Giants loaded up with plenty of Brandons

PHOENIX -- Giants bench coach Ron Wotus will have to be specific when he summons Brandon to enter a game or receive advice.

After all, the club has a trio of Brandons on its Opening Night roster: first baseman Brandon Belt, shortstop Brandon Crawford and utility man Brandon Hicks. Since Belt and Crawford are regulars, all three are unlikely to be out of the game simultaneously. But they'll be on the bench together frequently enough, forcing Wotus to watch what he says.

"I'll probably yell 'Brandon' and have three of them look at me," Wotus said Monday.

Actually, Wotus has figured out how he'll approach this situation.

"I'll probably call Brandon Belt 'Buck,'" Wotus said. "I wasn't a big fan of the 'Baby Giraffe.' Buck's a little more macho. I've been calling him Buck for a couple of years."

Footnote: Buck was Giants legend Willie Mays' nickname during his playing career.

Wotus plans to keep things simple with the other Brandons.

"Crawford is 'Craw' to me," Wotus said. "And I think I'll stick with 'Hicksie' for Brandon Hicks."

According to a Social Security website, Brandon was the nation's 13th most popular male baby name in 1985, the year of Hicks' birth. The name ranked 14th among newborn males in 1987, when Crawford entered this world, and 17th in 1988, when Belt was born.