Harrison Bader to Wear No. 9 for Giants, Picking Up Where Brandon Belt Left Off
The San Francisco Giants have been active this offseason, but let’s be honest – it’s been more of a steady simmer than a full boil. No blockbuster trades or jersey-unveiling pressers this time around.
Instead, we’re getting our updates the old-fashioned way: quietly, through the team’s official site. And one of the more interesting nuggets to emerge?
Outfielder Harrison Bader will be wearing No. 9 – the same number once worn by longtime Giant Brandon Belt.
Now, if you’ve followed the Giants over the past decade, you know that No. 9 comes with some history. Belt wore it through his final season with the team in 2022, becoming one of the more polarizing figures in recent franchise memory. Whether you were Team Belt or not, his 12-year run in San Francisco left a mark, and his jersey number became part of that legacy.
Bader, for his part, has never worn No. 9 in the majors. He’s had different numbers with each team he’s suited up for, so this marks a fresh chapter – and maybe a symbolic one, too, as he looks to carve out his own identity in the orange and black.
It’s worth noting that while no Giants player has worn No. 9 since Belt, the number hasn’t exactly been gathering dust. Matt Williams, a Giants legend in his own right, has worn it the past two seasons in his role as the team’s third base coach – a nod to his playing days when he rocked the same digits.
Now, for some fans, jersey numbers are just that – numbers. But for others, they’re a thread in the fabric of team history. If you’re the type who sees a number on an elevator panel and immediately thinks of the Giant who wore it, then yeah, this kind of detail matters.
Bader isn’t the only one with a new look this year. Several Giants players are switching things up numerically heading into 2026.
Outfielder Drew Gilbert is moving from No. 61 to No. 1, Jerar Encarnacion is switching from 59 to 19, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge is trading in 78 for the sleeker No.
- These changes might not shift the standings, but they do signal a fresh start – and in baseball, that matters more than we sometimes admit.
As for Bader taking over Belt’s old number, don’t expect any fireworks. This isn’t likely to stir up the kind of reaction we saw last season when Justin Verlander chose No. 35 – the same number Brandon Crawford wore during his long Giants tenure. That move sparked plenty of debate among fans, but Bader’s adoption of No. 9 doesn’t carry quite the same emotional weight.
Still, the Giants aren’t forgetting Belt. In fact, they’re planning to honor him with his own day this April – a well-deserved tribute to a player who, love him or loathe him, was a fixture in San Francisco for over a decade.
And knowing Belt, you can probably expect a tongue-in-cheek comment or two about how No. 9 should be retired in his honor. It won’t be – but the fact that we’re even talking about it says something about the impact he had.
The so-called “Belt Wars” – those spirited debates among fans about his value, his production, and his place in Giants lore – may be in the past, but the legacy remains. And now, Harrison Bader steps into that number, not to replace Belt, but to write his own story in it.
If he can bring the same kind of grit and moments of brilliance that Belt did, Giants fans will have no problem embracing the new No. 9.
