Preview: Buster: The Legendary Career of the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey by Pediment Publishing

BUST ER T H E L E G E N D A R Y C A R EE R O F T H E S A N F R A N C IS C O G I A N T S ’ B U S T E R P O S E Y Foreword by Bruce Bochy

www.pediment.com • Printed in Canada. This book is an unofficial account of the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey and is not endorsed by the MLB or the San Francisco Giants. the covers | Buster Posey heads toward the batter’s box during Game 1 of the NLCS at Busch Stadium on Oct. 11, 2014, in St. Louis.

Credits

Published by Pediment Publishing, a division of The Pediment Group, Inc.

THE LEGENDARY CAREER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS’ BUSTER POSEY Foreword by Bruce Bochy

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owner or the publisher.

Sports editor Christina Kahrl Creative director Danielle Mollette-Parks Photo editors Alvin Jornada, R.J. Mickelson Deputy sports editor Jon Schultz Assistant sports editor Michael Lerseth Editor Kurt Aguilar Content supervisor Henry Schulman Writers Bruce Jenkins, Ann Killion, Ron Kroichick, Scott Ostler, Henry Schulman, John Shea, Susan Slusser

FRONT COVER

MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE BACK COVER PHOTOS TOP ROW, FROM LEFT | PAUL CHINN / THE CHRONICLE; CHAD ZIEMENDORF / THE CHRONICLE; MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE MIDDLE ROW, FROM LEFT | SCOTT STRAZZANTE / THE CHRONICLE; CARLOS AVILA GONZALEZ / THE CHRONICLE; MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE; SCOTT STRAZZANTE / THE BOTTOMCHRONICLEROW,FROM LEFT | MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE; MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE

Copy editor Nick Eilerson Editorial production assistant Vanessa Arredondo Publisher William Nagel Editor in chief Emilio Garcia-Ruiz Editorial directors Sarah Feldberg, Tim O’Rourke Senior vice president, sales Sean Jacobsen Director of product marketing Gabe Chavez Jr.

CARLOS AVILA GONZALEZ /

THE CHRONICLE

INTRODUCTION • 3

Foreword BY BRUCE BOCHY Buster Posey and I were synchronized in the moment. His hands went up as he celebrated, and my hands went up, too. It was a feeling of “we did it,” a memory of Buster and a picture in my mind I’ll never forget. That was our first. The first for many of us. The first for the city. The Giants’ first World Series championship in San Francisco. The long wait was over, and all eyes were on Buster as he caught Brian Wilson’s front-door cutter that Nelson Cruz swung through for the final out of the 2010 World Series. Buster threw his hands in the air as he ran toward the mound, looking back at the dugout a couple of times on his way. We did it, we beat the Rangers in five games, and it was Buster leading the way. I really believe that. Let’s go back a little bit. The 2008 draft. There was a lot of buzz about a catcher out of Florida State and a high level of excitement from John Barr and all the scouts, and it had filtered down to the clubhouse. Of all the No. 1 picks we drafted when I was with the Giants, no one came with the same excitement and enthusiasm as Buster because of all his accomplishments in college and the attention he was getting. I first met Buster after the draft when he came out to San Francisco. I just remember how athletic and youthful he looked. I don’t even know if he was shaving at the time. The family was great, very grounded and a very humble group. This guy was the perfect signing for us. I think John Barr, Brian Sabean and all the front office really believed they hit a huge home run when he was drafted. Buster played a few minor-league games after the draft, but 2009 was his first full profession al season, and it was a long one. He started in A-ball, in San Jose, moved up to Fresno, our Triple-A affiliate, and we brought him up in September for his first few big-league at-bats. Then the Arizona Fall League. I remember going down and watching him play. We defi nitely had gotten to the point of diminishing returns on him. He was mentally and physically exhausted from his first full year in pro ball, and it showed in his play. The man needed a break, and we were all in agreement. It was time to send Buster home. He got home, caught his breath and of course had the big year the nextBusteryear. started 2010 in Fresno, and we brought him up on May 29. Bengie Molina LEFT | Over 12 seasons with the Giants, Posey grew into one of the Bay Area’s most beloved sports icons.

INTRODUCTION • 13 OPPOSITE | Posey practices in Scottsdale, Ariz., during the 2014 spring training that would kick off his third World Series Championship season with the Giants. MICHAEL MACOR / THE CHRONICLE Table of Contents Foreword............................................. 3 Introduction....................................... 7 2008.................................................. 15 2009.................................................. 19 2010....................................................31 2011................................................... 55 2012.................................................. 65 2013.................................................. 83 2014.................................................. 89 2015................................................. 107 2016.................................................. 115 2017.................................................. 121 2018.................................................. 131 2019................................................. 143 2020................................................ 149 2021................................................. 159 Letter from Buster Posey................ 191

The story comes mostly from Florida State coach Mike Martin and his son/assistant, Mike Martin Jr. It’s just as well there aren’t more Mike Martins down there in Tallahassee, be cause how much Buster love can one story hold?

“I don’t even want to get started (talking about Posey),” Martin Sr. said. “You’ll be like, ‘Oh, crap, here’s this old college coach, telling about one of his boys.’” Too late. The tape recorder was rolling. By the way, don’t let Martin Sr.’s southern drawl and folksiness disguise the fact that he is one of the greatest college baseball coaches. Thirtyone seasons as the leader of the powerhouse Seminoles program, one of three Division I coaches to win 1,600 games, coach of six players named national player of the year. Martin Sr. knows baseball, so when his son and another assistant approached him with the idea of converting Posey to catcher, Martin says his response was a deeply sarcastic, “Makes all the sense in the world.”

