Brandon Belt

Brandon Kyle Belt (born April 20, 1988), nicknamed "Baby Giraffe",[1] "Sparky",[2] and "Captain",[3] is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent.

He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Boston Red Sox selected Belt in the 11th round (343rd overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft as a pitcher, but chose not to offer him the signing bonus that would make him forego his college commitment.

[4] Belt enrolled at San Jacinto College in order to preserve his ability to negotiate with Boston, but eventually chose not to sign.

[6] The San Francisco Giants selected Belt in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft after his junior year.

[10] He also played for the East Division Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star and to the All Prospect Team.

[13] After his strong showing in the minor leagues, Belt was invited to spring training in 2011,[14] where he played in 28 exhibition games, the most on the team, and batted .282 with 3 home runs.

[15] On March 30, 2011, the Giants announced that Belt had been named to the opening day major league roster,[16][17] a moment captured in the series premiere of The Franchise.

[22] On June 4, Belt was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his wrist after being hit by a pitch in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, sending him to the 15 day DL.

In his first game back in the majors, Belt hit a solo home run in the second inning and a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh to help the Giants defeat the Dodgers.

[25] On August 4, Belt was optioned back to Fresno to make room on the roster for Mark DeRosa.

[26] On August 14, one day after being called up to the majors for a fourth time, Belt hit two home runs in a 5–2 victory over the Florida Marlins in Miami.

[30] Belt split time at first base with Aubrey Huff and Brett Pill at the beginning of the season.

[31] Belt caught the final out of Matt Cain's perfect game that was thrown to him at first base from third baseman Joaquín Arias.

Belt got off to a slow start after losing 11 pounds to an opening-week stomach virus, but finished strong, batting .346 over the season's final 51 games.

[41] On October 29, 2014, Belt won his second World Series ring when the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games.

[43] On May 17, Belt accomplished a rare feat when he collected 3 hits, including a home run, for 3 games in a row against the Cincinnati Reds.

[52] On April 22, Belt set a new MLB record for most pitches seen in a single at bat, with 21 against the Angels' starting pitcher, Jaime Barria.

Belt married his high school sweetheart Haylee Stephenson on December 3, 2010, in their hometown of Lufkin, Texas.

Their mission will be to raise money for Harold's House, a nonprofit that serves victims of sexual and/or physical abuse.

Brandon Belt batting in 2011
Belt in the field in 2017