Buster Posey

At 37 years old, Buster Posey has this physical status:

Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball.

Posey has also filled in at first base for the Giants. Posey was born in Leesburg, Georgia.

He played four sports in high school; when playing baseball, he excelled at hitting and pitching.

He attended Florida State University, where he began playing the catcher and first base positions.

He won the Golden Spikes Award in 2008 and the Brooks Wallace Award in 2008 as well.

He was selected by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.

Posey made his major league debut on September 11, 2009.

After starting the 2010 season in the minor leagues, he was called back up to the major leagues in May.

With the presence of then full-time catcher Bengie Molina, Posey played first base when originally called up to the majors, but became the Giants' regular catcher at the end of June when Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers. As a rookie, he finished with a .305 batting average, 18 home runs, and 67 runs batted in.

He was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year.

He caught every inning of the playoffs as the Giants won the 2010 World Series.

In 2011, after he was severely injured in a collision with Scott Cousins at home plate Posey missed most of the year. Posey returned from his injury in 2012 and posted a .336 batting average to win the 2012 NL batting title.

He became the second San Francisco Giant to win the batting title, and was named the NL Most Valuable Player for 2012.

He won his second World Series that year as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four games.

In 2013, Posey signed a franchise-record eight-year, $167 million contract extension with the Giants.

He won his third World Series the following year as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals.

In 2016, he won his first Gold Glove Award after an excellent defensive season.

Early life

The oldest of four children, Posey was born to Demp and Tracy Posey on March 27, 1987, in Leesburg, Georgia. He and his family grew up Methodist Christian. Posey has an uncle who is a Methodist minister and an aunt who is a camp minister for Duke University. His nickname, "Buster", came from his father's childhood nickname. Posey grew up a fan of the Atlanta Braves. He also played football, soccer, and basketball growing up, but baseball was his main sport.

As a junior at Lee County High School, Posey pitched and played shortstop. That year he hit nine doubles, three triples, and seven home runs while setting school records for batting average (.544) and runs batted in (RBI) (46). His pitching achievements included a 10–1 record and a 1.53 earned run average (ERA). In his senior year, he batted .462 with 40 RBIs while setting a school record with 14 home runs. In 13 starts as a pitcher that year, he had a 12–0 record with a 1.06 ERA and 108 strikeouts. In the Georgia AAAA State Championship, Lee County was defeated by Henry County High, for whom fellow future major leaguer Jason Heyward played.

After his senior season, Posey was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, the Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year, an EA Sports All-American, and a Baseball America All-American. He graduated with a 3.94 grade point average in high school, fourth in his class of 302 students.

Personal life

Posey married his high school sweetheart, Kristen, on January 10, 2009. They had twins (a son and a daughter) in 2011. They adopted twin girls in 2020. Posey and his family lived in the East Bay during his career. After announcing his retirement, Posey and his wife sold their East Bay home and moved back to their home state of Georgia to be closer to their relatives. Posey is a Christian and served as the baseball chapel representative for the Giants. Posey's younger sister, Samantha, played softball for Valdosta State University.

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College career

For college baseball with the Florida State Seminoles, Posey was a member of the Florida State Seminoles under coach Mike Martin. He appeared shortstop at Florida State as a freshman and was involved in all 65 games for the Seminoles. He was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. He had a.346 batting average, four home runs, and 48 RBI in his freshman season. Posey moved to the catcher position as a sophomore on the recommendation of assistant coach Mike Martin Jr. With three home runs and 65 RBI, he batted.382 runs and 65 RBI. Posey came in second place in Johnny Bench Award voting after one season of playing the position.

As a youth, he hit.463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI, received the ACC Baseball Player of the Year award, Johnny Bench Award, and Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year award. In a 10–0 win over Savannah State University on May 12, he struck out both batters he faced; as a pitcher that day, he struck out all nine fielding positions. At the end of the year, Posey was given the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.

Posey started at shortstop for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2006 and then stayed at catcher in 2007 when they captured another championship. In both seasons, he was named a league all-star.

Professional career

Despite being drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he chose to enroll in college rather than signing a professional baseball deal. Posey was deemed by Baseball America as the best catcher available in the 2008 MLB draft. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the fifth overall pick. The Giants signed Posey a few weeks before the draft deadline was reached for draftees and gave him a $6.2 million signing bonus, the largest up-front bonus in Giants history. Baseball America ranked him as the top prospect in the Giants' organization in 2009 (behind Madison Bumgarner). In 2009, he was invited to the Giants' spring training. Posey was sent by the Giants' Class A Advanced affiliate, the San Jose Giants of the California League, following spring training. He batted.326 runs, 95 hits, 23 doubles, 13 home runs, and 58 RBI in 80 games with San Jose.

Posey was promoted to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League on July 13. He batted.321 runs, 42 hits, eight doubles, five home runs, and 22 RBI in 35 Fresno games.

