Today, Brandon Belt tied Hunter Pence for the most home runs in a single season post-Bonds as he hit his 27th home run, a no-doubter into the Coors Field second deck.
Belt has shown flashes of this power before, most notably on May 22, 2015, when he hit a ball at Coors that Statcast tracked as 475 feet. However, it’s never been as consistent as it has been since the Giants’ coaching staff was overhauled prior to the 2020 season.
Despite Belt and his unquestionable power, the “Belt Wars” have been in place ever since Brandon made his MLB debut at the start of the 2011 campaign. The anti-Belt talking points are that he takes too many pitches, is injury prone, and his performance comes in streaks.
However, I don’t think it’s foreign to say that things like that don’t matter, as long as he’s had consistent and sustained success as a Giant, which he has. The numbers back that up. He has had one below-average season by OPS+ (2019; 98). His career OPS+ is 124, and remember, league average is 100. He averages 22 home runs every 162 games and has hit 35 in only 145 games since the start of the 2020 season.
If the Giants are willing to extend Brandon Crawford, a 34-year-old shortstop, there is no reason not to extend Belt, a 33-year-old first baseman who has finally broken the 20-homer threshold and has shown no signs of slowing. Not to mention, he’s a franchise icon who isn’t blocking any prospects. Extending him is a no-brainer, and the Zaidi administration has been nothing if not competent. I expect it to happen soon, and wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a lot of cash.
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