}}Brandon Kyle Belt (born April 20, 1988), nicknamed "Baby Giraffe",WEB,weblink Brandon Belt - the 'Baby Giraffe', San Francisco Chronicle, Henry, Schulman, August 26, 2011, June 16, 2021, "Sparky",WEB, Pavlovic, Alex,weblink Instant Analysis: Five Takeaways From Giants Dropping Series Vs Braves, NBC Bay Area, June 22, 2017, June 16, 2021, and "Captain",WEB, SF Giants News: Return of the Captain,weblink November 24, 2022, www.mccoveychronicles.com, March 16, 2022, en, is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.Belt played college baseball for San Jacinto College and the University of Texas at Austin. The Giants selected Belt in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut during the 2011 season and was a member of the 2012 World Series and 2014 World Series championship teams with the Giants. Belt was an All Star in 2016. Belt signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent after the 2022 season.

Early life

Belt attended Hudson High School in Hudson, Texas, where he was a pitcher and outfielder. The Boston Red Sox selected Belt in the 11th round (343rd overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft as a pitcher, but chose not to offer him the signing bonus that would make him forego his college commitment.WEB, Brian MacPherson,weblink How the Red Sox almost added SF's Brandon Belt to their pipeline of pitching | Red Sox - Complete analysis & insight, The Providence Journal, August 22, 2013,

College career

Belt enrolled at San Jacinto College in order to preserve his ability to negotiate with Boston, but eventually chose not to sign. He pitched and served as a designated hitter for San Jacinto's baseball team in 2007. He was drafted in the 11th round (348th overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Atlanta Braves, but again chose not to sign.NEWS,weblink Cactus League: Brandon Belt can't win over Giants fans, Alex, Pavlovic, March 13, 2014, San Jose Mercury News, Belt transferred to the University of Texas, where he played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns for two years. In his 2008 sophomore season, Belt batted .319 with six home runs and a team-high 65 runs batted in while also pitching in 16 games as a reliever.WEB,weblink Belt again a world champion, October 30, 2014, TexasSports.com, After the 2008 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.WEB,weblink Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League, capecodbaseball.org, September 25, 2019, WEB,weblink 2008 Harwich Mariners, thebaseballcube.com, September 23, 2021, As a junior, Belt transitioned to first base due to shoulder problems. In 2009, during his junior season, Belt batted .323 in 63 games (76-for-235) with eight home runs, 43 runs batted in, and 15 stolen bases, while recording a .989 fielding percentage, as part of the Texas team that finished as runner-up in the College World Series.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

The San Francisco Giants selected Belt in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft after his junior year, and he signed for a signing bonus of $200,000.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt, The Baseball Cube, November 19, 2019, He started his professional career with the High-A Giants affiliate in San Jose, for whom he was a mid-season All Star.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball, Milb.com, November 19, 2019, He worked with the Giants coaching staff and made an adjustment to his swing mechanics that helped him move quickly through the Giants farm system. He hit well at all three levels in 2010 finishing the year batting .352/.455/.620 with 23 home runs and 112 runs batted in, gaining attention as one of the Giants top prospects.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt Scouting Report, CrazyCrabbers.com, August 26, 2010, Scott, Willis, In 2010, he played for the San Francisco Giants Class-AAA-affiliate Fresno Grizzlies, and was named a Baseball America Minor League All Star and an MiLB Organization All Star. He also played for the East Division Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star and to the All Prospect Team. Belt 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.NEWS,weblink Prospect Watch: Top 10 first basemen, MLB.com, January 18, 2011, He was ranked as the 26th-best prospect overall by MLB.com.NEWS,weblink Belt earns ranking among Top 50 Prospects, Chris, Haft, January 26, 2011, MLB.com,

San Francisco Giants (2011â€“2022)

