Giants: Posey, back at catcher, ready to make 10th career start
The Giants play in a division that features perhaps the two best teams in the majors.
The Giants are coming off four straight losing seasons. There’s no expanded playoffs. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections have the Giants winning 75 games.
Yet, Buster Posey keeps the faith. As always. A year after the catcher opted out on the 2020 season and a few days removed from his 34th birthday, Posey is optimistic about the new season and the Giants’ place in the topheavy National League West. By most accounts, the only question is whether first place goes to the Dodgers or Padres.
On the other hand …
“I don’t think that there’s anybody in here thinking there’s no chance to compete for the division late in the year,” Posey said Wednesday, “and that’s definitely the goal.”
And not just as a wildcard team.
“Competing to win the division,” reiterated Posey. “I don’t think I’d be a very good teammate or competitor if I said otherwise.”
The Giants open their 2021 season Thursday night in Seattle (in front of fans this time), and the pitching matchup is Kevin Gausman versus Marco Gonzales. Posey is one of three Giants — along with shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman Brandon Belt — expected to make his 10th career start in an opener.
The Giants made a late push
in 2020 and missed the playoffs by one game, and they added several pitchers to the rotation and bullpen along with super utilityman Tommy La Stella and, of course, Posey, who’ll play his first game since 2019.
“We’ve got a lot of really good baseball players offensively, defensively and pitching,” Posey said. “The great thing about sports is nothing’s guaranteed . ... Anything’s possible to happen. I think that’s obviously the excitement that surrounds a lot of sports. The unknown of what’s to come.”
Manager Gabe Kapler told his players this week the staff ’s job not only is to support them but to put them in position to reach their goals. On that front, Kapler was thrilled to hear Posey’s lofty expectations.
“I love that Buster mentioned that. It’s really encouraging,” said Kapler, adding the playoffs are “always the mindset, certainly the mindset now.”
Kapler said Wednesday he already drew up his Opening Night lineup but won’t release it until Thursday, which is in line with his preference not to give the competition any edge with an early strategic headsup.
Kapler likes to play matchups, and Gonzales’ presence makes for leftyversuslefty duels with both Crawford and Belt, but the manager realizes the historic significance of including both in the lineup.
For Posey and the Brandons, not only is it the first game in the final season of their contracts, but each would join a prestigious San Francisco list. Only Willie Mays (15), Willie McCovey (15), Barry Bonds (14), Robby Thompson (11) and Juan Marichal (10) have started at least 10 openers.
It would be 10 in a row for Crawford, and only three others reached that milestone: Mays, Bonds and Thompson.
“All of those considerations are important to me and us as we make out lineups,” Kapler said. “Obviously, being in the Opening Day lineup is an honor.”
Posey said when Crawford signed his contract extension in 2015, they spoke of how cool it would be playing together through at least 2021. A few months later, Belt got his extension, putting all three on the same track.
“The ability to make Opening Day starts and be on the field, I think our training staff deserves a lot of credit,” Posey said. “I feel fortunate to have been able to play as long as I have.”