![]() ![]() ![]() With Posey's return this season, Giants pitchers had a steady hand and strong leader behind the plate again. San Francisco finished eight games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL West title. Most importantly for the Giants, their record was 61-58 after Posey was sidelined for the season. Should he move to first base for the sake of his career? Posey's future at the position was questioned. The play compelled arguments over whether runners should be allowed to run into catchers or catchers should be prohibited from blocking the plate. Posey suffered a broken leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle, one of the more gruesome injuries baseball has seen in recent seasons. He was performing yet another job of a catcher: Block the plate and prevent a run from scoring. If there was any doubt as to how grueling it is to play catcher, Posey provided us with a chilling example last year when he was knocked out for the season in a collision at home plate. He threw out 38 opposing base-stealers, more than any other catcher. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina who gunned down 48 percent.īut consider that 87 stolen bases were attempted against Posey, as Giants pitchers don't hold runners very well. That doesn't look terribly impressive, compared to someone like the St. Posey threw out 30 percent of opposing base-stealers. Only one other catcher allowed fewer than his 26 wild pitches. Posey allowed two passed balls, the fewest in MLB this season. You can't please everyone.)Ī catcher's second responsibility is to play good defense behind the plate, blocking pitches in the dirt and controlling opposing runners on the basepaths. (Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito preferred Hector Sanchez behind the plate, however. He guides one of the best, led by Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong. The first job of a catcher is to guide the pitching staff. (Hunter Pence had 24 homers and 104 RBI, but accumulated seven home runs and 45 RBI with the Giants after being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies.)Īs a catcher, Posey also plays the most demanding position in baseball. With 24 home runs and 103 RBI, Posey led the San Francisco Giants in both of those categories. He also finished among the league's Top Three with a. 408 on-base percentage was the best in the NL. First of all, there are the offensive numbers. ![]()
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