Brandon Belt

Obtaining an autograph from a young athlete is a lot like investing in an IPO. Unless the athlete (company) is a surefire winner like LeBron James (Facebook), there's a significant probability that appreciation will be minimal. Rookies and startups find it tough to play in the big leagues.

If one is going to engage in autograph collecting, one may as well like the athlete personally (just as one should enjoy living in one's house, because owning it as an investment may not work out). One such likeable sports star is Giants second-year first baseman Brandon Belt.

Brandon Belt greeted every fan with a smile on Saturday evening. (He and everyone there were happy because the Giants had just defeated the Braves earlier that day.) He posed for pictures and signed pictures, bats, balls, and cards. His statistics so far don't promise that he'll be playing in the All Star Game any time soon, but the happy kids crowding around him didn't seem to care.