Former Longhorn and current Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is preparing to head into his 10th season in the majors, all of which have been with the Giants. Belt received his call to the big leagues in 2011, appearing in 63 games while batting .225 with nine home runs and 18 runs batted in at the age of 23. Outside of an injury-riddled season in 2014, that would be the fewest games that Belt would play in.
In 2019, the former Longhorn and Nacogdoches native appeared in a career-high 156 games that he also matched in the 2016 season. Belt batted just .234 with 127 strikeouts to only 83 walks. He added 17 HRs and 57 RBIs. Looking for a bounce back season, Belt will report to spring training for the Giants in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 16th.
The Giants will be looking to overtake the two teams that finished above them in 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants finished with a combined record of 16-22 against those two clubs. For Belt, he is trying to bring the Giants back to contention. The team hasn’t had a playoff berth since 2016 and haven’t won the pennant since 2014 when they won the World Series.
Belt spent 2008-2009 with the Texas Longhorns. He decided to go to school over starting his baseball career when he was selected in the 11th round by the Boston Red Sox straight out of Lufkin High School. Belt spent 2007 with San Jacinto college where again he was drafted in the 11th round by the Atlanta Braves. He transferred to Texas where he would spend the next two seasons.
As a member of the Longhorns team in 2008, the team finished with a 39-22 record and was eliminated in the NCAA Regionals after falling to Rice 7-4. The following year Belt transitioned to first base and gave up pitching due to his shoulder. The Longhorns finished as runner-up in the 2009 College World Series. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB Draft.
Brandon Belt’s MLB Accolades
- National League All-Star (2016)
- Two-time Wold Series Champion (2012, 2014)
- Career Batting Average .261
- Career Home Runs: 129
- Career Runs Batted In: 472
- Career On Base Percentage: .354