Posey was called up to the MLB for the first time on September 2, 2009, after suffering a fractured start to Giants starting catcher Bengie Molina. Posey played his MLB debut on September 11, 2009, losing in his first at bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda. Posey hit Jeff Weaver of the Dodgers on September 19 in his first major league match. Posey had two hits in 17 at-bats with the Giants in 2009.

Posey was rated as the best prospect in the Giants' organization going into 2010. Posey began the 2010 season as a rookie in the Giants' spring training camp, batting.349, 60 runs, 13 doubles, six home runs, and 32 RBI in 47 games.

Posey was called up to the major leagues on May 29, 2010, and he spent the first base against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Posey played in the first runs of his major league career, going three for four with three RBI. He appeared mainly at first base until the end of June. Posey scored his first home run against Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds on June 9. Posey became the starting catcher for the Giants following Molina's transfer to the Texas Rangers on June 30, 2016.

On July 7, Posey struck his first grand slam against Chris Narveson of the Milwaukee Brewers, en route to a two-home run, four-hit, six-RBI night. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this was part of a ten-game streak from July 1 to ten, in which he batted.514 with 19 hits, six home runs, and 13 RBI, the highest national league (NL) record for rookies during any ten-day stretch. During the week of July 5–11, 2010, his appearance earned him the NL Player of the Week award.

Posey was brought into the Giants' batting order as the clean-up hitter, which put him in the lineup for his first appearance in the playoffs on July 10. When Anbal Sánchez of the Florida Marlins threw a one-hitter against the Giants, he had a 21-game hitting streak that began July 4 and ended July 29. Posey batted.440, six home runs, and 23 RBI during the streak, which came one game shy of tying the San Francisco Giants' rookie record and five short of the team's record, falling just one game shy of tying the San Francisco Giants' rookie record and five short of the team record. Posey was voted both the NL Player of the Month and the NL Rookie of the Month awards for his outstanding July.

Posey won the game 1–0 on September 21, after defeating Andrew Cashner of the Chicago Cubs. In the final game of the year on October 3, the Giants secured the NL West Division championship by defeating the Padres 3–0 for their eighth-inning home run against Luke Gregerson of the San Diego Padres. Posey batted.305 runs, 124 hits, 23 doubles, 18 home runs, and 67 RBI in 108 games.

Posey was named the NL Rookie of the Year by the year's top polls, while the Atlanta Braves' Heyward finished second with nine votes, with 20 first place votes. Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gary Matthews, and John Montefusco were among the sixth Giants to win the competition, with Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gary Matthews, and John Montefusco. He was also the sixth catcher to win the award in the United Kingdom. Posey was selected by his peers as the Outstanding Rookie of the Netherlands Player Choice Awards. He was selected catcher for Baseball America's All-Rookie Team and the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. In the National Most Valuable Player (MVP) rankings, he came in 11th.

Posey batted.375 against the Braves in the NL Division Series (NLDS) as the Giants won the series in four games. He became the first rookie to have four hits in a NLCS game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series (NLCS) as the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6–5. As the Giants defeated the Phillies in six games, he batted.217 with five hits and three RBI in the series. Spec Shea was captured in Game 1 of the 1947 World Series by the Texas Rangers, Posey, and Madison Bumgarner in Game 4 of the World Series. In the 4–0 victory, Posey scored his first postseason home run against Darren O'Day, making him the fifth rookie catcher to reach a home run in the World Series. Posey (who batted.300 with a home run and two RBI in the series) his first World Series ring after the Giants defeated him one game to one. Posey was on the lookout for every inning of the Giants' playoffs.

Posey had a three-hit and four RBI on April 6, 2011, as well as a two-run home run against Tim Stauffer against the Padres in an 8-4 victory over the Padres.

Posey was hospitalized after a game against the Florida Marlins on May 25, when Cousins scored the eventual winning run on a sac fly in the 12th inning of a 7-6 Giants' loss. Posey's ankle fractured fibula and torn ligaments, requiring season-ending surgery. Cousins who were not disciplined said he collided with Posey in order to score. "You punish them and you punish yourself for them," says the comedian, "but you have a chance of the ball breaking out." Posey's injury prompted him to leave, but "I certainly didn't want him to get hurt," he said. Fans threatened Cousins, but Posey denounced them: "I appreciate the continued help of Giants fans and others as I begin to work my way back." However, I do not condone threats against Scott Cousins or his families in any way. I'm not out to vilify Scott as I said last week. The collision caused Major League Baseball to implement rule 7.13, also known as the "Buster Posey Rule," which states that "a runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct route to the plate in order to establish contact with the catcher (or some player covering home plate)." Even if the fielder drops the ball, a runner violating the rules would be banned from playing. Posey batted.284 runs, 46 runs, five doubles, four home runs, and 21 RBI in 45 games.

