It’s too early in the baseball season to say, “I told you so,” but when it comes to Brandon Belt’s success…

Let’s just say, “I wrote about it back in March.”

Belt is setting the league on fire, hitting .343 with five homers and nine RBIs through his first eight games. He still reminds me of a young Todd Helton, but his swing looks eerily similar to Barry Bonds.

If you recall, Bonds was in Spring Training as a special instructor for the Giants. We’re not sure if he worked directly with Belt, but there is no denying the similarities in their swings.

It appears that Belt in is the midst of a break-through season, and I believe he can finish among the Top 12 1B for fantasy purposes. He’s struck out 10 times and hasn't drawn a walk yet, but I don’t blame him for swinging at pitches that he can deposit into the stands.

Fantasy owners should have been onto this. Belt was such an obvious breakout candidate. From August 1 through the end of the season, he was arguably the best player in baseball. During that time he hit .346 with a .408 OBP and .984 OPS.

Batting .346 over 191 at-bats in the Major Leagues is impressive, but Belt has shown his ability to hit for average throughout his minor-league career as well. In 2010, Belt hit .352 over 492 at-bats across three levels of the minors. In 2011, the Baby Giraffe hit .320 over 53 games before being promoted to San Francisco.

Questions? Hit me on Twitter @briansflood