, 75 BB

[SF Kid]

I don't know about the season but he'll be 4-4, 1HR and 3 RIB tonight. :D

[WillTheThrill]

I don't know about the season but he'll be 4-4, 1HR and 3 RIB tonight. :D

What's a "RIB"? Is that when you get hit in the ribs by a pitch? Hope that doesn't happen to him three times tonight! :pound:

.

[SF Kid]

Hahaha. Typo. :pound: :rotf:

BTW, good thing i called the Bear today. I was all set to watch the game tonight at "8 PM PDT"...what a dumbass. The game apparently starts at "8 PM EDT"...so I would have missed the whole damn thing. :eek:

GO GIANTS.

[WillTheThrill]

You see, Kid, there are these things called "time zones". And the east-coast bias extends to them. Everything is reported in "EST" or "Eastern Standard Time".

(And, actually, technically, right now it is called "EDT" for "Eastern Daylight Time" and "PDT" for "Pacific Daylight Time", etc., since we are in the daylight savings time period of the year right now.)

God, I'm beginning to sound like Cliff Clavin. :pound::rolleyes::shakehead::puke:

.

[SF Kid]

"Will" aka The Time Zone Police. :banghead:

:ban_bear:

[McCovey]

Hey, Grant over at McCovey Chronicles agrees with me!


Community Projection: Brandon Belt

by Grant Brisbee
Mar 31, 2011 7:00 AM PDT

About 650 days ago, Brandon Belt was hitting .323 with eight home runs for the Texas Longhorns. Now he’s starting at first base for the defending World Champions. When he was drafted, Belt was just another name rattled off on the second day -- a 5th-round pick who might show up in the majors for the Giants one day, like Doug Mirabelli, Bobby Howry, or Ryan Vogelsong did. Belt was a mid-round draft prospect as a hitter, and maybe the Giants were more interested in a 6’-5" lefty with pitching experience at that point in the draft.

It probably wasn’t going to make a difference either way. Fifth-round picks are, like most every draftee after the first half of the first round, individual sperm on their way to the egg of a major league lineup. Good luck, and we won’t leave the light on for you.

When the Giants went through an organizational drought that spanned a couple of decades -- between Matt Williams and Pablo Sandoval, the homegrown hitters of note were Bill Mueller and Marvin Benard -- the truly amazing part is that the team never just ran into a prospect out of dumb luck. They weren’t the team to draft a franchise cornerstone in the 12th round, or watch some unknown from Fricassee State shoot up through the minor leagues. Every other team had a story like that from the past twenty years. The Giants didn’t.

Then, all the way from A-ball, came a rotund third baseman who was a catcher who used to be a first baseman after he was initially a third baseman. Sandoval was 21, and he hit .345 in 41 games. Finally, a hitter from within the organization! That should last us for another couple of decades, we thought. But just a couple of years later, the Giants were blessed with a top prospect who actually hit like he was supposed to. Better, even. After decades of Murrays, Hyzdus, and Torcatos, that Buster Posey kid had a chance to be okay.

Now Brandon Belt has a pretty good chance to be another exciting homegrown hitter, the third produced in past four seasons. Do you know how insane it would be for the Giants to continue being some sort of newfangled hitting factory? This is the organization that was so awful at developing hitters, they forced prospect-starved bloggers to go goofy when Kevin Frandsen had a three-hit debut. After Will Clark was drafted in 1985, the best first baseman developed by the Giants over the next 25 years was -- ready for this? -- Travis Ishikawa. A quarter of a century, and that was the best first baseman the organization could develop after Will Clark. They tried Lance Niekros and Desi Wilsons, J.R. Phillipses and Damon Minors. It was Ishikawa who gave the Giants something that resembled anything, and that something, while not nothing, wasn’t much. (Wow! :bugeye: )

So Brandon Belt represents something more than a top prospect winning a job out of spring training. He’s offering us penicillin where the previous guys prescribed leeches. He’s a symbol of how far the Giants have come. A World Series title and an honest-to-goodness first baseman to carry on the legacy of Willie McCovey and Will Clark in the same year? Well, kiss my grits.

Of course, he actually has to do something before we can get too excited. And he still could fall into that Ortmeier-like void like all the rest of them. But this one seems different. I know...I know we’ve been hurt so many times before, but this one seems different. Here’s hoping...

Brandon Belt
AB: 488
AVG: .280
OBP: .351
SLG: .442
HR: 17

[swing 4 the cove]

http://nimg.sulekha.com/sports/original700/brandon-belt-2011-2-25-18-30-18.jpg

[Swede]

At spring training, Belt made many friends. The guy signed balls everyday. He seems like a good kid. A lefty on my son's little league team already wants to swing like BB.