2011

(File:Brandon Belt 2011.jpg|right|thumb|274x274px|Brandon Belt batting in 2011)After his strong showing in the minor leagues, Belt was invited to spring training in 2011,NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt's emergence a victory for scouts, Henry, Schulman, March 6, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle, where he played in 28 exhibition games, the most on the team, and batted .282 with 3 home runs. On March 30, 2011, the Giants announced that Belt had been named to the opening day major league roster,NEWS,weblink The Brandon Belt decision: He's a San Francisco Giant, Alex, Pavlovic, San Jose Mercury News, March 30, 2011, NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt makes SF Giants' roster, John, Shea, March 30, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle, a moment captured in the series premiere of The Franchise.WEB,weblink 'Curt Flood' and 'The Franchise': A Baseball Documentary Double-Header, July 12, 2011, Gary Andrew, Poole, The Atlantic, 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,NEWS,weblink The Giants Start Over, Adjusting to the Glare, Tyler, Kepner, March 31, 2011, The New York Times, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk.WEB,weblink San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers - Box Score, March 31, 2011, ESPN.com, Belt hit his first major league home run on April 1, 2011, off Chad Billingsley.AV MEDIA,weblink Belt's first career homer, April 1, 2011, MLB.com, February 13, 2015, June 4, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160604095123weblink">weblink dead, On April 20, Belt was optioned to Triple-A Fresno to make room on the roster for Cody Ross. He was hitting .192 in 17 games.NEWS,weblink Belt sent to Triple-A to make room for Ross, MLB.com, April 21, 2011, Belt was recalled to the Giants on May 26 after injuries to Buster Posey and Darren Ford.NEWS,weblink SF Giants call up Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, Steve, Kroner, May 26, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle, On June 4, 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.NEWS,weblink Belt headed to DL with small wrist fracture, Carl, Steward, June 4, 2011, San Jose Mercury News, On July 7, Belt was removed from the DL and optioned back to Fresno to continue his rehab assignment.NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt comes off DL, gets sent to Triple-A, July 7, 2011, Matthew, Pouliot, NBCSports.com, On July 19, Belt was recalled to the Giants to give slumping first baseman Aubrey Huff a break. In his first game back in the majors, Belt hit a solo home run and a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning to help the Giants defeat the Dodgers.NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt returns to key Giants' victory over Dodgers, July 19, 2011, Associated Press, ESPN.com, On August 4, Belt was optioned back to Fresno to make room on the roster for Mark DeRosa.NEWS,weblink Mark DeRosa reinstated from DL, August 4, 2011, Associated Press, ESPN.com, On August 14, one day after being called up to the majors for a fourth time, Belt hit two home runs in a 5â€“2 victory over the Florida Marlins in Miami. It was the first multi home run game of his career.NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt hits 2 homers, SF Giants beat Marlins, Henry, Schulman, August 15, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle, In August 2011, Belt was given the nickname "The Baby Giraffe" by Giants announcer Duane Kuiper, who commented that Belt looked like the animal while tracking down a fly ball in left field during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt - the 'Baby Giraffe', San Francisco Chronicle, Henry, Schulman, August 26, 2011, April 3, 2013, 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 (the panda hats are a reference to Giants star Pablo Sandoval, sometimes called "the Kung-Fu Panda"). Six Flags Discovery Kingdom named a real baby giraffe born in August after Belt.WEB, Townsend, Mark,weblink Bay Area Six Flags names baby giraffe after Giants' Brandon Belt - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports, Ca.sports.yahoo.com, April 3, 2013,

2012

Belt made the Giants' opening day roster for 2012.WEB, Craig, Calcaterra,weblink Brandon Belt makes the Giants roster, NBCSports.com, April 4, 2012, April 3, 2013, Belt split time at first base with Aubrey Huff and Brett Pill at the beginning of the season.NEWS,weblink UPDATE: Tonight's SF Giants lineup, plus Bochy on Belt/Pill/Huff, Henry, Schulman, May 15, 2012, SFGate.com, Belt caught the final out of Matt Cain's perfect game that was thrown to him at first base from the third baseman JoaquÃn Arias. After Huff was injured and Pill struggled at the plate, Belt became the everyday first baseman and finished the season strong, hitting .328 from July 24 to the end of the season.NEWS,weblink Giants first baseman Brandon Belt hopes to reach his potential this season, Alex, Pavlovic, February 25, 2013, San Jose Mercury News, In the 2012 NLCS, Belt hit .304 (7-for-23) in six games with a .565 slugging percentage. On October 28, 2012, Belt won his first World Series ring when the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. Belt played a key part of the Giants' clinching game in the World Series, starting the scoring by hitting a triple to right field in the second inning, scoring Hunter Pence from second.WEB,weblink San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers - Play By Play - October 28, 2012 - ESPN, Espn.go.com, October 28, 2012, April 3, 2013,

2013

Belt set new career highs in 2013, batting .289 with 17 home runs and 67 runs batted in during 150 games, and he led the Giants with an .841 on-base plus slugging. Belt got off to a slow start after losing 11 pounds to an opening-week stomach virus, but finished strong, batting .346 over the season's final 51 games. Belt credited his improvement to changing his grip and moving back in the batter's box. Belt was named National League Player of the Week for August 5â€“11 after collecting hits in all seven games played, while batting .440 (11-for-25) with five runs batted in, 20 total bases, two home runs, and eight runs scored.PRESS RELEASE,weblink Brandon Belt of the Giants named National League Player of the Week, August 12, 2013, MLB.com, February 8, 2015, October 31, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171031104905weblink">weblink dead,

