Brandon Belt’s latest blog post is one of his best. He shows this side of pure honesty that was always there throughout the season, but this post exemplifies it. Belt describes all the adjustments he had to make this year; in his confidence and mechanics. Belt is talented, but still a very young player. He realizes how complex baseball really is, and now he knows exactly what he has to work on. He has “graduated” from the summer school phase of the year, which included both his time with the Fresno Grizzlies and the Giants. Soon, he will move onto winter ball where he will be able to learn even more about the game, specifically hitting, which he claims was so inconsistent last year that “I’ve made adjustment after adjustment after adjustment so that it all kind of clustered together into one big complicated muddle.” Belt’s visit to the Dominican for winter ball is his first trip outside the country, so he must be very anxious. Being the classy player he is, Belt thanked the fans, not because he had to, but because he really meant it. With all the transitions that Belt had to make this season, he truly understands how important the fans’ support was to him.

Read his post in The Veteran and the Rook Blog here.

The Carlos Beltran signing was quite controversial amongst Giants fans. Some Giants fans believed that giving up top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler was too much for the aging Carlos Beltran. Other Giants fans believed that he was too good of a player to pass on and believed that we needed to acquire him in order to block the Phillies or Braves from getting him. This discussion is in the past though. Some fans continue to harp on the fact that the sole reason why he was brought here was to help this team win, and consequently the Giants didn’t make the playoffs. This is not only amateur, it’s just not true. Now that the season is over, we have actual, physical data to examine what his impact was and that will partially determine if he’s worth bringing back.

Fans need to accept the fact that when he was ABLE to contribute and fully HEALTHY, he contributed immensely to the team and did as much as HE possibly could to get the Giants to the playoffs. I’ve bolded select words to prove a couple crucial points that Giants fans must understand. Let’s examine the first bolded word. It generally takes one or two weeks for a player to truly settle into a new team. It takes time to adjust to a new team dynamic, a new setting/fan base, a new ballpark, and new teammates. In Beltran’s first 45 at-bats with the Giants, he had 11 hits, which equates to a .244 average (which is still better than 12 of the Giants’ regular players’ averages throughout the season). The Giants went 3-8 in that 11-game stretch, but this was not the defining stretch though that ended all playoff hopes.

A couple weeks after being signed, Beltran strained his right hand and wrist, so he was placed on the DL. Giants management probably could have avoided putting Beltran on the DL, but since he is a switch hitter, the Giants decided to not take any additional risk and wanted to ensure that he would be able to swing properly from both sides when healthy. Therefore, during a key stretch for the Giants in August, Beltran wasn’t physically ABLE to contribute. Getting injured is not a player’s fault. He cannot be blamed for the team going 5-8 while he was injured and losing several series against non-playoff teams, including Pittsburgh, Florida, and Houston. The period that Beltran was injured proved to be one stretch that severely dampened the Giants playoff hopes. If Beltran had been fully HEALTHY during that stretch, maybe the Giants would have made the playoffs.

The last bolded word is: HE. HE did as much as he possibly could do to get the Giants to the playoffs. In order to get to the playoffs, teams must have quality pitching, strong hitting up and down the lineup, and team chemistry. Obviously, the Giants have fantastic pitching and great team chemistry (and no, Beltran did not disrupt the chemistry of the team because he was already friends with a number of the current Giants players and is naturally a friendly, classy veteran). The hitting is, of course, the Giants main problem, but we all knew that. Beltran’s main job when he came here was to provide that middle-of-the-order spark the Giants were missing, which he did once he settled in. After his initial adjustment period and his injury, Beltran hit 43-122 for a .352 average, 7 home runs, and 16 RBI’s. He finished the year with a .300 average, 22 home runs, 84 RBI’s, .385 OBP, .525 SLG, and .910 OPS. These are all fantastic numbers. During the most important stretch of the season for any baseball team, the end of August through mid-September, he was not only able to produce, but he did produce. He provided that surge of energy that the Giants were asking for and desperately needed from him. However, teams can’t make the playoffs with just one man producing. With streaky hitting from Keppinger, Sandoval, Huff, and Ross, Beltran became their sole consistent contributor and that is just simply not enough to make the playoffs. Beltran did everything that was asked of him, and he did everything that a #3 hitter should do during playoff contention.

