A look at Brandon Belt by ESPN

Now that Buster Posey has been called up, Giants fans have attached themselves to the next top offensive prospect, Brandon Belt.  I thought that with September callups and the fact that most people don’t have insider this would be as good as time of any to relay the info.

Jason Grey of ESPN has broken down Brandon Belt and suggests that he is the next real star first baseman.  So much for Buster Posey moving to first.

Belt has quick hands and good bat speed. A more upright, open stance helps keep him from getting his long levers jammed on the inner half of the plate and lets him get his arms extended more often, and he has incorporated a little more loft in his swing to turn more of his good raw power into game power, yet still allowing his zone to stay in the bat a long time. (Too much of an uppercut stroke makes your bat get out of the zone too quickly for consistent, hard contact.) He’s still mostly a line-drive hitter who squares balls up to the gaps, but he now gets better hip turn and doesn’t cut himself off as much, which gets him more carry on the ball. Belt also references being able to see the ball a bit better, and thus far he has demonstrated an ability to handle the strike zone well, walking almost as many times as he has struck out. He also has solid pitch recognition. Scouting reports say he stays back on offspeed stuff well.

Although Belt has 20 steals this year, it won’t be a part of his game at the big league level, as he doesn’t have above-average speed. He stole a number of bags earlier in the year simply by taking advantage of Class A pitchers not paying attention to him, but his running game has petered out at Double-A. As a defender, Belt is consistent and above-average at first base. The Giants have played him a small amount at the corner outfield spots, but his future is at first base, given his good hands there, as well as his poor routes and jumps in the outfield.

I think it speaks well for Belt’s future development that he has been able to adapt to a new way of hitting very quickly and has taken off in such a short time. Many thought Belt’s offensive numbers at Class A were driven by the launching pads of the California League, but he hasn’t skipped a beat in a tough hitting environment at Double-A Richmond. The reason I didn’t include him in my Top 10 for ’10 rankings for the balance of the season (below) in recent weeks was not because I wasn’t buying his bat, but rather because his playing time in the big leagues is uncertain for the balance of the season. The Giants appear to be targeting just a September call-up for him right now, and with them in the playoff hunt, it’s likely he will still see quite a bit of bench/pinch-hitting time when he arrives rather than being thrust into a pressure situation. If Travis Ishikawa or Pat Burrell gets hurt tomorrow, you never know, but I’d say it’s unlikely he gets regular playing time on the Giants this season.

Although Jason Grey suggests that the Giants could call Belt up, and I believe they will, he apparently doesn’t know that Bochy will let him rot on the bench.  He will probably get 6 or 7 at bats and not get a hit and then Sabean will come out and say that the minor leagues is a joke again.  Then he will sign a Aubrey Huff to a 10-year $100 million dollar deal and make Huff the next Renteria.