During Matt Cain's undefeated game on June 13, 2012, the 22nd in major league history, Posey started at catcher. He said afterwards that the game had him feeling "as anxious as I've ever been on a baseball field." He played in the 2012 Major League All-Star Game, his first appearance, on July 10, going 0–2 with a walk and a run scored. Posey batted.385 in the final 71 games of the season, after batting.289 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 77 games before the All-Star break. In a 9-0 victory over the Braves on July 17, he had three hits and five RBI. In a 10-inning, 6–5 win over the Phillies, he had four hits and three RBI, as well as a two-run home run against Cole Hamels. In a 7–1 victory over the Padres two days later, he had three hits and four RBI, with one on a three-run home run against Clayton Richard. In a 4–2 victory over Lance Lynn on August 7, he scored a game-winning three-run home run against Lance Lynn. In a 3–2 victory over the Diamondbacks on September 17, he had three hits, including a game-winning two-run home run against Wade Miley. Posey had 78 runs scored, 178 hits (tied for eighth in the NL with David Wright), 39 doubles (tied for eighth with Yonder Alonso), 24 home runs, and 103 RBI (sixth).

Melky Cabrera of Posey batted.346 in 2012, but MLB declared him ineligible for the batting title after being banned for 50 games due to elevated testosterone levels. Posey led both leagues in batting in 2012 with an average of.336, becoming the first catcher to lead the NL in hitting since 1942 by Boston Braves Ernie Lombardi. He was also the second San Francisco Giant to win the batting title in 2002 and 2004, after Barry Bonds in 2002 and 2004. In 2012, Posey's.433 batting average against left-handed pitching (71 for 164) led all batters in the major leagues.

Posey won Game 5 of the NLDS against the Reds on October 11, beating them 6–0. After losing two games to none and first since the LDS became a permanent fixture in the playoffs in 1995, the Giants became the second NL team to win a Division Series. Posey, along with Berra and Eddie Pérez, became the third catcher in MLB history to reach a grand slam in the playoffs. In the sixth inning, he also completed a strike out-throw out double play at third base to help keep the score alive. As the Giants defeated the Cardinals in seven games, he batted.154 with four hits and one RBI in the NLCS. In Game 4 of the World Series, he hit Max Scherzer in a two-run home run against him, giving Posey his second World Series championship.

Posey was named the National MVP of the Baseball Writers' Association of America after the season. He was voted the Silver Slugger Award for his catcher position. He received the NL Hank Aaron Award, and the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera won the American League (AL) award, the first time in history that World Series opponents received the award in the same year. He was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year, and the Giants' organization gave him the Willie Mac Award.

Posey signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Giants prior to the 2013 spring training season, making him eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. Posey signed an eight-year contract extension worth $167 million, according to the Giants, the most profitable in franchise history. Posey's three arbitration years and five years of free agency ended, with the veteran's service extending into the 2021 season with a club option for 2022. The deal, which was the second largest in major league history for a catcher, beats only Joe Mauer's 2010 with the Minnesota Twins, who was the second best in major league history for a catcher.

Posey was named National League Player of the Week for the week of June 23-29. It was the second time Posey had been honoured during his career, and the first since 2010. Posey raised his average from.307 to.322, had an on-base percentage of.560, had four home runs, and drove in six games in six games, raising his average from.307 to.322.

Posey was tagged by Tim Lincecum to score his first no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on July 13, 2013. The no-hitter has also played in the second game in an away ballpark, marking the 15th anniversary of the Giants as well as the second in a home ballpark.

Posey played in his second straight All-Star Game on July 16, 2013, losing in his first at-bat.

Posey's offense regressed in 2013 after his 2012 MVP campaign, particularly in the second half of the season, where he only hit three home runs. However, he finished with a respectable batting average, 15 home runs, and 72 runs batted in.

Posey won by 4–0 over the San Diego Padres and playing first base on June 25, 2014, Tim Lincecum's second career no-hitter.

Posey and pitcher Madison Bumgarner scored grand slams against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 13, 2014. It was the first time a catcher and a pitcher met grand slams in a game in Major League Baseball history.

Posey went 5-for-5 in 6 innings over the Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park on August 29, 2014, becoming the first catcher in Giants franchise history to have two consecutive five-hit games.

Posey's 2014 season ended with a.311 batting average, 22 home runs, and 89 RBIs. The Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games in the 2014 World Series, bringing Posey his third championship in five years. Posey became the second player in Major League history after Pete Rose to win the Rookie of the Year, a League MVP, and three World Series championships.

Posey caught Santiago Casilla's immaculate inning save against the Cincinnati Reds in May 2015, the first time the Giants had struck out all three opposing batters in an inning on nine pitches since Trevor Wilson achieved the feat in 1992.

