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#9 Most Thankful: Brandon Belt

By Melissa Felkins
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September 9, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9, left) is congratulated by right fielder Hunter Pence (8, right) for hitting a RBI-single to score center fielder Angel Pagan (16, not pictured) against the Colorado Rockies during the 10th inning at AT

It’s officially Thanksgiving time and we thought we’d kick off the holiday weekend by showing our gratitude for the Giants. The Giants have given us a lot to be thankful for over the past few seasons.  Over the weekend we’ll share our favorite 10  Giants and possibly some honorable mentions. So for all the times we whine and complain about the state of our team, let’s take some time to be thankful this offseason.

See the full list here: Top 10 Giants Most Thankful For This Year

Brandon Belt

Brandon Belt gets a lot of hate sometimes. Listen to KNBR after any game and you’re sure to hear a slew of Belt Bash happening. I honestly don’t get it. I mean, sure he’s struggled since coming up to the big leagues. He hasn’t turned in the phenom everyone (including himself) expected him to be … at least right away. I say that because the last half of this past season, I began to see hope that he may actually get there. After seasons full of resisting, he finally gave in and changed his bat grip. Guess what? It worked.

  • Pre All-Star Break he hit .260 and his SLG was .448
  • Post All-Star Break he let the team hitting .326 and his SLG was .525
  • In 2012, he hit 7 home runs
  • In 2013, he hit 17 home runs

I think, more than anything, turning his season around this past season gave him some much needed confidence. We saw far less of his slumpy shoulders in the second half of the season. I fully expect him to continue improving and hit over 20 home runs in 2014, and for the next several seasons to come. And hopefully, a few more of these.

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