He is arguably the game’s best catcher. He owns two world series rings, a National League MVP in 2012, comeback player of the year in 2012, N.L rookie of the year award in 2010, a silver slugger, and is a two time all-star. He once played all nine positions at Florida State University, and he was drafted fifth overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2008 first year player draft. His name? Gerald Dempsey Posey the third. And were the Giants and their fans ever so glad he fell to them. Since making his Major League debut in September of 2009, all he is done is produce for the team.
At the beginning of the 2010 season the Giants were a vastly improved team. They were coming of their first winning season since 2004 and they were stacked with good young pitching. At the time Bengie Molina was the catcher, he was productive and a fan favorite. So Posey wasn’t expected to make the opening day roster, and he didn’t. He was sent back to the minors to work on the art of catching.
The Giants started the 2010 season hot sweeping the opening series from the Houston Astros and taking two of three from the Atlanta Braves in the home opening series. The team had a dominant pitching staff, anchored by Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and even Barry Zito was throwing like it was 2002. Despite their pitching success the team still lacked offense and Brian Sabean made the move to call-up Posey. A move that will change the franchise forever. In his 2010 debut, Posey played first base and went three for four with three rbi. So what did he do for an encore the next day? He collected three more hits and added an rbi. It was that splash that made fans fell in love with their franchise player. The season ended with him rushing the mound tackling Brian Wilson as the Giants won their first championship in San Francisco.
2011 was a bitter sweet moment for Posey. Mostly bitter to Giants fans, because of this horrific play. Posey was out for the remainder of the year and the team’s goal to repeat fell quicker then virginity’s during prom. During his recovery time, he welcomed twin daughter’s Lee Dempsey and Addison Lynn Posey, born on August 14 2011. So not a bad year for the Posey family at all.
During spring training of the next season the focal point in Giants camps was Posey. Will he be ready to start the season? How is the leg going to react? Can he hold up as a catcher throughout the year? Not only were these questions answered they were forgotten as the season progressed. He made his first all star team and was one of the front runners for league MVP. 2012 was a magical year for Posey and the Giants. They won six elimination games during the postseason and end up sweeping the highly favored Detroit Tigers in the world series. He would end up winning the N.L. MVP award and a second ring in three years. As a result, during the offseason, the Giants and Posey agreed to a nine-year contract worth $167 million. Is it a smart investment? The general consensus is yes, but we will have to wait and see until the contract expires in 2022.
Image by dannymac15_1999 Flickr
All things baseball 