![]() That stuff grabs more attention, though you can’t make the argument it helps teams win more games than Posey’s deft glove and calm manner.Īlong those same sides, there’s no way to quantify Posey’s greatness as a pitchers’ receiver. If not for playing in the same league as the Cardinals backstop, Yadier Molina, Posey would have five, six, maybe seven Gold Gloves on his mantle to go along with his 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2012 National League MVP, and should-be five Silver Sluggers.Īlas, Posey’s greatness behind the plate wasn’t the flashy kind Molina employed, throwing tantrums into the face of umpires and throwing out stealing baserunners with a cannon arm and flair. Posey’s other defensive metrics were outstanding, too. No one stole more strikes for his pitchers than No. Posey was the poster child for that movement. Remember, outside observers - and plenty of insiders, too - could only explain the Giants’ titles as “magic”.īut that lack of explanation was merely the inability to fully comprehend the impact of Posey, the last magical Giant.Ī big part of that well-deserved mystical status stems from the fact that Posey is a catcher - one of the greatest to ever live.Īnd while the aforementioned statistics at the plate are excellent, it was Posey’s work behind the dish that made him that much more special.īaseball’s team-running quants are currently obsessed with framing pitches. But as baseball and the Giants enter an age of complete quantization, Posey might prove to be the last Giant whose greatness cannot be summed up in numbers. Zaidi wanted Posey back in a big way for 2022. This isn’t to say that the catcher was pushed out - that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Giants have been transitioning to a post-Posey era for years now under Director of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi. ![]() Giants fans understand what that means, even if the rest of the country can’t comprehend it.Īnd make no mistake, they’ll never forget it. Yes, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Pablo Sandoval all had their turns as postseason heroes, but Posey was the heart-and-soul of the team, the driving force behind a one-of-a-kind winning machine.Īs such, there is an emotional component to Posey’s Giants’ tenure. When you think about the three World Series-winning San Francisco Giants teams, the first name you will forever associate with them is Posey. Posey changed the Giants from forgettable also-rans - a franchise that had not won a World Series for 56 years, when they were still playing in New York - into something resembling a juggernaut. Those mean an awful lot around these parts.
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