Giants' Posey Prepares To Build On Rookie Of The Year
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) ― A television crew tracks Buster Posey's every step as he stops behind the batting cage and waits his turn to take some cuts.
No matter the camera. He doesn't even seem to notice. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is as locked in as ever for the early days of spring training.
Heading into his first full big league season as a World Series winner, the no-frills Posey insists he won't rely on his accolades of last year to carry him in 2011. The kid is no secret anymore thanks to his postseason stardom and top rookie honors, and he realizes full well it will take even more work to build on what he's already accomplished at all of 23 years old.
P"I'd say it has a different feel," Posey said of his third spring camp. "The main feel is that we're reigning World Series champs. It's fun to come into spring with that title."
Posey didn't even get called up from triple-A Fresno to the Giants until late May, though you'd never know from his production. He did his part, all right, batting .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs in 108 games while playing catcher and some first base.
Posey hit eight of his homers after Sept. 1 and helped the Giants to their first NL West crown since 2003.
Posey's pure, fluid swing and his razor-sharp focus made him seem more like a veteran last year than a rookie. He went about his business and said all the right things with a politeness established during his Southern upbringing in Georgia.
Second-year hitting coach Hensley Meulens has been impressed with Posey's presence since they worked together at triple-A.
"First of all it's his character, his demeanour, the way he handles himself. Nothing fazes him," Meulens said. "He wasn't in awe being in the big leagues and catching one of the best pitching staffs in the whole world, facing great pitching. Nothing was a surprise to him."
A year ago at this time, Giants general manager Brian Sabean seemed to receive almost daily inquiries about when Posey would be in the big leagues — even after the GM and manager Bruce Bochy said during the winter their prized prospect would start the year in the minors. Posey acknowledged he couldn't totally block out all the hype, though he did his best to "control what I could control."
This is the player San Francisco gave US$6.2 million when he signed in August 2008, the richest deal ever for a Giants amateur.
Posey was the fifth overall draft pick that year out of Florida State and San Francisco's highest selection since Jason Grilli went fourth in 1997. The last time the Giants drafted a position player who became an all-star for them was in 1986, when they picked Matt Williams third overall.
Posey sure seems headed on an all-star path.
The Giants realized all along Posey had star potential after the '08 Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year led the NCAA in batting average (.472), on-base percentage (.572) and slugging percentage (.908) in his final college season. He also led Florida State with six saves and did not give up an earned run in eight appearances.
Posey even played all nine defensive positions in one game and hit a grand slam.
Yet none of that guaranteed Posey would progress into an instant major league standout.
"When you're at the highest level, the major league level ... it's like when you go from high school to college, 'Well, can I perform at the college level?' You have the confidence but there's always that wonder factor," Posey said. "It's nice to play for four months and then another month for playoffs and have that experience going into this year."
Bochy plans to closely monitor Posey and won't guess a number of games his catcher might play, but says more than 135 is realistic.
While Posey wants to catch every day, he acknowledges he began to fatigue late last season. He was able to recover thanks to the timing of off days during the playoffs. He gave himself only a 10-day break this winter, taking a vacation to the Florida Keys with his wife, before beginning his conditioning regimen again.
"We just want Buster to be himself," Bochy said. "The job he did last year, looking back, really was incredible."
Posey hasn't reflected on his standout 2010 season. He is busy making sure San Francisco's pitching staff is ready come opening day. The Giants play their first Cactus League exhibition game Friday against Arizona at Scottsdale Stadium.
"I'm sure it's going to be something that's easier to look back on when I'm done playing," he said. "What I'm going to try to do this year is not get ahead of myself. It's just such a long season, if you start getting ahead of yourself you start losing focus on what you should be focused on, which is what's going on that day. That can lead to trouble."
Notes: Closer Brian Wilson, who led the majors with 48 saves last season, played catch a day after testing his tight lower back with a bullpen session. Bochy expected him to throw off a mound again Monday. ... Backup C Eli Whiteside, nursing an inflamed right elbow, will likely need a couple more days of rest to let the injury calm down. ... Bochy considers it a competition for the LF spot between veterans Mark DeRosa and Pat Burrell — and perhaps even regular 2010 1B Aubrey Huff depending how the roster takes shape. ... The Giants eliminated fundamental work Sunday on another rainy day in the desert.
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