[SF Kid]

I want to go to Spring training one of these years. Maybe next year...dont know.

You in Bear?

[Bear]

I want to go to Spring training one of these years. Maybe next year...dont know.

You in Bear?

It sounds good to the Bear. It depends on the EB.:rolleyes:

[SF Kid]

What is an "EB"?

[Bear]

What is an "EB"?

The Energizer Bunny.:(

[SF Kid]

Oh yeah. :o


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[McCovey]

The Giants veterans have embraced Brandon Belt.


Giants not held up by Belt's presence

Buster Onley
Monday, April 4, 2011
DODGER STADIUM -- Brandon Belt and Cody Ross both moved toward the exit of the visitors dugout at the end of the Giants' batting practice late Sunday afternoon, both with their heads down, on a collision course. Ross looked up, put his hand on Belt's left shoulder and ushered him forward, giving the rookie the right of way.

It was a small but telling gesture that doesn't always happen. From Aubrey Huff to Pat Burrell to Ross, the other Giants have been gracious and generous and respectful in the way they have welcomed Belt this spring, which says a lot about him, and a lot about the other players, and a lot about how manager Bruce Bochy is respected in the San Francisco clubhouse.

Belt is, by all accounts, very serious about what he does, with a work ethic and personality and professional excellence that makes it easy for others to like him -- even in a situation ripe for resentment. The Giants won the World Series last year without Belt, but because he was so impressive in spring training and made the team, others will lose playing time. Maybe it'll be Huff, who has been pushed to the outfield because of Belt's exceptional defensive skills. Perhaps it'll be Burrell, who may get infrequent starts after Ross returns from the disabled list -- because Ross could return to right field, with Huff playing left. Or maybe it'll be Ross. Somebody who is getting a Giants championship ring this weekend is going to be supplanted by the rookie first baseman.

Right after Belt was told he had made the team by Bruce Bochy, Belt began to weep, and Huff good-naturedly teased him, asking him why he was crying -- because it was Huff, after all, who was going to have to play the outfield now. Belt's at-bats thus far have been so exceptional that there already is speculation that, eventually, he could hit in the No. 3 spot, a place currently occupied by Huff. So the other day Huff mentioned to Belt that he had taken Huff's defensive position, and soon he will own Huff's spot in the lineup, and Huff joked about what else Belt would take from him.

If Belt was a jerk, there might be tension. But he seems down-to-earth to the others. Asked what surprises him the most about the big leagues so far, Belt mentioned the fact everybody dresses so nicely; he is just a kid from Texas, he said, and he didn't have the same caliber of clothes that his teammates have.

But the response to him is typical in a clubhouse where Burrell resides, having asked the Giants to give him a token $1 million deal because he just wanted to stay with the Giants, and where Huff plays, willing to change positions, according to when and where Bochy believes he is needed. Miguel Tejada is in his first year with the Giants, and Bochy sat down with Tejada to talk to him about moving around to other parts of the lineup -- knowing full well that Tejada has been a middle-of-the-order type of guy in his career, with 2,288 hits going into Sunday's game.

But Tejada told Bochy that he was a soldier, indicating that he didn't care where he hit. In the first four days, he has hit in the No. 1, No. 6 and No. 8 spots in the lineup.

Sometimes Burrell plays, and sometimes he doesn't. When Ross comes off the disabled list in a couple of weeks, Bochy will have to make choices about where Huff will play, where and when Burrell will play and what he's going to do with Ross.

But they all seem comfortable with Bochy's choices, because, as one player said, they know him and there is no concern about whether his motives go beyond winning. It can take years for managers to earn this kind of respect and deference; most never get there.

Brandon Belt will be helped by this, by the culture of a clubhouse that has embraced him.

[McCovey]

Belt goes yard!!!!! :beerbang:

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0404/insider_g_bbelt1_600.jpg

[McCovey]

An interesting graph showing Belt's swings and non-swing with respect to the strikezone. It appears Belt is the anti-Panda! :pound:

http://www.baycityball.com/2011/04/06/quick-visual-belts-approach/

[McCovey]

Some more background detail as to how the Giants revamped Belt's swing.


Belt’s open stance cleared the way to S.F.

By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports
04/07/2011

About halfway between Shreveport and Houston in East Texas, just him and a tee and a couple dozen baseballs, at a high school batting cage in a town of 33,000 folks, Brandon Belt would swing his bat and disappear.

