Today in "Did Brandon Belt Swing?"

Brandon Belt touching a giraffe's neck.

            Here is Brandon Belt. When he's not petting zoo animals, he plays baseball. He's one of the most talented Giants 1^st baseman since Will Clark. Young Brandon is coming off one of his best stretches, batting .296/.400/.563 in June, with a robust 165 wRC+. Everyone was all like “Hey look, Brandon Belt! What a formidable and commendable talent that I now praise!”

He also enjoys taking pitches. Today, he took a pitch against Jason Grili. We can assume he thinks the pitch will be a ball, because there is 2 strikes and in baseball, 3 strikes mean you are out. He is prepared to continue the at bat. This is that pitch.

The pitch is a strike. Brandon Belt struck out, which caught me completely off guard. In fact, it’s rather obviously a strike. Actually, it looks like it's right in the middle of the strike zone. But you know, the centerfield camera can obscure some pitch locations, so it’s best to look at Gameday’s visual for that pitch location. It probably isn’t as bad as we think.

Wow. The pitch we're concerned with is number 7. That looks pretty middle-like to me! Unrelated: Pablo Sandoval swung at pitch 6. Pablo Sandoval was in the dugout.

Okay now I'm just rubbing it in. 

Not only was it a pitch right down the middle that Belt took, but he took a fastball. An 87 MPH fastball. The pitch had no gimmicks, no 12-6 brake, no deception, nothing. Just a challenge fastball except nobody told Belt that it was a challenge and he thought him and Grili were on good terms. They were not. 

Of course, all of this is easy for me to say, I'm just sitting on my couch thinking about the talking teddy bear movie I just watched. A fastball right down the middle isn't a simple as "see ball hit ball." Grili could have set that pitch up, although in my limited knowledge of baseball pitching technique, I can't imagine a scouting report that read "Look out for batting practice fastball in your happy zone." It should be a pitch most comfortable major league hitters crush if they recognize it. 

Guys, I don't think Brandon Belt is comfortable.

Yes, Brandon Belt can look awful at the plate, like in this at bat. But the man still has a .365 OBP. Even when he's struggling he gets on base and adds value. Despite his recent slump, he's still has the 4th best wOBA on the Giants. There's no doubt the man should be in the lineup everyday. His defense is solid and his height allows him to catch hard line drives that many other first baseman aren't tall enough to catch. 

Yet I'm done trying to figure out Brandon Belt. Right as you think he's turned the corner, he hands in a crap-fest spectacular. Tomorrow he'll probably turn in a 3 for 5 with 7 hits. That's just the way Brandon Belt is. Here's to hoping he hits home runs again and swings at pitches that are meant to be swung at. 

And please remember, as I tend to forget sometimes, the dude still hasn't played a complete season in the big leagues. He's just a young pup. Sometimes, puppies are going to be cute gentle beings that you just want to snuggle up like a big fluffy pillow. Sometimes they are going poop on your bed sheets. Brandon Belt is pooping on your bed sheets.