{"id":182491,"date":"2023-01-10T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T10:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/brandon-belt-sf-giants-stalwart-finds-new-team\/"},"modified":"2023-01-10T10:25:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T10:25:00","slug":"brandon-belt-sf-giants-stalwart-finds-new-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/brandon-belt-sf-giants-stalwart-finds-new-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Belt, SF Giants stalwart, finds new team"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the last players from the San Francisco Giants championship era has played his final home game by the bay, as Brandon Belt has reportedly agreed to terms with the Toronto Blue Jays. <\/p>\n

The deal, which was first reported<\/a> by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday night, is reportedly for one year and $9.3 million.<\/p>\n

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(The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)<\/p>\n

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With his lumbering gait and prominent neck, Belt earned the nickname \u201cBaby Giraffe\u201d during his rookie season in 2011. When a real baby giraffe was born that year at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, the park named the calf Brandon. The two Brandons even got a chance to meet.<\/p>\n

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“Baby Giraffe” Brandon Belt of the @SFGiants<\/a> got the chance to meet “Brandon” the baby giraffe at Six Flags today. pic.twitter.com\/BtmbSzg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) September 1, 2011<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Belt would go on to play 12 seasons with the Giants, earning World Series rings in 2012 and 2014 and an All-Star selection in 2016. The first baseman signed a $72.8 million contract with the Giants in 2016 that kept him in San Francisco through last season. <\/p>\n

Throughout his career, Belt was one of the most hotly debated players among Giants fans. Some loved the lanky infielder for his goofy attitude, brilliant offensive flashes and dependable defensive presence at first base. Others blamed him for never quite living up to the high expectations that followed him since the minors and his propensity for striking out in key moments. The (mostly) lighthearted discussions became known as the #BeltWars.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Belt enjoyed a career resurgence, slugging a career-high 29 home runs and helping the Giants to a team-record 107 wins. Belt even sarcastically named himself team \u201ccaptain\u201d in September of that year, a stunt that paid off during the next Opening Day when he entered Oracle Park aboard his own boat.<\/p>\n

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Brandon Belt said he felt powerful on his boat entrance:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the main thing. I wanted to feel superior to everybody else.\u201d \ud83d\ude02 <\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/qYZjwUgoRj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 9, 2022<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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But the 34-year-old’s production fell off in 2022 as he struggled to a .213 batting average before electing for season-ending knee surgery in September. <\/p>\n