On the hot afternoons when the sweat would seep into his eyes, on the chilly mornings when he’d dress in layers, he’d hear the hitting coach’s words in his head, the words Bob Mariano had borrowed from Barry Bonds himself.

Swing the sledgehammer, pound the nail.

Belt had been a fifth-round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants in June 2009. He’d signed in mid-August, too late for summer baseball. In the fall he reported to Arizona, for the Instructional League.


“The Illy,” he called it.

There, he met Mariano, a former minor league hitter, a professional hitting instructor for 13 years, the previous five for the Giants, and a baseball lifer.

Mariano put a wood bat in Belt’s hands and stepped back.

He liked Belt’s size, 6-feet-5, better than 200 pounds. He loved his hands, so quick and strong from the left side. Belt had batted .323 and hit eight home runs in his final season at the University of Texas, so he could hit.

But, his mechanics. They’d need work. Mariano could tell him how to set up, how to hit, what to think, and show him, too. The rest would fall on the 21-year-old, what he absorbed, how hard he’d work at it.

Mariano telephoned Dick Tidrow, the organization’s vice president for player personnel and general manager Brian Sabean’s right hand.

I like him, Mariano told him. He has good instincts, good pitch recognition. Here’s the thing, he continued: His stance is too closed, his front foot almost at the shortstop, his back foot at least a foot behind the front. His hands are down, buried behind his chest. He’s crouched. When I’m throwing to him, I can’t even see his hands. So he’s got no hitting lanes on the inner half. They’ll kill him on the inner half. Away from an aluminum bat, he can’t hit like this.

Tidrow gave his blessing, and Mariano began working on Belt’s stance.

The Giants hadn’t produced much in the way of hitters out of most of a generation of drafts, and yet on the heels of Buster Posey comes this kid Belt, another set of broad shoulders and clear eyes. Posey had pushed through the minor leagues in 631 at-bats, the last 150 or so probably superfluous. The Giants maybe wouldn’t be so lucky with Belt, but still there was something special about him, and so Mariano began to build a big league hitter.


“I trusted the coaches,” Belt would say. “I let it happen.”

Rather than angle his front foot to the left of second base, Belt allowed Mariano to nudge it to the right, toward the second baseman. His hands were naturally freed. He stood taller in the box. Mariano left Belt’s trigger, a back-leg load and front-knee tuck, but he’d created an inside path to the baseball, a way to hit the inside pitch without excessive topspin or pulling it foul.

“Hitters can see it right away,” Mariano said. “The ball doesn’t lie. And he picked it up real quick.”

Suddenly, Belt was putting tight backspin on balls that carried further to all fields. And he knew which pitch to put where.

I look back and that’s the hardest thing to teach guys,” Mariano said. “Partly it’s mechanical and the other is vision, picking up release point and vision. Belty’s always has that innate ability to see the ball.”

After five weeks inside Mariano’s laboratory, Belt was back in East Texas. He’d drive to Hudson High School, to the field where he’d been district MVP, All-State and All-American. With him, a couple pairs of batting gloves, some unmarred wood bats and a new swing.

Swing the sledgehammer, pound the nail, just like Bonds had once described to Mariano.

Sometimes he’d practice with the high school team, but mostly he’d let himself into the outdoor cage, alone with a tee, lessons from the Illy, and his hard, short breath.

“I love taking swings off a tee,” he said. “It’s a feel thing. And I’ve been a feel guy my entire life. Then, once I did everything they wanted me to, I made it my own.”

Thousands of swings – tens of thousands of swings, even – later, and after 492 minor league at-bats, Belt debuted for the Giants last Thursday. Safely in the seven hole, he was the kid with the open stance, the slow and early load onto his back leg, and the open swing path to the ball. He scratched out a single against Clayton Kershaw that night, and homered to center field against Chad Billingsley the next night. Backspin carried the ball another 30 or 40 feet.

After six games, Belt is batting .182, but seeing pitches, taking walks, putting the ball in play. His at-bats are sound, what Mariano might call instinctive.

“He’s going to struggle like they all do,” Mariano said, “but, with his aptitude, I’ll put my money on Belty any day. He absorbed everything, stayed real humble. He’s a great kid you’d want to have even as a son. I couldn’t ask for a better kid to teach. Guys like him and Posey, they don’t come around too often.”

[juan27]

Watched him at the game yesterday and he looks like a very patient hitter with a good eye. The problem is perhaps he gets too deep in the count and then has to swing defensively (he rolled over the pitch two or three times with a routine GB to 2nd.)