All of this information proves that Beltran was a solid contributor to the Giants this season and that he was worth signing. The question is though, will Beltran re-sign with the Giants this upcoming season? It really depends on how arbitration plays out, and how much money management decides to allocate towards the pitching staff. Sabean has already said that they will approach the free agency period by first addressing their pitching staff, because they are the cornerstone of this franchise and should be the top priority. After that, Sabean claims they will determine how much left of the payroll they have to address free agency, and specifically Carlos Beltran. The Giants would love to re-sign Beltran, but does Beltran want to be in San Francisco after missing the playoffs? He has publicly stated that he is definitely going to consider the Giants as a possible destination. He would love to come back, but he says that the Giants must address the hitting problems. A healthy Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez, and Pablo Sandoval isn’t enough for Beltran, which is totally fair. Based on the number of injuries this season, Beltran suggests the team needs more offensive security than just those three. He says the Giants need to bring in a reliable leadoff hitter. Andres Torres was an amazing sparkplug in 2010, and was a huge reason why the Giants won the World Series. However, he proved to be a complete non-factor this year. Beltran suggested his former Mets teammate, Jose Reyes, as a possible addition.

Jose Reyes

So who can the Giants acquire to fill the void at leadoff hitter? Here are a few players who the Giants could target who will be free agents this offseason. One option is Jose Reyes. With a high amount of money to be owed to Reyes in the coming years, it’s unlikely the Giants will have enough money to acquire him, but let’s examine anyway. Jose Reyes is 28 years old, so he’s currently in his prime and this season, it for sure showed. Reyes is an All-Star shortstop, which is certainly a void in the Giants lineup with Tejada doing absolutely nothing productive and Brandon Crawford proving to still be in “development mode.” Reyes plays solid defense and has outstanding numbers on offense: .337 average (highest batting average in the NL this season), 7 home runs, 44 RBI’s, .384 OBP, and 39 stolen bases. However, Reyes earned $11,000,000 this past season, which the Giants surely cannot afford unless they are able to dump some of their larger contracts, such as Huff or Zito. If the Giants can pull off signing Reyes and Beltran, that would be the best offseason of the entire Sabean era.

Coco Crisp

Another option for the Giants is Coco Crisp, the centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the Oakland A’s. With Torres’ inability to hit this past season and Cody Ross unlikely to be re-signed, Crisp would certainly be helpful in the defensive category because of his ability to play centerfield. (Sidenote: Coco Crisp has, by far, the best name in all of sports, so it’d be fun to see his name on the Giants roster.) Crisp had a .264 average, 8 home runs, 54 RBI’s, .314 OBP, and 49 stolen bases. For a leadoff hitter, these numbers aren’t All-Star numbers like Reyes’, but they are still quality numbers. He’s 31 years old, but he is still producing good numbers and still has excellent speed. He earned $5,750,000 in 2011, and probably wouldn’t cost too much for the Giants.

Jimmy Rollins

Another option for the Giants is Jimmy Rollins. Now, I’m never a fan of signing players from rival teams (in this case, the Phillies), but Rollins is another solid option for leadoff hitter who can also play exceptional defense at the shortstop position. Rollins had a .268 average, 16 home runs, 63 RBI’s, .338 OBP, and 30 stolen bases. Obviously, Rollins is more of a power hitter than the previous two players, but what really sets him apart from the other two players is that he has won a World Series and has been starting for a strong, contending team for his whole career. Rollins is 32 years old and is a very intelligent player, but the Giants don’t have great luck with aging shortstops. Rollins also earned $8,500,000 this season, which the Giants, most likely, will not be able to afford.