2014

On February 1, 2014, Belt signed a one-year $2.9 million contract to avoid arbitration.WEB, Haft, Chris, Big contract a 'special moment' for Belt,weblink February 21, 2014, MLB.com, February 21, 2014, February 24, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140224175416weblink">weblink dead, On May 9, while batting at Dodger Stadium, Belt was hit on his left thumb by Dodgers pitcher Paul Maholm, suffering a broken thumb.NEWS,weblink Giants put Brandon Belt on DL, ESPN.com, May 10, 2014, Belt was activated from the disabled list on July 4,NEWS,weblink Giants activate 1B Brandon Belt, ESPN.com, July 4, 2014, only to return to the disabled list on July 21 after suffering a concussion while fielding during batting practice.NEWS,weblink Concussion sends Belt to disabled list, Maria, Torres, MLB.com, July 21, 2014, Belt was activated August 2, but was placed on the DL again August 8 when his concussion symptoms continued.NEWS,weblink Concussion symptoms land Belt on seven-day DL, Jackson, Alexander, MLB.com, August 8, 2014, Belt was reactivated from the disabled list on September 15.NEWS,weblink Feeling 'really good,' Belt comes off disabled list, Chris, Haft, MLB.com, September 15, 2014, October 8, 2014, October 14, 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141014030238weblink">weblink dead, In the 2014 postseason, Belt batted .295 (18-for-61) with 8 runs batted in and 11 walks in 17 games. In Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS versus the Washington Nationals, Belt hit a solo home run in the top of the 18th inning to break a 1â€“1 tie in the 18th inning after 6 hours and 23 minutes of game play, helping the Giants to an eventual 3â€“1 series win.NEWS,weblink In 18th, a Belt wastes Nats' six-hour effort, Chris, Haft, MLB.com, October 5, 2014, On October 29, 2014, Belt won his second World Series ring when the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games. Belt, along with teammate Hunter Pence, hit safely in all seven games of the series, the only players on either team to do so.AV MEDIA,weblink Pence, Belt tie WS hit mark, October 29, 2014, 10/29/14: Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt become just the second pair of teammates to get at least one hit in every game of a seven-game WS, MLB.com, February 8, 2015, July 12, 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150712150954weblink">weblink dead,

2015

On February 3, 2015, Belt and the Giants avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.6 million contract.NEWS,weblink Giants, Belt avoid arbitration with 1-year deal, Chris, Haft, February 3, 2015, MLB.com, February 8, 2015, October 8, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161008155635weblink">weblink dead, On May 17, Belt accomplished a rare feat when he collected 3 hits, including a home run, for 3 games in a row against the Cincinnati Reds. He was only the second Giants player to do so since 1900. Barry Bonds had a similar three-game streak in 2000. Belt recorded another unusual statistic since he hit the home runs on 3 consecutive days after not hitting any in his first 30 games. The last player to have done so was also Belt in the 2012 season when he hit home runs in 3 consecutive games after not hitting any in his first 48 games that season.WEB, Giants by the numbers: Belt accomplishes rare three-game hit streak,weblink ESPN Stats & Information, May 18, 2015, May 19, 2015, For the season, Belt appeared in 137 games, batting .280/.356/.478, and set new career-highs with 18 home runs and 68 runs batted in.NEWS,weblink Belt OKs one-year deal with Giants, Cash, Kruth, February 10, 2016, MLB.com, February 10, 2016, April 28, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160428183803weblink">weblink dead, For the season, he led all major league hitters in line drive percentage (28.7%).WEB,weblink Major League Leaderboards Â» 2016 Â» Batters Â» Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball, www.fangraphs.com,

2016

On February 10, 2016, Belt and the Giants agreed to a one-year, $6.2 million contract to avoid arbitration.NEWS, Kruth, Cash, Belt OKs one-year deal with Giants,weblink MLB.com, February 10, 2016, February 10, 2016, April 28, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160428183803weblink">weblink dead, On April 9, 2016, Belt and the Giants agreed to a 5-year, $72.8 million contract extension through 2021. After winning the 2016 National League All-Star Final Vote, Belt was selected to his first All Star Game.WEB, Haft, Chris, Belt signs contract extension through 2021,weblink MLB.com, April 9, 2016, March 15, 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170315034600weblink">weblink dead, In 2016, Belt led all Giants batters with 104 walks, 17 home runs, a .394 on-base percentage, and .868 on-base plus slugging, and set a new career-high with 82 runs batted in.WEB,weblink 2016 San Francisco Giants Batting Statistics, Baseball-Reference.com, Belt became the first Giant to record 100 walks in a season since Barry Bonds in 2007.NEWS,weblink Instant Replay: Samardzija K's 11, But Giants Blanked, Alex, Pavlovic, CSN Bay Area, October 7, 2016, October 10, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161010111155weblink">weblink dead, For the season, he had the lowest ground ball percentage of all major league hitters (26.3%).WEB,weblink Major League Leaderboards Â» 2016 Â» Batters Â» Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball, www.fangraphs.com,

