Tag: Brandon Belt

Former Longhorns 1B Brandon Belt reportedly a Texas Rangers target

Former Longhorns baseball player Brandon Belt could be coming back to one MLB team in Texas.

One former Texas Longhorns baseball player might be headed back to his home state. The Texas Rangers have reportedly discussed bringing veteran first baseman Brandon Belt to Arlington, Texas.

The homecoming for Belt should bring a positive reception. The former Longhorns standout earned several honors while in Austin. Among those honors were Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player and All-Big 12 team honorable mention.

While in Austin, Belt batted .321 for his career with a .399 on base percentage. The gifted athlete also posted a 4.19 ERA in one season as a pitcher on the Forty Acres.

The Longhorn legend has continued his strong play even late into his career. Since 2020, Belt ranks No. 5 among current MLB first basemen in on base percentage, No. 6 in slugging percentage, No. 4 in on base plus slugging plus and No. 2 in walk percentage.

Belt played a significant role in Texas’ runner up season in 2009 where the Longhorns fell to the LSU Tigers for a College World Series title. His knack for championship baseball carried over to the major leagues where Belt won World Series titles in 2012 and 2014 with the San Francisco Giants.

The productive player’s former manager Bruce Bochy is likely a leading voice in discussions about bringing Belt back to Texas. He would likely add a clubhouse leader to the fold that Bochy can trust.

Brandon Belt could be coming back to Texas. We will keep an eye on where he lands for the 2024 baseball season.

Giants’ Brandon Belt hitting two homers for his late grandmother was so awesome

What an emotional night for Brandon Belt and his family.

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San Francisco Giants veteran first baseman Brandon Belt didn’t want to play in last night’s game against the New York Mets.

Hours before the first pitch he found out his grandmother had passed away that morning from COVID-19 and he just couldn’t see himself playing a baseball game after such a devastating personal loss.

Back when Belt was in high school and trying to live out his dream of becoming a major league ballplayer, his grandmother, Margaret Peterson, and grandfather would help out financially so he could go to showcase tournaments where scouts could see him play.

He said his grandmother loved bragging about her grandson, who has since gone on to win two World Series with the Giants.

After texts and calls with his family yesterday Belt decided to play against the Mets. His dad told him his grandmother would want him to take that field and do his job.

So he did.

And then he went 4 for 5 from the plate with two homers, all this coming after he had gone 2 for for this last 30 coming into the game.

His first was an absolute blast to centerfield in the first inning, which must have felt pretty damn amazing.

He said after the game:

“I’ve kind of been in a daze all day. I was just glad I could come out here and do that for her.”

And he had this emotional postgame interview in which he dedicated the game and the season to his grandmother.

Making things even more special is that his second homer was his 19th of the year, which is a career high.

His manager, Gabe Kapler, said: “I couldn’t help but feel like something powerful was at play there when he hit that first home run.”

Sports, man.

We send our best to the Belt family.

Quick hits: What is this Alliance?… Colts mascot nails ‘Milk Crate Challenge’… Tony La Russa berates rookie catcher Seby Zavala… And more.

– Jason Kirk looks into what exactly the ACC, Pac-12, and Big Ten are trying to pull off with this whole Alliance thing.

– The Colts mascot successfully completed the “Milk Crate Challenge,” which is something that looks like has left a lot of people in pain this week.

– Tony La Russa berated rookie catcher Seby Zavala in the dugout and cameras picked it all up.

– Charles Curtis has six QB sleepers to be looking at in fantasy football this year.

– Charles McDonald explains how the Jaguars can survive without rookie running back Travis Etienne, who is now out for the season with a foot injury.

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Brandon Belt Looks For Bounce Back Year In 2020

Former Texas Longhorn Brandon Belt is looking for a bounce back season in 2020 for the San Francisco Giants.

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