Is Buster Posey the Best Catcher in Baseball?
San Francisco Giants‘ catcher Buster Posey is currently competing with Oakland A’s closer Sean Doolittle to be named the Face of MLB. Posey is in the final three, competing for the right to take on David Wright to be the true Face of Major League Baseball for 2015. Posey is obviously worthy, but is he also the best catcher in the game?
Posey’s list of accomplishment is too long to list, but let’s give it a try anyway. Before he even started his career as a professional, he was a great baseball player. In college at Florida State University, he didn’t start playing catcher until his sophomore season, as a way to help the team more than anything. In that sophomore year, 2007, Posey’s first as a catcher, he was finished second in voting for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the best collegiate catcher.
In his junior year, his second as the backstop, he won the Johnny Bench Award, as well as the Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year Award. His .463 average, 26 home runs and 93 RBI also garnered him the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur baseball player in the entire country. Of course, he was a first round pick in the 2008 draft, as the Giants took him fifth overall.
His minor league career didn’t last long, as he made his big league debut in a short September stint in 2009. Posey began 2010 back in the minors, but again, that didn’t stick. He was recalled on May 29th, and made his impact immediately. In 108 games, he batted .305 with 18 home runs ad 67 RBI, winning the Rookie of the Year Award, and leading his team to their first World Series victory in 56 years. The future seemed bright, but that light went out very quickly in 2011.
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In his second season, about one-third of the way through, Posey was involved in the infamous Scott Cousins incident, in which a collision at home plate cost Posey the rest of the season because of a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments. Question marks swirled around Posey. Can he return to form? Will he be able to play catcher? Can he still be a great player?
Not only did Posey answer all the doubters with resounding authority, he did so by putting up his best season. In 2012, he batted .336 to win the National League batting title. He was named an All-Star, awarded the Silver Slugger for catchers, and he was given Comeback Player of the Year honors. He won the Hank Aaron Award, as the league’s top hitter, and the Willie Mac Award, given to the Giants’ player who best exemplifies the leadership and heart shown by the Award’s namesake, Willie McCovey.
He was behind the plate on June 13th, 2012, when Matt Cain threw his perfect game, the first in the franchise’s long and storied history. He was named National League MVP, just a single season after his devastating injury. But maybe most importantly, he was the leader in the team’s run to their second World Series in three years.
For many players, that surpasses what they do in their entire career. Posey did that all in one season.
Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey reacts after defeating the Kansas City Royals during game seven of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
2013 was Posey’s worst season statistically, and he still hit .294 with 15 homers, 72 RBI, and 34 doubles. He was still an All-Star.
2014 was more of the same for Posey. He batted .311, and led the team with 22 longballs and 89 RBI. He made a serious MVP push in the second half of the year, as he batted .354, including .373 in the final month, with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 62 games after the All-Star break. He was behind the plate for the team’s third World Series in a half-decade, and although his offense was subpar, his contributions behind the plate and as a leader can not be undervalued.
There’s a lot of great catchers in baseball. Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals is a stud. He’s the best defensive catcher in the league, having won seven consecutive Gold Gloves. He gets the edge with the glove over Posey, as well as just about any other catcher in the game. Molina is also a .284 career hitter, including a .307 marks over the past four seasons. A serious case could be made for Molina to be the best catcher in the game.
Despite not being a Molina, Posey is no slouch behind the dish. In his career, Posey throws out 32% of potential base-stealers, which is well above the league average of about 26%. Posey won’t cost his team games behind the plate, and he brings an added comfort to his pitcher when they look in and see him flashing the signs.
Milwaukee Brewers’ backstop Jonathan Lucroy had a great season in 2014, as he hit .301 with 13 homers and 69 RBI. He also set the record for catchers with 53 doubles. While that season was tremendous, Lucroy was a career .279 hitter before that, and he wore down somewhat in the second half with a .282 average. In Milwaukee, he also has taken a backseat to other players like Ryan Braun. Besides that, Lucroy an average defender.
Kansas City Royals’ catcher Salvador Perez, who Giants’ fans saw firsthand in the 2014 World Series is also an excellent catcher. He is making a run at Molina for the title of best defensive catcher in baseball. He’s won the last two American League Gold Gloves, in his first two full seasons as a starter. He’s a pretty good hitter, but owns just a .275 average with 30 home runs and 149 RBI over the last two years. Those numbers can’t compete with Posey, Molina or Lucroy. Plus, Perez isn’t even the best hitter on his team.
For a while Joe Mauer was considered the best catcher in baseball, but injuries have moved him from behind the plate to first base. Carlos Santana was thought to be the next great up-and-coming backstop, but he has moved away from the gear to playing third and first base.
Posey is a once-in-a-generation talent. His swing is quite possibly the most beautiful thing ever seen by human eyes. And now that Pablo Sandoval has embarked on new challenges, he’s the only position player left on the roster from the 2010 World Series roster.
It’s hard to believe that he’s only entering his sixth full season (fifth if you discount the 45-game 2011 season), and the best may be yet to come with the future Face Of MLB.