San Francisco Giants: 10 best first basemen in franchise history

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 12: Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants watches the ball after hitting a double in the bottom of the eighteenth inning against the Colorado Rockies to the at Oracle Park on April 12, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

7. Brandon Belt (2011-Present), San Francisco Giants

Stats: 123 OPS+, .265/.355/.456, 851 H, 117 HR, 425 RBI, 446 R
WAR: 22.9 rWAR/19.7 fWAR
Accolades: 1x All-Star
WS Titles: 2

The Giants selected Belt in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, and he quickly emerged as one of the team’s top prospects when he hit .352/.455/.620 with 76 extra-base hits while reaching Triple-A in his pro debut.

He made his MLB debut in 2011 and was the everyday first baseman in 2012 when he posted a 2.8 WAR season for the eventual World Series champions.

Belt has never been the prototypical power-hitting first baseman with a career-high of 18 home runs that he’s reached twice.

However, he possessed above-average on-base skills with a career .355 on-base percentage, and he adds further value with his stellar glovework. In nine seasons, he has racked up 55 Defensive Runs Saved, though he has yet to win Gold Glove honors.

His best all-around season came in 2016 when he hit .275/.394/.474 with 41 doubles, 17 home runs, 82 RBI, 77 runs scored and 104 walks for a career-high 4.6 WAR. He also made his lone All-Star Game appearance that season.

6. “High Pockets” Kelly (1915-1917, 1919-1926), New York Giants

Stats: 117 OPS+, .301/.348/.465, 1,270 H, 123 HR, 762 RBI, 608 R
WAR: 22.6 rWAR/25.3 fWAR
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1973)
WS Titles: 2

During the offensive boom of the 1920s, George “High Pockets” Kelly was the premier producer for the New York Giants.

He took over as the team’s starting first baseman in 1920 and led the NL with 94 RBI, racking up 24 doubles, 11 triples and 11 home runs.

Over the first six seasons of the decade, he hit .306/.353/.475 for a 119 OPS+ while averaging 30 doubles, 17 home runs and 106 RBI per season.

He led the NL in home runs in 1921 (23), was the league’s RBI leader again in 1924 (136), and he finished third in NL MVP voting in 1925 when he hit .309/.350/.471 with 20 home runs and 99 RBI.

The Giants eventually traded him to the Cincinnati Reds following the 1926 season in exchange for another future Hall of Famer in outfielder Edd Roush, who went on to post 3.0 WAR in three seasons with the Giants following the trade.