Although Bochy said first baseman Aubrey Huff could benefit from occasional breaks, he made it clear he wouldn't give Belt a chance to grab an everyday position at the pressing veteran's expense.I get it. Aubrey Huff is a guy coming off a season in which he hit .290/.385/.506, so it's wise to give him a long leash, in spite of his struggles. There's no way he'll continue to hit like Jose Molina.
But that's not what Bochy said.
Here's a translation:
Aubrey Huff's a proven vet, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt here. He'll come around and start hitting again. And even though it's entirely possible that Brandon Belt is just a better player than Aubrey Huff at this point, he won't get a chance to prove that. Hey, maybe if Huff continues to struggle, and Belt continues to hit like he's done at AAA....nope, no chance. No chance at the starting first base job. Property of Aubrey Huff.
If the plan was to bring Belt up to be a bench player, without (at least eventually) easing him into a starting job, why did they call him up? Travis Ishikawa is more than suitable for a bench role -- a left-handed bat off the bench, and a good double-switch guy (great defensive first baseman). Belt won't be receiving regular at-bats, which could possibly hinder his development. If he's not going to be so valued as to actually receive consistent playing time, why not just keep him in AAA where he can play on a regular basis? He doesn't seem to have any chance whatsoever of earning a starting job: the outfield's packed (Schierholtz, Torres, Burrell, Ross, Rowand), and of course, he won't get his chance at first.
Placing Brandon Belt in a permanent bench role is foolish, to say the least. This is the kind of management that would have prevented the Giants from ever discovering the magic of Andres Torres (who just so happened to grab a starting job from Aaron Rowand, proven vet™). Managing a team successfully means being open to a multitude of options -- and going with the best ones. Even if that means accepting the fact that the guy who was just handed a two-year $22MM contract might not be as good as expected.
Follow SP on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook
