Brandon Belt (1B, SF) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Last week Brandon Belt was my number one waiver wire recommendation. If you’d followed my advice and picked him up then, you’re probably pretty pleased with me right now. Belt has hit a sizzling .450 with three home runs over the past week, raising his overall May statline to a .375 average and four home runs. Sadly, it looks like most Yahoo owners are too late to still snag Belt, but there’s still time for our ESPN friends out there. It’s a great time to buy in. The Giants will be starting next week off with a series against the bottom feeding Brewers and their 4.54 team ERA. That’s a tantalizing matchup for a player hitting as well as Belt is right now.

It’s also worth noting that manager Bruce Bochy hit Belt cleanup in both of the Giant’s last two games. Given such a small sample size, it’s impossible to know whether this is a trend which is likely to continue. Still, the possibility of Belt getting daily at-bats at cleanup gives a nice boost to his potential ceiling. Bochy has never been afraid to tinker with his lineups, especially to give a hot hitter a leg up. This could very well be one of those times.