Former SF Giants slugger has hilarious response to All-Star snub

Brandon Belt may no longer be with the SF Giants but his sense of humor remains the same. The updated All-Star results were published on Tuesday and Belt is only 1,387,257 votes behind Shohei Ohtani for first place in the American League DH ballot.

Former SF Giants slugger has hilarious response to All-Star snub

Belt was asked to comment on the vote and, well, his response to Paige Leckie of MLB.Com was exactly what you would expect:

Belt has a dry sense of humor and this is clearly sarcasm. I do think he could have worded his response differently, but he was clearly going for humor when suggesting that he was better than Ohtani at hitting and leading. Surprisingly, the 35-year-old did not mention being a better pitcher because that would have just been the cherry on the top.

Of course, if you look at the responses in the comments, some responders did not see the sarcasm and reacted as if it was a serious comment. On the other hand, a lot of Giants fans know Belt's sense of humor well and could tell that this was clearly a joke.

Ohtani has secured 1.8 million fan votes and will win his category in a landslide. The only player who has received more votes is Ronald Acuña Jr., who has received 2.2 million thus far. Both Ohtani and
Acuña Jr. are the favorites to win the MVP award in the American League and National League, respectively.

Belt is off to a nice start in 2023. Of course, his chances of catching Ohtani in the voting are nonexistent. The left-handed bat is slashing .263/.378/.434 (130 OPS+) with four home runs, 16 RBI, and 18 runs in 180 plate appearances. This includes a fantastic 15.0 percent walk rate against a rather high 37.2 percent strikeout rate.

The 13-year veteran is currently on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Though, when he does return, Belt will continue to help the Toronto Blue Jays make a playoff push. The Blue Jays current sit with a 39-35 overall record, which is good enough for fourth place in a tough AL East division.

On the other side of the country, Belt's former team, the Giants, are on a hot streak of their own and they are finally getting some recognition. Even though he no longer is with San Francisco, it is nice to see that his sense of humor is still alive and well.