Personally, I believe that best option of these three players is Coco Crisp. He has the most stolen bases of the three, and decent numbers for his batting average and his OBP (all numbers that are very important for a leadoff hitter). He is the least expensive and could prove to be the best option the Giants have for a centerfielder. If the Giants sign him though, will that be enough to lure Beltran back? Not sure. It depends on if the Giants are able to bring in any other strong hitters for the 6, 7, 8 positions in the lineup. If the Giants could sign Coco Crisp and maybe one or two other inexpensive role players, ideally a starting shortstop, I believe the Giants could bring Beltran back. Beltran would most likely have to sign a 2 or maybe 3 year deal (not a long-term contract) and earn less, but if he knows the Giants are committed to winning and hitting consistently, he just might be able to deal with that. Carlos Beltran has proven he can play with the Giants. He can play left or right field, he’s a versatile switch-hitter, and he can hit consistently, even in AT&T Park. If the Giants approach the offseason tactfully, address the areas of need, and handle the payroll effeciently, Carlos Beltran will re-sign with the Giants.

Today Bruce Bochy wrote a letter to the fans covering many topics. The general theme of the letter was gratitude. Bochy thanked the fans for coming out to games no matter what the standings are and no matter who the opponent is. Because of the Giants’ World Series title last year, fans have proven to be more dedicated and loyal than ever before. Tonight’s game marked history. The Giants set a franchise record with the highest single-season attendance in its 128-year history. A total of 3,303,000 fans came out to AT&T this season, breaking the previous record of 3,277,244 set in 2001. This attendance total is the 3rd best in the league behind the Phillies and Yankees. This is quite an impressive stat, and it’s great to see Bochy acknowledge that. Although his staff most likely prompted him to write this letter, this act of kindness does mean something to fans. As frustrating as some of Bochy’s decisions can be, he is a loyal, thankful man who really does see how special Giants fans are. It’s great to see a form of consolation on Bochy’s part, however rough this season might have been.

Read Bochy’s letter here.

Before the 2011 season started, the Giants organization and their fan base could not wait to see the young phenom, Brandon Belt, make a significant contribution towards another World Series title. Brandon Belt had soared through the minor leagues and played at all 3 levels: A, AA, and AAA. Over the course of the season with all 3 teams, he hit a .352 average, .455 OBP, .620 slugging percentage, 1.075 OPS, and had 23 home runs in 136 games. Based on these strong numbers, who wouldn’t want to see this kid in the majors? On top of that, Belt is a smart kid with a great head on his shoulders. He respects the game and everyone around him and seems very “old-school.” He even wears his socks up! He seemed like the perfect shot at the Giants having another NL Rookie of the Year.

During spring training the hype began to expand nationally. Many sports writers, broadcasters, and analysts declared that Brandon Belt could be the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year. People began to label him as the “Next Buster Posey,” not just because Posey also won the Rookie of the Year Award, but because he could provide that energy and that spark that Posey provided en route to the World Series title. Since Aubrey Huff is able to play left and right field (not particularly well, but he’s at least fairly competent in the outfield) and since he’s aging, the decision to bring up Brandon Belt for opening day became much easier for management.

Sounds like the beginning to a happy ending, right? Not so much. I believe that this decision was a little rushed, and not necessarily in the best interest of Belt himself. However, Brandon Belt burst onto the MLB scene in his second game by hitting a 3-run home run against the Dodgers. That highlight was the sole glimpse of the young phenom that all Giants fans wanted to see. For his first 49 at bats this year, Belt had 9 hits equating to a .184 average. He had only one home run, 4 RBI’s, .265 slugging, .286 OBP, and .551 OPS. With these atrocious numbers, he got sent down to AAA to figure out any mechanical issues with his swing and hopefully regain some self-confidence. Belt continued to yo-yo between AAA and the Giants, and once he began to get some regular playing time with the Giants, he injured his wrist. Watch a video clip here:

