Buster Posey tried to watch every San Francisco Giants baseball pitch he could last year, but he was busy.
Most of his energy was spent caring for four children, especially two adopted twin girls who were born premature eight weeks last summer. But he also found a useful way to keep his arm in shape – by wrapping diapers tightly and throwing them at his 9-year-old son Lee as he ran for cover.
“You really have to make sure you have the right diaper weight,” said Posey after the Giants’ first official workout on Wednesday. “Depending on how well they are eating, it influences a lot on my accuracy and whether it is equivalent to the weight of a baseball. Take all of this into account, whatever type of formula they have, whether they are eating baby food or not – and yes, I was very precise. “
Posey, who was left out of the shortened 2020 season for COVID-19 primarily out of concern for his newly adopted daughters, enters the 2021 season with an unknown uncertainty. On opening day, he will be 34, entering his 11th and potentially last season as the Giants’ daily catcher. Posey’s $ 167 million contract includes a $ 22 million club option for 2022, but the Giants also have a promising young catcher, Joey Bart, who was chosen second overall in 2018 to one day replace Posey with long term.
“Yes, of course, that crossed my mind,” said Posey of the possibility of his last season with the Giants. “I think that for me, my biggest goal this year is really – as cliché as it may be – to go one day at a time and try to focus on what needs to be done that day, be it things like room or cage weight or the whatever it is. And try not to go too far. “
The last time Posey was on the pitch, he was coming out of hip surgery and struggling throughout the 2019 season, even hitting 0.257 / 0.320 / 0.368 with seven home runs and 24 doubles in 114 games. In the previous seven seasons, he made six All-Star teams, won an MVP award and hit .308 / .378 / .466 with an average of 16 homers, 31 doubles and 141 games a year.
Giants coach Gabe Kapler said in mid-December that Posey would return as the team’s top receiver in 2021, offering 24-year-old Bart more time to develop after a difficult season in 2020.
Posey had access to Oracle Park when the team was not there last summer and used the facilities to train routinely. He admitted it may take some getting used to the live release, but said he believed his body was in good shape to withstand the rigors of another season. He lost the competition.
“It’s good,” said Posey of returning to play. “It’s different. See what we’re doing now [conducting an interview over video conference] — It’s not the same. You still have masks on, so this is obviously different too. There is normality too. There is a normality of staying on the fault line and stretching. Playing ball, picking up pens. Yes, it’s great to be back and, hopefully, as the vaccine continues to be released, we can all experience the game as we are used to. “