Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE — Brandon Belt’s knees, ankles and heels have kept him from going all-out in the past few years, but he sounds up for a sprint toward April 1.
Belt has now played in the Cactus League, pinch-hitting and striking out on three pitches Wednesday, eight days before the regular season begins. He has plenty to come back from, starting with surgery that removed a bone spur from his heel in October, followed by his battle with the coronavirus and most recently contracting mono, which wiped him out for a few weeks.
He had said he had lost some weight, struggling just to get out of bed as he was not seen the first few weeks of Giants camp. He was in a better mood after he finally saw some game action.
“Physically, I feel good,” Belt said after the strikeout, waving at a 96-mph fastball and returning to the dugout. “At the plate, I feel god-awful, so hopefully it’ll change pretty soon.”
He has reason to be off. San Diego righty Keone Kela was the first pitcher he faced in a game in six months. Last year he said he needed about 35-40 at-bats to get going, and he said he’s taken about 15-20 live-batting practice at-bats this spring. There are five games left before the Giants head to Seattle, and Belt is expected to be in the lineup Thursday.
Does he have enough time?
“I’m not 100 percent sure,” Belt said during the 7-3 win over the Padres at Scottsdale Stadium. “If I can get into a lot of games, I think that’s going to put me pretty close, so we’ll see.”
Prior to the game, the Giants optioned Jason Vosler to minor league camp, another lefty hitter with first-base capabilities. But Tommy La Stella’s (and perhaps LaMonte Wade Jr.’s) abilities at first may have played a factor in that, too. La Stella, playing first Wednesday, made a nifty pick on a Wil Myers grounder that Brandon Crawford threw in the dirt.
“Despite what looked like a very short and unproductive at-bat, he actually came out feeling really good, saw the ball great,” Gabe Kapler said of Belt. “…Takes a little while to get your rhythm in the batter’s box, but we feel really good about where Belt is.”
It still seems far-fetched that the Giants, who pride themselves on being cautious with their players and who ramp up slower than most teams, will find enough time to get Belt into a lineup against the Mariners, who may be throwing three lefty starters.
But Belt wants to give himself a chance.
“Even if I’m not hitting great to start off the season,” the 32-year-old said, “I’m going to stick with it because I know it’ll eventually be there, and it won’t take long.”
Vosler’s bat has shown plenty of potential, but the Giants want him to work on his eye.
While the .304 spring batting average is encouraging, his two walks and 14 strikeouts qualify as a sin in Giants world. The club loves batters who work pitchers, are selective and difficult to strike out.
“I think he understood the landscape pretty well,” Kapler said of Vosler, referring to the Giants’ crowded corner infield and corner outfield spots. “… We discussed some of the improvements he’s made with his swing, some of the quality of contact, but also the fact that he had some difficulty this spring drawing walks, and he struck out a bit.
“He called that out and understands that that’s something that he has to continue to work on.”
Different day, same story.
A game after Donovan Solano and Austin Slater furthered their cases to play against right-handed pitching by homering off righties, they did it again.
Solano’s shot came in the first off excellent San Diego righty Dinelson Lamet, a rocket to left, while Slater shot a patented blast to right off Kela.
Both are sizzling, Solano’s on-base percentage this spring an even .500 with three homers, Slater slashing .400/.455/.900 with three homers in 22 plate appearances.
Solano was a star last year, winning the Silver Slugger, while Slater showed he can be but was banged-up. Perhaps that changes this season.
Mike Yastrzemski also went deep, the lefty jumping on a 3-1 Adrian Morejon fastball and golfing it to right for his third of the exhibition season. He’s had a good camp and looks ready for the season.
Wilmer Flores, who started at third, made two errors while shifted over, both on hard hits. He dropped a hard-hit liner and went down to his knees on a Victor Caratini smash, which Flores goalie-blocked away. His bat makes up for a lot, but the defense continues to be an issue.
Heliot Ramos and Joey Bart both showed off excellent opposite-field power, the outfielder blistering a double, the catcher knocking his second homer of the spring.