A swing and a belt....

 No, I am not writing about Dan Schulman's new podcast, but one Brandon Belt.

It isn’t often that a routine fly out to right field is noteworthy, and most certainly have no business in the all-time record books. Brandon Belt’s at-bat against Jaime Barria in the first inning on Sunday was no ordinary plate appearance though.

The at-bat began with a foul ball. Followed by a pitch out of the zone to even the count at 1-1. He then swung and missed, putting him in a hole at 1-2. That’s when Belt went into battle mode. He fouled off the fourth and fifth pitches of the at-bat before taking ball two outside the zone.

Belt then spoiled each of the next two pitches foul, before taking ball three on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Regardless of how this one turned out, it was going to be a quality first-inning at-bat for the Giants’ first baseman. He was just getting started though.

Belt fouled off the 10th pitch of the at-bat. Then the 11th. And the 12th. He spoiled the 13th foul as well. And the 14th. Likewise for the 15th.

The 16th pitch of the at-bat he knocked foul as well. Same with the 17th and the 18th. The 19th pitch of this epic battle? That one was sent foul as well. As he stood waiting to see his 20th pitch of the at-bat, Belt etched his name in baseball history. The record for most pitches in an at-bat was held by Ricky Gutiererez of the Astros who battled the ageless wonder Bartolo Colon for 20 pitches before eventually striking out back in June of 1998.

It was at this point that Belt must have thought to himself, well, I’ve come this far, might as well just keep on going. That’s exactly what he did, when he fouled off Barria’s 20th offering of the at-bat. That was the 16th foul ball of the at-bat.

Finally, on the 21st pitch, Belt flew out to right field, to a chorus of applause from the opposing fans in Los Angeles.

Just having that type of historic battle in your first plate appearance would be enough for most hitters to consider their day a success. The Baby Giraffe had more in store.

In his next at-bat in the third inning, Belt fouled off four straight two-strike pitches before lining a single into center field.

In the fifth inning, he fouled off three straight full count offerings before smashing a solo home run to right field that increased the Giants’ advantage to 4-0. That blast was Belt’s fifth home run of the season and marked the fourth consecutive start in which he has left the yard. He became the first Giants’ hitter to homer in four consecutive games since Hunter Pence accomplished the feat in 2013.

In his next trip to the plate, he didn’t waste any time, lining the first pitch that he saw from Jim Johnson into right field for his third hit of the ballgame. In the eighth inning, the Angels finally got him to go down without a fight, flying out to left field on the first pitch that he saw.

All told, Belt finished his memorable evening 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. He’s off to a terrific start through his first 17 games, slashing .288/.386/.576 with five homers and 10 RBI. Health has always been the primary concern for Belt, as he has always been a solid contributor while in the Giants’ lineup.

Haniger Heating Up

Mitch Haniger burst onto the scene during the 2017 season, earning a starting job in the Mariners’ outfield and slashing a ridiculous .332/.447/.608 with four homers and 16 RBI through his first 21 games.

Then, on April 25, his season was derailed by an oblique strain that landed him on the disabled list. He didn’t return until June 11 and clearly wasn’t the same player upon his return. Many fantasy owners chalked it up to him leveling off after overachieving for the first month of the season.

He started to sway those doubters though in September, when he hit .353/.374/.613 with seven homers and 14 RBI over 28 games during the final month of the 2017 regular season.

He hasn’t slowed down since. Haniger has come out of the gate on fire in 2018. On Sunday he logged three extra-base hits, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a homer in a loss to the Rangers.

His two-run blast in the seventh inning marked the third consecutive game in which Haniger has homered this season. He has been one of the top offensive performers in all of baseball this year, hitting a robust .314/.390/.671 with seven long balls, 22 RBI and a stolen bases.

He has ascended to the second spot in the Mariners’ lineup, sandwiched between Jean Segura and Robinson Cano, which seems like an optimal spot for production. As long as he can avoid the disabled list. Haniger is looking like an early lock to deliver substantial profit to fantasy owners who invested in him this spring.

Getting Better With Age

It’s difficult to entertain the notion that Mike Trout, already widely believed to be the best all-around player in Major League Baseball, is continually getting better.