2017

(File:Brandon Belt in the Field (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Belt in the field in 2017)In 2017, Belt tied his career-high with 18 home runs before suffering a season-ending concussion on August 4.NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt beaned, Giants fall to Diamondbacks, Jeff, Faraudo, August 4, 2017, Bay Area News Group,

2018

On April 22, Belt set a new MLB record for most pitches seen in a single at bat, with 21 against the Angels' starting pitcher, Jaime Barria. Belt fouled off 16 pitches (15 with two strikes)WEB,weblink Giants vs. Angels Play By Play 04/22/18, MLB.com, April 22, 2018, April 25, 2018, against the right-hander in his first plate appearance of the game, in the top of the first inning. The at bat lasted 12 minutes and 45 seconds, and ended with a fly out to right fielder Kole Calhoun.NEWS,weblink Brandon Belt sets MLB record, sees 21 pitches in AB before lining out, ESPN, April 22, 2018, April 22, 2018, Belt was also named the National League Player of the Week on May 21.WEB,weblink MLB names Brandon Belt the NL Player of the Week, Bryan, Murphy, May 21, 2018, McCovey Chronicles, On June 2, Belt underwent an appendectomy.WEB, Brandon Belt has surgery to remove appendix,weblink MLB, June 2, 2018, In 2018 he batted .253/.342/.414 with 14 home runs and 46 runs batted in.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt Stats, Baseball-Reference.com, November 19, 2019,

2019

In 2019 Belt had 526 at bats and hit .234/.339/.403 with 76 runs, 17 home runs, and 57 runs batted in. He had the lowest ground ball percentage in the National League (28.3%).WEB,weblink Major League Leaderboards Â» 2019 Â» Batters Â» Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball, Fangraphs.com, January 1, 2019, November 19, 2019,

2020

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Belt batted .309/.425/.591 with 9 home runs and 30 runs batted in during 51 games. He had the fourth-highest on-base plus slugging in the National League (1.015).

2021

In the 2021 regular season for the Giants, Belt batted .274/.378/.597 with a .975 on-base plus slugging, 59 runs batted in, and a career high 29 home runs in 325 at bats.WEB,weblink Brandon Belt Stats, Baseball-Reference.com, He became a free agent after the season, but accepted the Giants $18.4 million qualifying offer to remain with them for another season.NEWS, Gilbert, Steve, Belt accepts QO, will stay with Giants in '22,weblink MLB.com, November 17, 2021, November 20, 2021,

2022

Following the retirement of catcher Buster Posey, Belt became the longest tenured member of the Giants. In 2022 he batted .213/.326/.350 in 254 at bats, and had the slowest sprint speed of all Giants players, at 24.3 feet per second.WEB,weblink Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard, Belt underwent seasonâ€“ending surgery on September 2, 2022, to repair cartilage in his right knee.WEB, Belt (knee) to undergo season-ending surgery,weblink June 16, 2023, mlb.com, en,

Toronto Blue Jays (2023â€“present)

On January 10, 2023, Belt signed a one-year contract worth $9.3 million with the Toronto Blue Jays.WEB,weblink Belt joining Blue Jays 'was the best situation', MLB.com, He became a free agent after the season.

Accomplishments and Honors

{| class="wikitable"|+ Championships! style="background:#ccf;"|Title! style="background:#ccf;"|{{Tooltip|Times|Number of times achieved}}! style="background:#ccf;"|DatesList of National League pennant winners>National League champion 22012 National League Championship Series>2012, 2014 World Series List of World Series champions>champion 22012 World Series>2012, 2014{| class="wikitable"|+ Awards and Honors! style="background:#ccf;"|Name of award! style="background:#ccf;"|{{Tooltip|Times|Number of times achieved}}! style="background:#ccf;"|DatesMajor League Baseball All-Star Game>MLB All-Star 12016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game>2016Major League Baseball Player of the Week Award>MLB Player of the Week 2WEBSITE=MLB WEBSITE=MLB, June 28, 2023,

Personal life

Belt married his high school sweetheart Haylee Stephenson on December 3, 2010, in their hometown of Lufkin, Texas.WEB, Brandon Belt,weblink SF Giants Photos Blog, MLB Advanced Media, L.P., March 30, 2013, They have two sons, born in August 2014 and July 2018.NEWS, Henry, Schulman, SF Giants' Brandon Crawford reveals injury, plus lineup change,weblink SFGate.com, August 28, 2014,

References

External links

{{baseball stats |mlb=474832 |espn=30901 |br=b/beltbr01 |fangraphs=10264 |brm=belt--001bra |retro=B/Pbeltb001}}
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