Buster Posey: The Giant’s charm – Part 1
With the latest Buster Posey season ending injury taking the world of Major League Baseball by storm and all the hue and cry over him being injured, one has to wonder what it is about this player that century old rules are being considered to change? Is
he really that much of an asset to the world of baseball and the San Francisco Giants? Here is a look at how he became the very loved fan favourite Giant that could evoke such a reaction in a very short time.
Posey was last year’s National League Rookie of the Year and had a mammoth year as the Giants’ World Series win is attributed mostly to his presence. He is one of the very few players in baseball who can catch very well and also perform wonderfully when
given the role of a hitter. Posey is definitely a rare and special commodity evident by the fact that he belted out 18 home-runs in the duration of just 108 games last season.
Within a year Posey has a batting average of .298 along with 18 homeruns under his belt and 67 runs batted in. While playing baseball in college, Posey was essentially a short-stop but in 2007 upon the request of his coach Mike Martin Jr. he changed his
position to a catcher. This was definitely out of Posey’s comfort zone but it wasn’t a move that was unprecedented.
The New York Yankees once converted Jorge Posada from a middle infielder to a catcher and the move did wonders for the team as well as Posada himself. He went on to become a multiple All Star player. Instead of sulking over the change, Posey accepted it
and took a very short time getting accustomed to it. He was soon mastering the position and it didn’t take long before he won the esteemed Johnny Bench Award.
Throughout his college years, Buster was untouchable. He had an Era of 1.17, easily the best out of the team by quite a margin. It was after hearing all these accolades that the Giants went on to sign him up for a $6.2 million bonus which was the highest
at the time. After sending some time at the Minor Leagues, he was called up in April of 2010 when the Giants were struggling and didn’t look anything like the team that would go ahead to win the World Series. That all changed drastically with Posey’s arrival,
as he began with a bang uplifting the dying spirits of the Giants and their fans. He kicked off a ten game hitting streak and the teams that went up against him didn’t know what hit them.
Posey was quick to become a fan favourite and gain the respect and admiration of almost every Giants fan but he never let the roller-coaster ride to fame get to him. His coach commented, “Buster is good people. Everything you hear from other people in the
business, they all say just how unique and special Buster is. He's a special person who cares about how other people feel.”
Pitchers tried to change their throwing in order to trick him, but he was always a step ahead, adjusting himself and hitting in every opportunity presented. Along with becoming a reliable hitter, he practiced with Bruce Bochy, the Giants’ manager and soon
emerged as a more than competent catcher as well.
It didn’t take long for him to prove himself as a catcher and he was appointed the everyday catcher position.
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