San Francisco Giants: Who was the biggest disappointment in 2019?

Brandon Belt

Written by: Nick San Miguel

Brandon Belt was the most disappointing San Francisco Giants player in 2019.

There were other disappointments, such as Dereck Rodriguez or Steven Duggar, but they were young, unproven players with questions about whether they would be long-term producers.

With Belt, he has proven time and time again that he can be the life source for an offense that goes cold seemingly every other week. Injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential and having that big year where he bats over .300 and swats over 20 home runs. He was finally healthy this year, but still unable to put it all together.

What makes his decline in performance more disappointing is that it will make it that much more difficult for the Giants to trade him this offseason. Not to mention a sizable contract that teams will not be eager to take on.

Belt is capable of bouncing back. He’s still just 31 years old, and we saw a 35-year-old Hunter Pence enjoy a resurgent season with the Texas Rangers in 2019.

Perhaps it’s as simple as a tweak to his swing or a more aggressive approach at the plate. There’s always the possibility that he is just a few adjustments away from putting together a solid season and being one of the team’s main offensive producers.

As long as the injuries do not creep up again, he may find his footing. With guys like Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubon more likely to bat lead-off, that could free Belt up to fill more of a run production role, rather than trying to be a table-setter atop the lineup.

Despite the disappointing year, I still have hope that Belt can turn things around and put together a solid 2020 if he is still wearing a Giants uniform.