Balking at Busterless Baseball

MLB won’t be the same without Giants star Posey

Major League baseball belatedly begins its 2022 season on April 7.  But this year isn’t going to be the same for yours truly.  The reason: no Buster Posey.

Posey, the first pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2008 MLB draft, announced his retirement last November after twelve seasons with the team.  He was a highly decorated player for Florida State in college, and was touted as a quality person, not just a top-notch player.

Buster Posey, 2008.

I had the good fortune of meeting with and interviewing Buster on several occasions as the voice of the (now defunct) Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League.   Buster’s time with Volcanoes in 2008 was extremely short.  He played in just three games for the Volcanoes, although he had several pinch-hitting appearances, batting .273 on just 11 official plate appearances.  His popularity was unmatched, despite only being in Salem-Keizer for a couple of weeks.  His athletic enthusiasm, good looks, and warm personality were a potent formula.  To say my youngest daughter was excited when a team manager got her an autographed Buster baseball would be an understatement.

Buster’s short time in Salem-Keizer didn’t provide much time for anyone to know him, but you couldn’t help but root for the guy—and root the fans did.  Posey played for seven different teams at the minor league level, batting .323 with 27 homers and 145 RBIs.  I got to see him once in Portland in 2009, where the AAA Beavers hosted Posey’s Fresno Grizzlies.  He was catching future World Series MVP Madison Baumgarner in that game.  Quite the sight caught by several thousand people at the old Civic Stadium.

In late 2009, Posey got his first big league appearance in San Francisco, but the team wasn’t ready just then to keep him in the show.  But that all changed during Memorial Day weekend of 2010.  Buster was brought up that weekend and immediately made an impact, hitting a blistering .305 with 67 RBIs and 18 home runs during the season.  The effort earned him the National League Rookie of the Year award, and got him on the ballot for league MVP.  To top it all off, Buster was behind the plate for the Giants, directing the best pitching rotation in baseball to a World Series title over Texas.  Quite the heady start for the soft-spoken rookie from Leesburg, Georgia.  I got to write about Buster in a Volcanoes Publication in 2010 after visiting with him at Spring Training. I revised the extended article to insert details about his being called up at Memorial Day of that year.

2011 brought a major challenge to Posey when he broke his leg in a horrendous defensive play at the plate early in the season.  He was done for the year, but not in life.  Instead he used the opportunity to help nurture his family.  His wife Kristin delivered twins in August of that year and he spent the time both rehabbing and bonding with his new son and daughter.

In 2012, Buster returned at full strength and the Giants advanced to and won the World Series-again. And Posey?  He just hit .336, with 103 RBIs and 24 homers, good enough to win the National League batting crown and nab the league MVP.  Not bad for a guy on the comeback trail—an effort that also won him the Comeback Player of the Year award.

The Giants and Posey did it again in 2014—bringing home the World Series trophy in an exciting seven game series with Kansas City.

The Giants didn’t win another World Series with Buster, but he continued to pile up accolades.  Posey was named an all-star nine times, collected four Silver Slugger awards for his hitting prowess, and was named the “Face of Major League Baseball” in an online vote conducted by MLB.

In the midst of the pandemic season of 2020, Posey decided to sit out all the games, instead working with his bride to adopt another pair of children—their second set of twins.  In 2021, Buster was part of a Giants team that won a record 107 regular season games before losing in the post season.

This past off season, Buster had a big contract on the table, and remained among the most popular players in the big leagues.  But none of that mattered.  At age 34, Gerald “Buster” Posey retired from baseball to spend more time with his family. He finished with some serious Hall of Fame numbers: a career .302 batting average with 1,500 hits, 729 RBIs, and 158 strike outs. Combined with a sterling reputation behind the plate, Buster seems like a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. But despite all of his on-field accomplishments, Posey felt like it was time to turn his focus to his wife and children.

And this is why I will miss Buster so much.  He was never preachy about it, but he was a player with a strong Christian faith, a faith that he and I share.  Buster has talked about the faith he developed as child through study of the bible and prayer and how it was a source of encouragement during his time with the Giants.  Buster loves baseball—there is no doubt about that.  But Buster is also more than just baseball.  He is the kind of guy most folks would love to have as a neighbor.  The kind of guy to share secrets with.  The kind of guy that made him the face of Major League Baseball.

I am going to miss you terribly, Buster Posey.  See you in Cooperstown.