| Buster Posey | |
|---|---|
Posey in July 2010 |
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| San Francisco Giants – No. 28 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: March 27, 1987 Leesburg, Georgia |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 2009 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics (through 2011 season) |
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| Batting average | .294 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 88 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III[1] (born March 27, 1987) is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was drafted by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.
Posey worked his way through the Giants' farm system in his first two seasons of professional baseball, advancing to its AAA affiliate. He made his major league debut on September 11, 2009, and after playing a third of the 2010 season in the minors, was called up to the Giants on May 29, becoming the team's starting catcher on June 30. In July 2010 he earned both NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month honors. He was also named the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year.
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Posey is the eldest of four children of Gerald "Demp" Dempsey II and Traci Posey.[1] He attended Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia. While there he was the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year, and an EA Sports All-American.[2]
Posey played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles under coach Mike Martin. He began his freshman year at FSU playing shortstop, starting all 65 games for the Seminoles, and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. He finished his freshman season with a .346 batting average, four home runs and 48 RBIs.[3] As a sophomore, he moved from shortstop to catcher on the suggestion of assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr.[4] He batted .382 with three home runs and 65 RBIs. After just one season of playing the position, Posey was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, awarded to the best catcher in college baseball. He would end up finishing behind Edward Easley of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[5]
In 2008, as a junior, he hit .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs, won the Johnny Bench Award and was named the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year.[6][7] On May 12, 2008, he played all nine fielding positions in a game against Savannah State, including pitcher where he struck out both batters he faced.[8][9] On June 14, 2008, Posey was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy, and on July 16, 2008, he won the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the best player in amateur baseball.
During the college offseason, Posey started at shortstop on the 2006 Cape Cod Baseball League championship team for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and started as the catcher on the 2007 championship team as well.[10]
Posey was considered the best catcher available in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.[11] He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the fifth overall pick.[12] On August 15, 2008, the Giants signed Posey shortly before the signing deadline for draftees, giving him a $6.2 million bonus, the largest up-front bonus in MLB draft history at the time.[13] He was invited to the Giants Spring Training in 2009. Following 2009 Spring Training, Posey was assigned to the San Francisco Giants Class A Affiliate San Jose Giants.
On July 13, 2009, he was promoted to the Giants' Triple A team, the Fresno Grizzlies. With an injury to Giants starting catcher Bengie Molina, Posey was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2009.[14] He made his major league debut on September 11, 2009 as a pinch hitter, striking out. Posey got his first Major League hit on September 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After again appearing in the Giants' spring training camp, Posey began the 2010 season at Fresno, batting .349 in 47 games.
Posey was called up to the major leagues on May 29, 2010, and started at first base against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Posey drove in the first runs of his major league career, going three for four with three RBIs.[15] He appeared primarily at first base through the end of June. Following Molina's trade to the Texas Rangers on June 30, 2010, Posey became the starting catcher for the Giants.[16][17] Posey hit his first career home run off of Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds on June 9, 2010.[18]
Posey hit his first career grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2010, en route to a two-home run, four-hit, six-RBI night. That came during a July hitting streak—all of which was played on the road—in which Posey batted .514, had 19 hits, 6 home runs, and 13 RBIs to set a record for rookies during any 10-day stretch in the history of the National League, per the Elias Sports Bureau.[19] This performance also earned Posey the National League Player of the Week honors for the week of July 5–11, 2010.[20] Posey also had a 21-game hitting streak that ended July 29 when Anibal Sanchez of the Florida Marlins threw a one-hitter against the Giants. During the streak, which fell one game short of tying the San Francisco Giants' rookie mark set by Willie McCovey and five short of the team record, Posey batted .440 with 37 hits, six home runs, and 23 RBIs.[21][22] Posey was awarded both the NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month awards for his excellent July.[23] On July 10, on the road against the Washington Nationals, Posey was inserted into the Giants' batting order as the clean-up hitter, which became his regular position in the lineup.
On September 21, 2010, Posey hit an 8th-inning home run against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field to win the game, 1-0, the only time in major-league history the feat has been accomplished by a rookie on a first-place team in a September pennant race.[24] He hit another 8th-inning home run, his 18th, in the final game of the year to help secure the NL West Division championship, 3-0.[25]
Posey was named by his peers as the NL Players Choice Awards Outstanding Rookie. He was also named the catcher on Baseball America's All-Rookie Team.[26]
Posey helped lead the Giants to the 2010 World Series to face the Texas Rangers, hitting .282 with three runs batted in during the first two rounds of the playoffs. In Game 4, Posey hit his first postseason home run to center field off of Darren O'Day. The Giants would go on to win the series, 4-1. He became the fifth rookie catcher to win a World Series. During the series he hit .300 with a home run and two runs batted in.
On November 15, 2010, Posey was named National League Rookie of the Year, taking 20 first place votes to second place finisher Jason Heyward's nine.[27] Posey joins Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gary Matthews and John Montefusco as the 6th Giant to win the Rookie of the Year award. He became the sixth catcher in National League history to win the award.[28] He was also named the catcher on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.[29]
On May 25, 2011, Posey's lower left leg was injured during a collision with Scott Cousins at home plate that broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle, requiring surgery to repair.[30][31] On May 29, 2011, a 90-minute surgery was performed to repair the ligaments and insert two screws in his leg to stabilize the ankle, following which the Giants announced Posey's season had ended.[32]
As of September 2011, Posey was able to walk on his injured leg. In October, he traveled to the Giants' Spring Training facility to continue his rehab for six weeks. When asked about his progress, he said, "I'm pretty happy where I am." Posey is expected to be on the Giants' 2012 Opening Day roster.
Posey's younger sister, Samantha, hit for a home-run cycle while playing in a double-header for her college softball team, Valdosta State.
Posey married his high school sweetheart, Kristen, in January 2009.
On Sunday, August 14, 2011, Buster and Kristen became the parents of twins (a boy and a girl); Lee Dempsey Posey and Addison Lynn Posey.[33]
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