Brandon Belt was sent to the DL with a hairline fracture in his left wrist, and he didn’t return to the Giants until July 19th. He started against the Dodgers and went 2-4 with a home run and 3 RBI’s. Ever since then though, Belt has continued to showcase inconsistency. Belt had a .263 average for July, a .212 average for August, and has a .195 average for September. His stat line for the whole season (consisting of 57 games): .213 average, 8 home runs, 16 RBI’s, .300 OBP, .396 slugging, and .696 OPS. Not exactly NL Rookie of the Year numbers.

Yes, you can’t exactly count this as a true example of Belt’s abilities because of his injury and his constant shifting between AAA and the Giants. I truly want Brandon Belt to do well, because he seems like a very intelligent baseball player with many useful skills that could help the Giants significantly. Giants management simply brought him up too early. I believe that the Giants should have let Belt start the year at AAA, like Buster Posey did last year. They should have let him establish himself as an everyday player and make sure that his swing was mechanically correct. Then once he was ready, they could call him up, under one condition though: make sure that he can start almost every day. It wouldn’t matter whether they had him starting in left field, right field, or at first base. Besides, Buster Posey started at first base when he first came up and was eased into catching duties. If Belt came up knowing that he would be starting and that he was here to stay, I truly believe that he would have been more natural and comfortable at the plate. He would have a more relaxed approach and not have to think so much when hitting, which would allow him to have better at-bats and hit more consistently. This would have been the appropriate “2011 NL Rookie of the Year” approach. The beginning of his career was mishandled by Giants management, but this is just a setback. Brandon Belt will bounce back to his normal form. Don’t get me wrong, Brandon Belt is the future of the Giants. Who knows, maybe he will become the next Buster Posey. It’ll just have to happen in his second season.

Giants fans need to realize something. The Giants believe in themselves a lot more than most of their fans do right now. Although chances are still slim, the Giants are still in this playoff race. With 8 games remaining, the Giants are 3.5 games back of the Braves and 2.5 games back of the Cardinals (based on results before the game on September 20th). There is not much point looking at how the Diamondbacks are doing, because the Giants have pretty close to no chance of winning the NL West. So what does this mean for the Giants’ chances? Should Giants fans still believe in their team or just prepare themselves for next season?

Well, it’s quite simple. Giants fans need to approach this last stretch of the season with this mindset: do not get overly pessimistic or overly optimistic. This might sound very contradictory and sound almost like a cop-out answer, however, I have my reasons. Giants fans cannot be too pessimistic simply because this is September baseball. Baseball can change in an instant and nothing, I mean nothing, is certain in baseball, especially during September. Crazy things can happen when teams get on a roll, and you never know what teams will being to falter under the pressure. With this in mind, Giants fans cannot become too optimistic either. Optimism can result in false hope and excessive, unnecessary stress. I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but it will literally drive a fan crazy by constantly watching the scoreboard and thinking of game-by-game situations on how the Giants can make the playoffs. It’s a waste of time, since baseball is so unpredictable.

Giants fans should just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, aka Giants Torture. Even though Giants Torture began last year, it is very much alive this year, so expect to see much more drama these remaining 8 games. The Giants thrive on drama, whether it be a come-from-behind win, a 4-home run inning, or a Brian Wilson save. Giants baseball is dramatic and torturous, and we love it. So why not just enjoy the rest of the season, stress-free? The Giants are only going to be reigning World Series Champions for so long, so enjoy it while you can. Keep bragging about it and keep supporting the champs. Just don’t get to pessimistic or optimistic.

Brandon Belt wrote another blog post today for the Veteran and the Rook Blog. He discusses everything from how Pablo Sandoval hit for the cycle last night, how his hitting is improving, his offseason plans, how Barry Bonds has influenced him, and his second visit to see Brandon the Baby Giraffe.

Check it out here.