This is a guy that has already won two American League MVP Awards, and has been the runner-up three times in his six full seasons in the big leagues. Then you remember, he’s still only 26-years-old.

If the first 22 games of the 2018 season are any indication, this could be the best that we’ve seen from Trout yet.

On Sunday, Trout crushed a two-run homer in the eighth inning of a loss to the Giants. It was his American League-leading ninth home run of the season and the third straight game in which he has left the yard.

He finished the day 1-for-4 and is now slashing .306/.406/.682 with nine homers, 18 runs scored, 17 RBI and three stolen bases. All while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field.

As long as he remains healthy, there’s no limit to the heights that he could potentially reach both for this season and for his career.

American League Quick Hits: Byron Buxton (migraines) could be activated from the disabled list as early as Wednesday… Trey Mancini missed his second straight game with a right knee injury… Mark Trumbo (quad) will resume his minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Monday… Bradley Zimmer was scratched from the Indians’ lineup on Sunday due to a minor right ankle sprain… Dee Gordon sat out on Sunday due to a minor foot injury… Andrelton Simmons was forced to leave Sunday’s game with a right forearm contusion after being hit by a pitch. He’s day-to-day... Luis Severino struck out six over seven innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Blue Jays… Miguel Andujar went 4-for-4 with two doubles as the Yankees beat the Jays… Jose Ramirez blasted a pair of home runs, his fifth and sixth of the season, as the Indians topped the Orioles… Manny Machado crushed two home runs of his own in a losing effort there… Mike Moustakas belted a go-ahead three-run homer to sink the Tigers on Sunday… Carlos Gomez launched a walk-off two-run homer to beat the Twins… Daniel Robertson went 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored in that win… Joey Gallo swatted his seventh home run in a win over the Mariners… Khris Davis crushed a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning to beat the Red Sox.

National League Quick Hits: Sunday’s game between the Mets and Braves was postponed due to inclement weather. It’ll be made up as part of a split doubleheader on May 28… Kris Bryant was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Rockies after getting hit in the head by a pitch thrown by German Marquez. He passed through the initial concussion tests without issue and will be re-evaluated on Monday… Todd Frazier sat out Sunday’s game due to a sore toe. He’s considered day-to-day… Tommy Pham sat out another contest due to groin tightness… The Cardinals placed Adam Wainwright on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation. He’s expected to be replaced by Jack Flaherty in the Cardinals’ rotation… Carlos Gonzalez landed on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain. With Gonzalez sidelined and Gerardo Parra serving his suspension, the Rockies recalled David Dahl from Triple-A Albuquerque… Eugenio Suarez hit off a tee and took soft toss on Saturday as he works his way back from a fractured left thumb… Orlando Arcia (ankle) is expected to return to the Brewers’ lineup on Tuesday… Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts announced that Walker Buehler will be recalled from Triple-A to start on Monday… Jose Bautista is expected to be added to the Braves’ roster as some point during their road trip that begins on Monday. He’ll play in a doubleheader with Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday… The Nationals finally placed Anthony Rendon on the 10-day disabled list with his toe injury, after missing eight games with the ailment… Jake Lamb (shoulder) will be shut down for the next few days due to tendinitis in his elbow… Caleb Smith racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings of two-run baseball in a loss to the Brewers… Miles Mikolas improved to 3-0, allowing just one unearned run over seven innings in a win over the Reds… Paul DeJong clubbed his seventh home run as the Cardinals thrashed the Reds… Charlie Blackmon went 3-for-5 and launched his National League-leading eighth home run in a loss to the Cubs… Javy Baez smoked his seventh long ball and drove in three to lead the Cubs to victory… Christian Villanueva hit his seventh home run of the season and is now riding a nine-game hitting streak… Patrick Corbin punched out 11 over six innings of two-run ball in a win over the Padres… Johnny Cueto whiffed seven over six shutout innings to beat the Angels...Michael Taylor went 3-for-3 plus a walk with a homer and two stolen bases in a loss to the Dodgers on Sunday night.