San Francisco Giants Send Brandon Belt Back To the Minors

One of the preseason favorites for National League Rookie of the Year suffered the same fate that many rookie hopefuls face at some point during the season—a demotion to the minors.

The San Francisco Giants sent rookie 1B Brandon Belt to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday. In turn, the Giants activated Cody Ross from the 15-day DL.

While I thought Belt certainly looked the part, it was clear he was overmatched at the Major League level. He was hitting .192/.300/.269 with one HR in 60 plate appearances.

Belt showed very little power (.077 ISO), and his at-bats resulted in a strikeout 25 percent of the time.

While the Giants could have kept Belt in the majors and hoped he figured things out, this was the right move by the Giants.

He is only 23 years old, so there is plenty of time for Belt to get things right in the minors. There is no point in ruining the kid’s confidence at the Major League level.

This is also the right move by the Giants, because now they can get Aubrey Huff out of right field. A guy with two left feet plus a big outfield doesn’t equal success. Huff will move back to first base where he belongs.

Since the Giants are always seeking offense, my guess is that if Belt succeeds at Triple-A, he will be back with the Giants this summer.

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