Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey, 2010

Catcher/First Baseman, San Francisco Giants

Age:  23

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 2010:

A native of Leesburg, Georgia, Gerald Dempsey Posey inherited the nickname “Buster” from his father. A star pitcher and shortstop at Lee County High School, Posey chose to attend Florida State University in 2005 rather than sign with the Angels, who drafted him in the 50^th round that year. He shifted to catcher as a sophomore and won the Golden Spikes Award as a junior as the top collegiate baseball player as he batted .346 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs. In one 2008 game, he was the starting catcher and went on to play all nine positions. Chosen by the Giants fifth overall in the 2008 amateur draft, he signed for a $6.2 million bonus. Playing 10 games with teams at the Rookie and Class A levels in ’08, Posey batted .351 with a home run and 6 RBIs. He also played winter ball in Hawaii and in 2009 went from advanced Class A to AAA, hitting a combined .325 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs, earning a late-season call-up to the Giants. He started the 2010 season in Class AAA until promoted due to an injury to starting catcher Bengie Molina, who he quickly supplanted.

2010 Season Summary

Appeared in 108 games

C – 76, 1B – 30, PH – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 443

At Bats – 406

Runs – 58

Hits – 124

Doubles – 23

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 18

RBI – 67

Bases on Balls – 30

Int. BB – 5

Strikeouts – 55

Stolen Bases – 0

Caught Stealing – 2

Average - .305 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .357

Slugging Pct. - .505 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 205

GDP – 12

Hit by Pitches – 4

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 3

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 5, HR – 7, RBI – 25, AVG. - .350, SLG - .569, OBP -- .389

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) at Milwaukee 7/7, (in 5 AB) at Washington 7/10, (in 5 AB) at Arizona 7/25

Longest hitting streak – 21 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Milwaukee 7/7

HR at home – 6

HR on road – 12

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 6 at Milwaukee 7/7

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 3 (.000) with 2 R

Fielding (C )

Chances – 662

Put Outs – 615

Assists – 41

Errors – 6

Passed Balls – 1

DP – 4

Pct. - .991

Postseason Batting: 15 G (NLDS vs. Atlanta – 4 G; NLCS vs. Philadelphia – 6 G; World Series vs. Texas – 5 G)

PA – 65, AB – 59, R – 6, H – 17, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 5, BB – 6, IBB – 1, SO – 18, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .288, OBP - .354, SLG - .390, TB – 23, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

11^th in NL MVP voting (40 points, 9% share)

 

 

NL ROY Voting (Top 4):

Buster Posey, SF: 129 points – 20 of 32 first place votes, 81% share

Jason Heyward, Atl.: 107 points – 9 first place votes, 67% share

Jaime Garcia, StL: 24 points – 1 first place vote, 15% share

Gaby Sanchez, Fla.: 18 points – 2 first place votes, 11% share

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Giants went 92-70 to finish first in the NL Western Division by 2 games over the San Diego Padres. The Giants chased the Padres and were 6.5 games behind in late August. Picking up ground as San Diego faltered down the stretch, the Giants were up by three games as the Padres arrived in San Francisco to finish out the season with a 3-game series. The visitors won the first two games, but the Giants won the finale to nail down the NL West title. Won NLDS over the Atlanta Braves, 3 games to 1 as Posey batted .375. Won NLCS over the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 2. Won World Series over the Texas Rangers, 4 games to 1.

Aftermath of 2010:

Posey had impressed as a rookie with his strong throwing arm and ability to handle the pitching staff. His 2011 season was cut short when he suffered a broken leg in a home plate collision in May after only 45 games. He thus finished at .284 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs. Posey came back strong in 2012 having an MVP season for the division-winning Giants as he batted a league-leading .336, which made him the first catcher to win the NL batting title in 70 years, while also compiling 39 doubles, 24 home runs, and 103 RBIs. His three home runs and 9 RBIs in the postseason helped the Giants to a second World Series title in three years. In 2013 Posey signed an eight-year contract extension for $159 million. He had a poor second half as San Francisco fell out of contention. Posey finished at .294 with 34 doubles, 15 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .371 on-base percentage, and still placed 20^th in league MVP balloting. The Giants returned to the postseason as a wild card entry in 2014 and went on to win the World Series. Posey hit .311 with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .364 OBP while remaining a quality defensive backstop. He placed sixth in NL MVP voting. San Francisco missed the postseason in 2015 but Posey batted .318 with 19 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .379 OBP while being used more at first base to reduce wear and tear. He received his only Gold Glove in 2016, in a year in which he hit .288 with 14 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a .362 OBP. The Giants were a last-place club in 2017 despite Posey batting .320 with a .400 on-base percentage along with 12 home runs and 67 RBIs. Following injury-riddled seasons in 2018 and ’19, Posey sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Posey returned for one last season in 2021, in which he hit .304 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .390 OBP for a Giants team that won 107 games. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Giants, he batted .302 with 1500 hits that included 293 doubles, 9 triples, and 158 home runs. He scored 663 runs and compiled 729 RBIs, a .372 OBP, and a .460 slugging percentage. Appearing in 58 postseason games, Posey hit .252 with 5 home runs and 25 RBIs. Posey was a seven-time All-Star and received five Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove. A key member of championship teams, his all-around ability as a hitter and catcher made him a much-appreciated player.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.