The Giants will not apologize for the way they compete. They are thriving again, and Belt and Crawford are thrilled to ride another wave with a different crew — and a veteran (self-proclaimed) captain.
Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, senior members of the Giants, are thrilled to ride another wave with a different crew — and a veteran captain. The captain of the San Francisco Giants — that’s captain with a capital C, crudely concocted with strips of black tape — reported for duty this season in a boat bearing precious cargo. He wore a white captain’s hat with black-and-orange trim, flung his wares starboard and set ground, at last, on a shimmering emerald green.
After a weekend sweep at Washington, the Giants have started this season 11-5. Refashioned as a modern contender — data-savvy, coaching-heavy, unafraid to challenge convention in their style of play — the Giants are stronger by retaining two pillars of the glory years. In Belt’s locker at Wrigley Field the next day, his jersey had a “C” taped to it, courtesy of his teammate Evan Longoria. Belt wore it to the dugout — again, just as a goof — but Kapler suggested he leave it on for the game. Belt homered, the Giants won, and now the taped-on “C” is a part of Belt’s legend. Some teammates wear it on a T-shirt in his honor.
“Essentially, some people in San Francisco really liked Brandon and some people were like, ‘Man, you should go out of the zone a little bit more to try to drive in that run,’” Kapler said. “But what we believe is like, this is a really, really excellent offensive profile just the way he is. So we wanted him to know that we value Brandon Belt exactly as he is, with no improvements. And I think that message freed him up a little bit.
The Giants give Crawford leeway to adjust their infield alignment — sometimes with only a glance to the bench coach, Kai Correa — if he sees something that deviates from the pregame script. But embracing new ideas is critical under Kapler and Farhan Zaidi, the team’s president of baseball operations. Crawford understands that the sport must evolve.
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