Welcome back to the 2015 Last Word on Fantasy Baseball Guide. Over the next several months we will be releasing player profiles, projections, position rankings, and a number of other articles that will help you dominate your fantasy league this season. Whether you play rotisserie or head-to-head; whether you have a standard draft, a snake or an auction league, and whether its keeper league or a one-year deal; we have all the fantasy information you need.
For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.
FANTASY PROFILE: BRANDON BELT, 1B, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
LWOS Ranking 17, Captain’s Value $9.67
Brandon Belt will be expected to be the full time 1B for Bochy and Co.
Belt came into the league quietly in 2011 and had a good year in 2012 (119 wRC+) but was mediocre as far as fantasy production goes. With a standout year in 2013 though, there was high hope for big production from Belt in 2014. Unfortunately, a fractured thumb that required surgery put Belt out early in the season for 50 games. The injury bug wasn’t done there though as Belt was hit in the face during a batting practice session in July and suffered a concussion that put him on the disabled list for another 46 games.
The good news is that these injuries will more than likely not be a factor this year. More good news is his HR/PA (homerun/plate appearance) ratio. In 2012 his HR/PA ratio was 1:67, in 2013 it was 1:34, and in 2014 it was 1:20. If Belt had played full time in 2014, he would have been very close to the 30-homerun plateau. There is no reason to think that this will not continue.
One last note, infield shifts are increasing in use and Belt is going to be shifted against. Belt is a pull hitter and managers have started to try and exploit this. Once concern is that this will effectually affect his BABIP, which will in turn affect his average. Belt rode a .351 BABIP in both 2012 and 2013, which resulted in a .275 and .289 average respectively. In 2014 his babip dipped to .288 resulting in a .243 average, albeit in only 235 plate appearances. Was it a product of bad luck, SSS (small sample size) an outlier or a sign of things to come? Regardless, Belt should be a solid fantasy contributor and a possible sleeper pick if he falls late in your draft.
| Year | Team | Pos | PA | AB | R | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2011 | SF | 1B | 209 | 187 | 21 | 9 | 18 | 3 | 20 | 57 | 0.225 | 0.306 | 0.412 | 0.718 |
| 2012 | SF | 1B | 472 | 411 | 47 | 7 | 56 | 12 | 54 | 106 | 0.275 | 0.360 | 0.421 | 0.781 |
| 2013 | SF | 1B | 570 | 509 | 76 | 17 | 67 | 5 | 52 | 125 | 0.289 | 0.360 | 0.481 | 0.841 |
| 2014 | SF | 1B | 235 | 214 | 30 | 12 | 27 | 3 | 18 | 64 | 0.243 | 0.306 | 0.449 | 0.755 |
| 2015 Projection | SF | 1B | 580 | 518 | 69 | 21 | 68 | 7 | 53 | 131 | 0.279 | 0.350 | 0.485 | 0.835 |
For the rest of our fantasy baseball profiles and articles, please check out our Fantasy Baseball Guide Page.
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**All stats courtesy of Fangraphs
KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 22: Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants hits an RBI in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game Two of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium on October 22, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
