Buster Posey

Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He stands 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). He bats and throws right-handed.

Posey grew up in Leesburg, Georgia. He played four sports in high school; when playing baseball, he excelled at hitting and pitching. He attended Florida State University, where he began playing the catcher position. He won the Golden Spikes Award in 2008 and was selected by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. Posey made his major league debut on September 11, 2009. After beginning the 2010 season in the minor leagues, he was called back up to the major leagues in May. He played first base when he came up, but became the Giants' regular catcher at the end of June.

As a rookie, he finished with a .305 batting average, 18 home runs, and 67 runs batted in. He was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year. He caught every inning of the playoffs as the Giants won the 2010 World Series. In 2011, Posey missed most of the year after he was severely injured in a collision with Scott Cousins at home plate.

Posey returned from his injury in 2012 and posted a .336 batting average to win the 2012 NL batting title. He became the second San Francisco Giant to win the batting title and was named the NL Most Valuable Player for 2012. He won his second World Series that year as the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four games. On March 29, 2013, Posey signed a 9-year contract extension worth $167 million, a record in sum and in length for a player with his level of experience. He won his third World Series the following year as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals.

1. ^ Baggarly 2011, p. 10.
2. ^ Olney, Buster; Stark, Jayson (March 30, 2013). "Buster Posey signs nine-year deal". ESPN.com news services. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2014-10-16.