| Brandon Belt | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants – No. 9 | |
| First Base / Left Field | |
| Born: April 20, 1988 Nacogdoches, Texas |
|
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| March 31, 2011 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
|
| Home Runs | 9 |
| RBIs | 18 |
| Batting average | .225 |
| Teams | |
|
|
Brandon Kyle Belt (born April 20, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.
Belt was drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft after his junior year at the University of Texas by the Giants. He started off with the High-A Giants affiliate in San Jose. He worked with the Giants coaching staff and made an adjustment to his swing mechanics that have helped him move quickly through the Giants farm system, where he hit well at all three levels in 2010 finishing the year with a .352 batting average and gaining attention as one of the Giants top prospects.[1]
In 2010, he played for the San Francisco Giants Class-AAA-affiliate Fresno Grizzlies. He also played for the East Division Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Brandon played in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game for the East team.
He was ranked as the third best first baseman prospect on MLB.com prior to the 2011 season. He was ranked as the 26th best prospect by MLB Network.[2]
On March 30, 2011, it was announced that Belt had been named to the Giants' opening day Major League roster. He started in his first major league game the next day and singled off of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw in his first major league at bat. He finished 1-3 with a walk. [3][4]
Brandon Belt hit his first MLB homerun, a 3-run blast off of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Chad Billingsley on April 2, 2011.
On April 20, 2011, Belt was optioned to Triple-A Fresno to make room on the roster for Cody Ross. He was hitting .192 in 17 games.[5]
In June, Belt was diagnosed with a hairline fracture, and was sent to the 15 day DL after being hit by a pitch in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
On July 19, 2011, Belt was recalled to the Giants. At time, he had compiled a .444 AAA wOBA .[6]
On August 14, 2011, one day after being called up to the majors for a fourth time, Belt hit two home runs in a 5-2 victory over the Florida Marlins in Miami. It was the first multi home run game of his career.
In August 2011, Belt was given the nickname "The Baby Giraffe" by Giants announcer Duane Kuiper, who commented that Belt looked like the animal when tracking down a fly ball in left field during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.[7] The nickname stuck and Belt became a fan favorite in San Francisco, with "Baby Giraffe" hats rivaling the number of "Panda" hats in the stands at AT&T Park in September 2011. Six Flags Marine World even named a real baby giraffe after Belt. [8]