Month: February 2014

San Francisco Giants: Who’s Poised For Breakout Year?

Sep 14, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) celebrates with San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence (8) after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

After a disappointing 2013 season, the San Francisco Giants hope to bounce back in 2014. Last season, the Giants struggled in many different areas, and they were generally very inconsistent.

The Giants have addressed many of these issues in the offseason, for example, by acquiring Tim Hudson and Michael Morse (more on him here). Given these additions, the Giants should be able to compete for the NL West title in 2014.

The Giants know they will get the usual, consistent production from Hunter Pence and Buster Posey. If Pablo Sandoval can keep the extra weight off, he’s expected to have a solid season as well.

These three players are the main offensive weapons for the Giants, but there’s one more player who could help make the Giants a legitimate postseason threat next season.

Their young first baseman, Brandon Belt, will have a breakout year in 2014. Last season, Belt started to find that consistency that he’s had so much trouble finding in his young career. Based on the success he had in the second half last season, Belt will carry the confidence that he gained into this upcoming season and have a breakout year.

In the first half of last season, Belt hit just .260. In the second half of last season, Belt hit an impressive .326. Why did Belt have such a stellar second half after having an average, somewhat forgettable first half?

Belt made some crucial adjustments to his swing. He started using a looser grip on the bat, and he moved further back in the batter’s box.

Belt has tried making several minor tweaks to his swing over the course of his career. However, most of them didn’t have much significant, prolonged success. For a young player who had been so successful at the minor league level, Belt was somewhat stubborn about making significant adjustments to his swing.

Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens knew of Belt’s reluctance to change his swing, so he tried appealing to him with a real-life example. Meulens told Belt that Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies made a similar adjustment and had seen much success because of it. Brown broke out in 2013 and hit .272 with 27 home runs and 83 RBI last season. He was also named a 2013 All-Star.

Brown and Belt are both 25 years-old, they’re both 6-foot-5, they’re both left-handed hitters and they were both top prospects. Given these similar characteristics, Belt was intrigued by the change. He also was willing to make the adjustment because Brown told Meulens that it only took him a few days to fully adjust to the new grip.

Aug 15, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Bochy was the one who suggested the move back in the batter’s box. Bochy noticed that Belt, like many players in MLB, tend to move up in the batter’s box in anticipation of hitting the ball. However, moving back in the box gives the hitter more time to see the ball and decide whether to swing or not.

After making these adjustments, Belt drastically reduced his fly-ball percentage. Belt struggled mightily in this category in the first half of the season, as he had a 43.9 percent fly-ball rate.

In the second half, Belt decreased his fly-ball rate to 38.2 percent. Although this doesn’t sound like a drastic change, it’s certainly an improvement in a fly-ball-heavy ballpark like AT&T Park. Belt also decreased his strikeout rate from 23.5 percent in the first half of the season to 19.8 percent in the second half.

Based on all these adjustments, Belt became the middle-of-the-order threat that the Giants believed he could be for so long. Because of this impressive hitting, Bochy moved Belt to the number three hole, which he also seemed to flourish in. In the month of August, he hit .350 with a 1.051 OPS. In September and October, he hit .341 with a .910 OPS.

Hypothetically, it makes sense why Belt would do well in the No. 3 spot. Belt has shown he can hit for average and that he has power, two characteristics necessary for the No. 3 hitter, who is traditionally the best hitter in the lineup. Bochy has said that he plans on keeping Belt in the No. 3 spot this season, so Belt needs to continue to bring that production from that spot.

The three spot is so crucial, especially for the Giants. Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro have shown that they can get on base consistently, so Belt needs to be able to bring them in or move them over. Then Posey and Pence can come in and do the rest of the work.

In addition to his improved offense, Belt is an elite first baseman defensively. He has great instincts, he reacts quickly, and he’s fundamentally sound at first base. Brian Sabean showed Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group how impressed he is with Belt’s all-around game.

“He continues to learn as a hitter, and the better hitter he becomes, the more power you’re going to see,” general manager Brian Sabean said. “And he’s very much on the path to being a Gold Glove first baseman.

“The sky’s the limit for him.”

Belt needs to come into the 2014 season and build on the confidence and the momentum that he gained last season. Belt has always had trouble finding that consistency, so that remains the challenge for him.

Based on the consistency that he showed at the end of last season and his embrace of the adjustments he’s made at the plate, Belt will have a breakout season in 2014.

LGW: Warriors SF Arena Update: 2018, Not 2017, Now That The Opposition Is Playing The Ballot Measure Card

The Golden State Warriors have put their move to San Francisco on hold. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Warriors are putting their goal of opening their proposed San Francisco arena by 2017 on hold for a year or longer.

