{"id":682803,"date":"2026-04-25T22:45:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/682803\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T22:45:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:45:36","slug":"giants-brandon-belt-earns-comparison-to-dodgers-great-clayton-kershaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/682803\/","title":{"rendered":"Giants\u2019 Brandon Belt earns comparison to Dodgers great Clayton Kershaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Only one player compared to Brandon Belt in Tony Vitello<\/a>\u2018s eyes.<\/p>\n

Clayton Kershaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe easiest way to put it is he and Kershaw were arguably the best two lefties in the state of Texas and, therefore, at the time, the country, too, really,\u201d the Giants manager<\/a> recalled from when he recruited the Giants\u2019 beloved first baseman to the University of Missouri.<\/p>\n

The Giants honored former first baseman Brandon Belt on Saturday. AP<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right: First baseman. And in the conversation with Kershaw.<\/p>\n

Belt, 38, put a ribbon on a 13-year big-league career \u2014 all but one in San Francisco \u2014 with a celebration in his honor before the Giants hosted the Marlins on Saturday. He never officially announced his retirement, but he hasn\u2019t been on a big-league roster since 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to start out saying this is a very surreal moment for me. I never thought this would happen,\u201d Belt said to the crowd, before showcasing his signature wit. \u201cBut when I think about this day and the Giants organization doing this for me, the only thing that pops to mind is: It\u2019s about time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Once such a hotly debated player among fans that the \u201cBelt Wars\u201d were coined, Belt became a core piece of two World Series clubs and a 107-win NL West champion squad, eventually logging more games at first base than anybody in the franchise\u2019s long history besides Willie McCovey.<\/p>\n

Despite his status in the franchise\u2019s inner circle, Belt ended his career with the Blue Jays. He was not approached about a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with the club he spent most of his career, he said, but hopes to stay involved moving forward as a guest instructor at spring training.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Toronto, I kind of knew I was going to be done,\u201d Belt said. \u201cI think I would have played in certain situations, with the Giants or a team in Texas or something like that, but that was about all I was going to do. I was ready to be around my family. \u2026 Honestly, I was just looking to fade away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Belt became a standard-bearer at first base for the Giants in the modern era, Vitello was more interested in his talents on the mound. Vitello was still rising through the collegiate coaching ranks, as an assistant at Missouri, when Belt was coming out of Hudson High in deep east Texas.<\/p>\n

Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw (above) and Brandon Belt were high school baseball stars in Texas. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

At the same time, Kershaw was dominating high school hitters in the Dallas area. The Dodgers selected the future Hall of Famer sixth overall that spring, and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

Belt was equally \u201cincredible\u201d on the mound, according to Vitello. However, shoulder issues eventually put him on his path as one of the most beloved players in modern Giants history.<\/p>\n

It was only fitting that Kershaw\u2019s name worked its way into the festivities.<\/p>\n

Belt stepped into the box against the Dodgers\u2019 legendary left-hander 20 more times than he did against any other pitcher. The first of Belt\u2019s 1,232 career hits came in their first matchup. He would record only three more over 61 regular-season battles that followed, finishing his career batting .065 against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking up on the scoreboard and seeing that first off of Kershaw,\u201d Buster Posey turned and teased Belt from behind the podium. \u201cWas that the only one of your career?\u201d<\/p>\n

On a more serious note, Posey said, \u201cThe World Series championships in 2012 and 2014 don\u2019t happen without Brandon Belt.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took some time for Belt to get his due among the Giants\u2019 fan base, but there was no mistaking their feelings during a ceremony that featured speeches from Posey, Belt and Bruce Bochy and was emceed by broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.<\/p>\n

Belt\u2019s wife, their two sons, his mom and his two high school coaches were seated on the infield grass. But there was one person missing: Belt\u2019s dad, Darrell, who died last July.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, all I cared about was making my dad proud. And I know if he could be here today, he would be extremely proud,\u201d Belt said. \u201cThat\u2019s all I can think about right now. He taught me about toughness, doing things right, and he made it his life\u2019s purpose to make sure he got the best out of me and my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Back on the recruiting trail, Vitello remembered Belt being \u201cincredibly cordial\u201d even though his Tigers \u201cprobably had no chance of actually landing him.\u201d He eventually picked the University of Texas.<\/p>\n

In one conversation, Vitello remembered Belt telling him of a home run he hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joked with him \u2026 I said maybe if you come to Missouri, we\u2019ll let you hit, too,\u201d Vitello chuckled. \u201cBecause we were recruiting him as a pitcher. That didn\u2019t age very, very well. He can definitely hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giants manager Tony Vitello tried to recruit Brandon Belt to play for the University of Missouri when Vitello was an assistant coach there. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Belt appeared in 16 games on the mound for the Longhorns with a 4.19 ERA but earned his stripes at the plate, where he batted .321 with 37 doubles and 14 home runs in 124 games across two seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just was a doubles machine, nonstop,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cHis at-bats were always aggravating. \u2026 He was a guy you were always annoyed with. He was a threat but also you were annoyed with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe Belt didn\u2019t pan out as a pitcher, but that scouting report held up fine. Belt\u2019s 267 career doubles rank sixth in Giants history, and few at-bats in major league history will be remembered as more aggravating than his 21-pitch battle with Angels right-hander Jaime Barria in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of the ones who thought I could hit a little bit,\u201d Belt said of Vitello, \u201ceven when I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

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