Buster Posey, one of the greatest catchers of his generation and the greatest catcher in San Francisco Giants history, will announce his retirement Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly. Neither Posey nor the Giants have confirmed the news.
Posey, 34, opted out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic, then enjoyed a resurgent 2021. He hit .304/.390/.499 with 18 home runs in 454 plate appearances as the Giants won an MLB-leading 107 games. It was his best season since his peak years in the early-2010s, when he was a perennial All-Star, MVP candidate, and Silver Slugger winner.
Assuming this is indeed the end of the line, Posey is going out at the top of his game. He joins Lou Brock, Will Clark, Roberto Clemente, David Ortiz, and Kirby Puckett as the only players to hit .300 in their final seasons in MLB’s divisional era (1969 to present), according to ESPN Stats & Info. He certainly did not limp to the finish like many longtime catchers.
Drafted No. 5 overall in 2008, Posey made his MLB debut in Sept. 2009, then took as over as San Francisco’s starting catcher in May 2010. He authored a .305/.357/.505 batting line with 18 home runs in 443 plate appearances that year, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and was a stalwart behind the plate during the club’s World Series runs in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
Posey’s best season was 2012, when he hit .336/.408/.549 with 24 home runs in 610 plate appearances. He led baseball in batting average and OPS+ despite the wear of tear of being a catcher, which earned him the NL MVP award. Posey was a seven-time All-Star and retires as a career .302/.372/.460 hitter with 158 home runs in parts of 12 seasons.
When the time comes, Posey will receive serious consideration for the Hall of Fame. He was the best offensive catcher of his era and he leads all catchers in WAR since 2010 by a significant margin:
- Buster Posey: 45.0 WAR
- Yadier Molina: 33.9 WAR
- Salvador Perez: 29.6 WAR
- Russell Martin: 24.8 WAR
- JT Realmuto: 23.2 WAR
WAR is not everything, particularly with catcher defense so difficult to quantify, but a lead that large is tough to ignore. Posey was the game’s best all-around backstop for a decade or so, and he accomplished just about everything a player could want to accomplish in this game. Championships, individual awards, generational wealth, the works.
Replacing even post-peak Posey will be difficult, if not impossible. The Giants could turn to top prospect Joey Bart behind the plate next season, or venture out into free agency or the trade market. Bart, the No. 2 pick in 2018, hit .294/.358/.472 in 67 Triple-A games this year, and has appeared in 35 MLB games the last two seasons.
This was final guaranteed year on the eight-year, $159 million contract Posey signed in March 2013. The contract included a $22 million club option for 2022, which the Giants would have had to exercise or decline by Sunday. Now that is not necessary.