The proposed arena would be 125 feet tall on Piers 30-32, and the project also includes a 175-foot condominium tower and two 105-foot mid-rise buildings that will become a hotel.

There have been many speed bumps on the Warriors’ road to building a new arena in San Francisco. First of all, the cost estimates for repairing Piers 30-32 have doubled to $180 million. These costs don’t include the actual construction of the arena also.

Second, there is serious opposition to this arena. One of the biggest points of opposition is the height of the proposed arena. On the piers, there is a 40-foot height limit, and on the lot that includes the tower and mid-rise buildings, there is a 105-foot height limit. Based on the estimates, the arena, and the project as a whole, would certainly exceed these height limits.

Arena opponents have collected more than 15,000 signatures for a ballot measure, which would prevent developers, including the Warriors, from exceeding certain height limits on the waterfront without getting voter approval.

Read the rest of the article on Let’s Go Warriors.

Super Bowl XLVIII Prediction
(Photo: MGN Online)

(Photo: MGN Online)

Super Bowl XLVIII, unlike some other recent Super Bowls, will be a matchup of the two best teams during the regular season. Let’s first examine how the Denver Broncos got to the Super Bowl.

The Broncos finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, and they are coming off of an impressive 26-16 win in the AFC Championship over the New England Patriots. The Broncos boast the best offense in the NFL, as they scored 37.9 points per game in the regular season, which was the best in the NFL.

In addition to their exciting, impressive offense, their defense has been underrated recently. In their last four games (the last two regular season games and their two playoff games), their defense has only allowed 13 points, 14 points, 17 points, and 16 points.

The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, also finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, and they beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in the NFC Championship. Seattle’s offense isn’t as high-powered as the Broncos’ offense, but the Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL. They gave up just 14.4 points per game in the regular season, which was the best in the NFL.

This Super Bowl is certainly going to be entertaining because of the matchups but also because of some drama off the field.

Peyton Manning had one of the best regular seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. However, many critics have questioned his ability to be effective in the postseason. He’s also had trouble in the past with playing in rainy, snowy, or windy environments.

Initially, it appeared as if the weather at MetLife Stadium on Sunday would exhibit those types of conditions. However, as of recently, the weather forecast has been updated, and there’s only a 10 percent of some type of precipitation. On Sunday, there’s a high temperature of 46 degrees and a low of 26 degress. Manning has experience playing in cold temperatures though, as he plays his home games in Denver.

On the Seahawks side, the drama centers around Richard Sherman. The cornerback showed some unsportsmanlike and disrespectful behavior after winning the NFC Championship. Despite this, he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and plays with one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Since the Broncos employ such a pass-heavy offense, Manning will have his hands full this Sunday.

Seattle’s defense might be the worst nightmare for a team like Denver that relies on their passing game so much, but there are a few reasons why Manning might be able to overcome such a powerful defense.

First of all, Manning has one of the highest football IQs out of all NFL quarterbacks. He’s not overly quick or mobile, but he is incredibly accurate with his arm and incredibly sharp with his mind. He’s so smart, and he finds ways to avoid contact from the defense. He rarely gets hit or gets sacked, so this will put more pressure of Seattle’s secondary to make big plays.

Second, Seattle’s secondary is superb, but they might not have enough defensive backs to match up with all of Denver’s weapons on offense. Sherman might find a way to contain Demaryius Thomas, but the Broncos also have potent weapons in Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas, and Knowshon Moreno. Even if the Seahawks use a nickel defense, it will be hard to stop or contain every single one of the Broncos’ offensive weapons.

With that being said, let’s get to the prediction. Manning is having a record-breaking season, and I don’t think he will fold under the pressure of the Super Bowl. I don’t think he can be stopped, even by the NFL’s best defense.

Many people say defense wins championships (a saying which is used in many sports), but that’s a naive statement given the fact that Seahawks are a completely different team on the road.

Manning is also one of the most experienced veterans in the NFL, whereas there isn’t one player on the Seattle Seahawks that has any Super Bowl experience. I think Seattle’s inexperience will ultimately cost them.

Given Denver’s underrated defense, Seattle’s loss of identity and consistency on the road, Seattle’s inexperience, Denver’s electrifying offense, and Manning’s elite talent, I predict the Broncos will win the Supper Bowl.

Super Bowl XLVIII Prediction: Denver Broncos 24, Seattle Seahawks 21

Also, several Golden Gate Sports writers, including myself, submitted Super Bowl predictions, which appeared in an article on Friday. Check out what our predictions were here.