Belt's Texas roots carry him all the way to bigs
Brandon Belt, 1B, Giants
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
Describing Belt as "homegrown" would be a bit of an understatement.
He was born April 20, 1988, in a house his father built. His father, Darrell, is a geometry teacher at Brandon's high school, Hudson High, in Lufkin, Texas.
As a senior at Hudson High, Belt earned district MVP, All-State and All-America honors. He was a standout pitcher, and he thought he'd make the Majors as a pitcher.
One thing has remained the same for Belt since high school, though: He married his high school sweetheart, Haylee Stephenson, on Dec. 3, 2010.
Belt had a verbal agreement with the Cubs coming out of high school to be drafted in the early rounds. But that did not materialize, and he wasn't selected until the 11th round by the Red Sox. Disappointed, Belt went to college instead.