Brandon Belt Gets Hot

After a pretty dismal July, Brandon Belt has put together a very nice start to August. In August only Buster Posey and Chase Headley have better wRC+ in the NL than Belt's 219 (before tonight's game).

Tonight he had to his hot month with three hits and three RBI. Even this undersells what he did tonight with two homers missed by mere feet. His adventures on the base paths were something I am sure he would rather forget but he sure did hit the ball well tonight.

The biggest difference this month has been his contact rate. It's a small sample but it sure is encouraging to see Belt with a strike out rate in the single digits for the month. Especially after striking out in nearly 40 percent of his plate appearances last month.

Belt is not likely to be a guy who avoids strikeouts, he still struck out quite a bit in the minors too, but if his able to keep the k's in check he should be able to be a very good hitter.

I haven't seen or read about him making any major adjustments that he has made between now and last month so maybe it just random fluctuation (it probably is) but sure is an encouraging sign. Another fun but meaningless stats is that in even numbered months Belt has hit like an All-Star while odd months have seen him hit like a replacement level player, luckily the playoffs fall in one of those even months so he could always be a hero if the pattern holds.

It is nice to see Belt start to put everything together. The ride has been bumpier than Belt supporters would have liked but it is games like this that make me happy the Giants didn't completely give up on him last month.

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