When the San Francisco Giants opted to keep rookie first baseman Brandon Belt up with the big club at the conclusion of spring training, they were making an extremely unconventional decision. Normal practice around MLB, dictated mostly by the economics of baseball, is for teams to maintain control and negotiating rights over their young players for as long as they can. Once you bring a player up, his arbitration clock begins to tick and he begins the path towards free agency. Had the Giants just held Belt down in the minors, then they would have received an extra year of control and, if he prospers, could have saved themselves some money in the grand scheme of things. But they did not, and for all intents and purposes, it is now a moot point.
However, what is being discussed right now is what to do with the youngster when regular right fielder, Cody Ross, returns to the team, possibly as early as this week. The Giants have a few options to mull over and from there, possibly even more difficult decisions to make. They can either send Belt back down to Triple-A Fresno where he will play regularly and work on his current hitting woes, they can keep him up with the big club and continue to start him every day, or they can decide to keep him up and platoon him between first base and possibly the outfield. For both his and the team’s best interest, the decision is clear. Whether the Giants actually follow through with it is another story.
To eliminate one of the options is very simple. Leaving Belt up with the big club to have him platoon is a mistake. In order to learn how to be successful, especially at the plate, a player of Belt’s caliber and current level of skill must play every day. He needs consistent at bats to work out his mechanics as a hitter and will have a very difficult time doing so if he is only playing two or maybe three games per week. Working as a pinch hitter late in games is not a substitute for regular work either. To leave him up with the Giants and not receive regular playing time will likely stunt his growth as a productive player.
If the Giants keep him up with the club and play him regularly, there are two fundamental issues that require attention. The first is Belt’s psyche. If the rookie is being sent out there every day still, while continuing to struggle at the plate and continues to hit below the Mendoza line (.200 for all you non-baseball regulars), what will happen to his confidence? At some point, the Giants will have to contend with his lack of offensive production and that comes with either a mid-season demotion or a benching. If he continues to struggle for another month or two and gets sent down, then his confidence is shaken. He begins to question his approach to big league hitting. If he’s benched then you’re likely facing the same results.
The other issue to contend with, if the Giants leave him up and continue to play him regularly is the logjam created in the outfield. Aaron Rowand and Andres Torres provide strong defense and adequate depth at center field. Ross will return to right field where Aubrey Huff currently resides and then the Giants have current left fielder Pat Burrell, recent call up Darren Ford, and defensive specialist Nate Schierholtz. The Giants can’t keep them all. Currently, Torres is on the disabled list so when Ross is activated, Ford will likely be the one sent down. But when Torres returns, the decision must be made between keeping Belt, putting Schierholtz on waivers and risk losing him for nothing, or cutting Rowand and watch the club eat $24M in contract. Based on Rowand’s current level of offensive production and defensive capabilities, he is the least likely to be cast off. That leaves the decision between Belt and Schierholtz. Considering the defensive shortcomings of the Giants current corner outfielders – Huff, Burrell, and Ross – losing Schierholtz might become detrimental in the latter parts of each game. That leaves the demotion of Belt as the best possible course of action for the team.
If Belt is sent down this week, his psyche will recover. The process isn’t being dragged out, he is not going to be vilified by the fans, and he can chalk up these first few weeks in the bigs as a learning experience. The roster is currently loaded with veterans and being sent back down to Triple-A to work on hitting is not the worst thing in the world for him. Sure, maybe he gets down on himself a little in the beginning, but after allowing the Giants to maneuver their roster, explore trades and establish themselves in a playoff race, Belt will see that he is, and will likely be for a long time, in the Giants plans. That kind of reassurance will do wonders for him mentally while the constant work he gets in Triple-A will help him physically.
The team will then be able to freely move forward with their current veteran personnel and not worry so much about players attempting to succeed outside of their normal positions. Everyone will be better off – the team, the players, and the fans. And while it looks like Belt is getting the raw end of the deal, one has to keep an open mind and a long term vision to see that this would be a win-win for all involved.
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