Posey is not forgotten
More than two months have passed since Buster Posey opted out on the 2020 season, and the Giants remain in a playoff race without their common denominator to three World Series titles.
Tuesday was the deadline for teams to secure players’ postseason eligibility. A player must have been in his team’s 60player pool, either on the bigleague roster or at the alternative site, to be eligible for the playoffs.
So even if Posey had the slightest inkling about returning for the playoff possibility, the time to return has passed. Not that there was any indication he would opt back in, as has been the case with Atlanta’s Nick Markakis and Miami’s Isan Diaz.
Posey opted out after he and his wife, Kristen, adopted twin baby girls who were prematurely born.
“My belief and my understanding is Buster needed and continues to need to be with his family and take care of them,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “That’s his first priority. He made that very clear. We support that 100% and appreciate that’s what’s going on right now.”
It goes without saying the Giants would have welcomed back Posey if he chose to return, said Kapler, who said his bullpen/catching coach, Craig Albernaz, has stayed in touch with the sixtime AllStar.
“You know this,” Kapler said when asked about Posey remaining in the players’ and coaches’ minds, “Buster Posey’s never outofsight, outofmind for us. He’s frontofmind for us. We’re thinking of him and knowing he’s taking care of his family right now.”
Besides Posey, Pablo Sandoval was the only player in the organization with World Series rings from 2010, 2012 and 2014, and he was released last Thursday and signed with Atlanta.
On the current 28man roster, just Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt were around for multiple World Series titles (both were on the 2012 and ’14 teams). Another player on those teams, Hunter Pence, was released last month..
“We definitely miss him,” said Crawford, mentioning Posey’s absence is felt beyond his leadership and status as one of the game’s premier catchers. “He’s one of the guys I’ve always been closest with on the team. Just as a friend, I miss having him around and seeing him every day.”
In Posey’s absence, Joey Bart and Chadwick Tromp have shared the catching duties after the season opened with Tyler Heineman and Rob Brantly as the catchers.
Kapler called Bart and Tromp “works in progress. Both are improving every day. Both have areas to improve on.” The manager commended Bart for his hard contact and improvement handling pitchers and Tromp for his receiving, framing and power potential.
“Joey’s improved a great deal since the first spring training in his relationships with the pitchers and leading them,” Kapler said. “He has a really good feel for the arsenals of each of them.”
All players were free to opt out because of health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic, and Posey was among the 22 to step away. Some of the others: David Price, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Felix Hernandez and Tyson and Joe Ross.
Players wishing to opt back in were required to go through the players’ union and raise the matter with the Commissioner’s Office for approval.