Posey caught rookie Chris Heston's no-hitter against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 9, 2015, including the final out, a strike out. It's the seventeenth no-hitter in Giants franchise history. Posey's third no-hitter in his third appearance as a starter in Tim Lincecum's second career no-hitter. This puts him one behind the Philadelphia Phillies' Carlos Ruiz and Boston Red Sox' Jason Varitek, who hold the record for no-hitters trapped.

Posey hit a grand slam and took a base in a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 19, 2015, becoming the first Giants catcher since Roger Bresnahan was able to achieve the feat. Posey won by 6–0 over the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park four days later, bringing home another grand slam. Posey was selected to his third All-Star Game and was the top in voting for NL catchers on July 5, 2015. Posey scored 7–4 over the Colorado Rockies on September 6, 2015, his 100th home run in his career.

Posey was selected winner of the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award, which is given to the best defensive catcher in MLB on November 11, 2015. Posey was named the recipient of the 2015 National League Silver Slugger award at catcher on the following day. Posey completed 2015 with a.318 batting average, 19 home runs, and 95 RBIs.

Posey won by 10–5 over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 28, en route to a career-high six runs batted in. It's the second most RBIs in a single game by a Giants catcher after the team moved to San Francisco.

In the 2016 MLB All Star Game, Posey's fourth career MLB All Star Game, Posey's fourth career MLB All-Star Game, the most all-time by a Giants catcher in franchise history. Johnny Cueto, his second battery mate, was the catcher for the Midsummer Classic after teammate Matt Cain in 2012.

Posey hit the Colorado Rockies 12–3 on September 27, his 1,000th hit of his career, beating Germán Márquez solo home run.

Posey's 2016 season ended with a.288 batting average, 14 home runs, and 80 RBIs. He also received his first Gold Glove Award. Although he has been one of the league's top defensive statistics for the past several seasons, this was the first time he had been praised for it. He is also known for his help with his pitching staff and pitch framing.

Posey was struck in the helmet by 94 mph (151 km/h) pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taijuan Walker while batting in San Francisco's 2017 home opener. Although Posey seemed fine after being hospitalized, Giants boss Bruce Bochy pulled him from the game to perform further tests. The next day, he was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

Posey played home runs against the New York Mets at Citi Field from May 8-10. After catching all 17 innings, Posey hit a walk-off home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the 17th inning. The home run set a new Giants franchise record for the first walk-off home run, defeating Willie Mays' 16th-inning home run.

Posey was the starting catcher for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game, his third straight All-Star appearance, with a.339 batting average of ten home runs. He finished the season with a batting average of.320/.460.

Posey received recognition for his catcher on Baseball America's All-Million Team at the end of season.

Posey was selected to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, but he was unable to participate due to a hip injury. Posey will have season-ending hip surgery and be out 6–8 months, according to the Giants. He ended the season batting.284/.359/.382.

With 43 runs, 7 home runs, and 38 RBIs in 405 at bats, he batted.368/.368. His.302 career batting average was eighth-best among active major league players.

Posey opted out of participating in the shortened 2020 season, largely due to his continued adoption of premature twin girls and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posey made history by becoming the longest-tenured member of the Giants when he returned. Posey struck a solo home run off Marco Gonzales in 2021, on his first swing since the 2019 season. Posey was the first Giants player to play 1,000 games in franchise history. He was a NL All Star for the 7th time; it was his seventh time as an All Star.

With his.889 OPS, the second-highest of his career, and 56 RBIs in 395 at bats, he batted.304/.499 in the 2021 regular season. He joins Lou Brock, Will Clark, Roberto Clemente, David Ortiz, and Kirby Puckett as the sixth and only players to reach.300 in MLB's divisional play era (1969-2010). His.304 batting average is the highest by a catcher in their final season, making him the only catcher to bat over.300 in their final season. He caught 31.9 percent of attempted base-stealers, the fourth-best in the Netherlands, on defense. His.302 career batting average was 6th-highest among active players, and he was 4th in all active players in games played as a catcher with 1,093.

Posey almost became the first right-handed batter to homer into McCovey Cove as a 3–0 shot off opposing starter Walker Buehler's bounced off a water tower and then into the bay (a home run must enter the water on the fly to be a "splash hit" in Game 1 of the 2021 NLDS. The Giants eventually lost the series 3–2 to the Dodgers. He received his fifth overall Silver Slugger Award and his first since 2016, as well as his second NL Comeback Player of the Year award.

Posey announced his retirement from baseball on November 4, 2021, making him the fifth player in the San Francisco era to spend his entire career with the Giants (minimum of ten seasons) and former battery mate Matt Cain (2005–2017).

Post-playing career

Posey had joined the Giants' 30-member ownership group and will serve on the Giants' board of directors on September 21, 2022.

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