Checking in with old friend Brandon Belt

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Erstwhile Giants captain Brandon Belt faced off against his former team for the first time on Tuesday, an experience the veteran first baseman described as “definitely weird.”

After a 12-year run in San Francisco that included two World Series rings, one All-Star appearance and an unforgettable boat ride into Oracle Park, Belt left to sign a one-year, $9.3 million deal with the Blue Jays over the offseason. The move has worked out well for both sides, with Belt drawing “MVP” chants from his new teammates in Toronto earlier this month, and LaMonte Wade Jr. now thriving as the Giants’ primary first baseman.

Despite switching teams, Belt hasn’t lost the dry humor and bravado that made him a fan favorite with the Giants for more than a decade. Here are some highlights from Belt’s pregame session with reporters (hat tip to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson):

How much have you paid attention to the Giants from afar?

I've definitely been keeping up. The good thing about playing on the East Coast is when you get home, their games are coming on. Greyson, my oldest son, loves to watch them, so we get home and we watch a lot of the Giants games.

Anyone in particular you’re looking forward to facing for the first time?

Probably [Logan Webb]. As a competitor in the big leagues, you want to face the best. I consider him one of the best in the game, so I think that's going to be a fun matchup.

What about Camilo Doval?

Yeah, that's probably not going to be that fun. I hadn't seen a lot of these guys in live [batting practice], so I have no idea what to expect. I like for the fastballs to be under 95 [mph], and even then it's pretty iffy, so it's going to be tough. I know they've got a lot of good arms over there. That was part of our M.O. as a team. It's going to be tough but fun.

On Evan Longoria homering off Webb in his last start:

Did he? I can't let Longo down, either, so I've got to keep that going. I don't want to hurt [Webb’s] feelings. I just want to embarrass his whole family.

When did you come to terms with the fact that your Giants tenure was over?

I thought there would always be a chance that I'd be going back there, really up until the day that I signed with Toronto. It was definitely a weird offseason, to say the least, but I'm happy with the way things turned out. It’s baseball. I've played with a lot of guys that have moved on. I’ve had a lot of my friends go to other teams. In fact, it's likely you won't be with the same team your whole career. It’s strange, but I’m having a lot of fun. I was fortunate enough to get with a really good team with a bunch of really good guys, so I think that’s made the transition a lot easier.

What has your family thought about Toronto?

We love the city. I love Canada. I think there's a lot of stuff to do. I love the outdoors. We haven’t done a lot in the city. We try to find stuff to do just to keep the kids busy, but we've got a really good neighborhood we’re in. The kids have a lot of friends there, so we’re just basically hanging out with our neighbors all the time.

Did you leave any bass in the water in this country?

I actually went fishing [on Monday]. I caught all the bass in the lake, set records. I'm banned from Lake Simcoe now because I didn’t leave any for anybody else.

Have you seen what LaMonte Wade Jr. has done this year?

Absolutely. I've definitely been keeping up with LaMonte. I've always been a really big believer in LaMonte because I've seen his approach. I've seen the physical tools he has. He's going to be able to do what he's been doing this year for a long time. First base in San Francisco is definitely in good hands. I've loved seeing it because the guy is so humble. He cares about his teammates, and his teammates care about him, so I know everybody is excited to see him do that.

Did you hear that Brandon Crawford is storing his shoes in your old locker?

That's embarrassing for both of us, and he should be ashamed. In fact, nobody should be in that locker. My jersey should be hanging there forever.