Brandon Belt

BIOGRAPHY

Brandon Kyle Belt was born on April 20, 1988, in Nacogdoches, Texas. He is a first baseman and outfielder in the MLB.

Belt attended Hudson High School in Hudson, Texas. The Boston Red Sox selected Belt in the 11th round (343rd overall) of the 2006 MLB Draft as a pitcher, but chose not to give him the signing bonus that would make him forgo his college commitment. Belt enrolled at San Jacinto College in order to preserve his ability to negotiate with Boston, but eventually chose not to sign. He pitched for San Jacinto's baseball team in 2007 and was drafted in the 11th round (348th overall) of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, but again chose not to sign.

Belt transferred to the University of Texas, where he played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns for two years. In his 2008 sophomore season, Belt batted .319 with six home runs and a team-high 65 RBI while also pitching in 16 games as a reliever. As a junior, Belt transitioned to first base due to shoulder problems. In 2009, during his junior season, Belt batted .323 in 63 games (76-for-235) with eight home runs, 43 RBI, and 15 stolen bases, while recording a .989 fielding percentage as part of the Texas team that finished as runners-up in the College World Series.

In the 2021 regular season for the Giants, Belt batted .274/.378/.597 with a .975 OPS and 65 runs, 29 home runs (21 more than in any prior season), and 59 RBIs in 325 at bats. He became a free agent after the season, but accepted the Giants $18.4 million qualifying offer to remain with them for another season.

Following the retirement of catcher Buster Posey, Belt became the longest tenured member of the Giants. In 2022 he batted .213/.326/.350 in 254 at bats, and had the slowest sprint speed of all Giants players, at 24.3 feet per second.

On January 10, 2023, Belt signed a one-year contract worth $9.3 million with the Toronto Blue Jays.