Coach’s bright idea helped turn rookie into a star

Mike Martin Sr. said he doesn’t go to bed at night without first checking to see how Posey and the Giants did. Martin is as caught up in the Giants’ chase as anyone in San Francisco.

OPPOSITE | The Giants, with Posey leading the way, greet the crowd after beating the Padres to win the National League West championship on Oct. 3.

The younger Martin had been an infielder who converted to catcher in junior college and be came a college star playing for his dad at FSU. Why not try the same conversion with Posey?

BRANT WARD / THE CHRONICLE

When trying to assemble the crazy jigsaw puzzle that explains the Giants’ playoff pursuit, it is helpful to begin with one key piece of the puzzle, a moment of cosmic importance.

BY SCOTT OSTLER |

SEPT. 28, 2010

2010 • 43

Martin Sr. thought the idea was loopy, but he hasn’t won 1,600 games by following a recipe book. He told his son to run the idea by Posey. Said Martin Jr., “I said (to Posey), ‘Look, you’ve got the arm strength, the bat, the hands, the leadership skills. You don’t run, which will hold you down (as a pro prospect) if you’re a third baseman.’ He knew if we could find somebody behind the plate, we had a heck of a team that (next) year. … “Typical Buster, he said ‘Sure.’”

The Martins, and the FSU fans, they love them some Buster.

Then Mike Jr.’s brain was struck by lightning.

Posey, who doesn’t have a dramatic bone in his body, said recently his reaction to the life-changing idea was, “I was pretty open-minded about it.” He couldn’t recall playing catcher before, even in Little League or on the playground. It was near the end of Florida State’s fallball season. The coaches helped Posey into the catcher’s gear. Martin Sr., expecting the kid to waddle in his clunky suit of armor, was struck by how graceful Posey was in his brand new skin. “Then we put him on a pitching machine,”

It is late fall 2006 and an assistant coach at Florida State approaches the Seminoles’ head coach with an idea so preposterous that the assistant might have been chucked out of the head coach’s office on his rear end, had the assistant not been the head coach’s son. This is the story of how Gerald Dempsey (Buster) Posey became a catcher.

“I did not fall in love with this idea,” Martin Sr.Butsaid.he thought about it. The Martins recruited Posey as a lights-out high school pitcher who also could hit. The plan was to see how Posey developed. They saw defi nite pro potential in him as a corner infielder or pitcher. In his first season, Posey developed into a Freshman All-American shortstop in 2006, a fine fielder who hit .346. Then Florida State recruited a hot shortstop and Martin planned to move Posey to third base for 2007. With his heavy lower body, Posey seemed to have more major-league potential at a corner infield spot than at shortstop, anyway. That, or a pitcher.

STEVE CANNON / ASSOCIATED PRESS The Chronicle highlights Posey’s powerful impact on the team, Oct. 3, 2010.

44 • BUSTER

THE CHRONICLE

RIGHT |

ABOVE | A Florida State coach thought Posey should change positions from shortstop to catcher and Posey accepted the idea. The decision might help send Posey to Cooperstown some day.

2010 • 45 Martin Sr. said, “and it was, ‘You gotta be kid ding me.’ He looked like he’d been doing it for years. It was unbelievable. It was a revelation.” Buster said, “I picked it up pretty quick, a week or so. But it was a week of getting the crap beat out of me. Balls in the dirt, and cer tain pitches blow your hands up. … Once the season started, once I got in the groove of playing every game, I thought there might be something there.” Martin Jr. was slightly more poetic. “The first two days, I had to teach him to put his gear on,” he said. “A week later, it was, ‘OK, this is going to work.’ And three weeks later, it was, ‘Holy cow, this guy’s going to be really“Onegood.’ofour first games in ’07 was an ex hibition game against the Phillies. After the game, (Philadelphia manager) Charlie Manuel comes over and says, ‘Pretty scary that the best catcher on the field is a college sophomore who just started catching.’” Posey didn’t merely catch. He thought, too. College coaches typically call all the pitches, the catcher simply relaying the signs to the pitcher. Martin Sr. said he soon was sharing the pitch-calling with Posey.

LEFT | After being converted to catcher, Posey made it clear he wanted to stay behind the plate.

BRANT WARD / THE CHRONICLE

Letter from Buster Posey

2021 • 191 OPPOSITE |

Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of stories from different fans about what the Giants mean to them. Or, what baseball means to them. When I think back on those stories, there’s usually one common denominator — family and friends.

To the best fans in baseball …

/ THE CHRONICLE

You have most likely heard by now that I have decided to step away from the game and officially retire. As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision. Kristen and I spent a lot of time discussing and weighing what would be best for our family. I ultimately felt that now is the right time to start a new chapter in my life. Throughout my life, I have been incredibly fortunate to play the greatest game in the world. Not many kids who start playing baseball at the age of 5 have the opportunity to continue to play the game they love beyond Little League or even high school. I was one of the lucky ones, and I am truly grateful for all the game has given to me and my family. It has taken me from my hometown in Georgia to Florida State University to ultimately San Francisco, with many stops in between. The people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve shared with my teammates and family are beyond what I expected. Our family has created a lifetime of memories and lifelongDuringfriendships.thepressconference, I had the op portunity to thank the countless number of people who have supported me throughout my career — Kristen, our children Addi, Lee, Ada and Livvi, my parents, grandparents, siblings, teammates, coaches, training and clubhouse staff, the Giants ownership group and front office. They were the driving force who helped me and inspired me to make my baseball dream a reality.And,of course, our great fans. How do you thank a fan base? The Giants fan base is more than just fans. It’s a community. That sense of community is something we as players can feel in the ballpark when we take the field each night. I hope you have felt it too. I hope over the years you’ve been able to see in our teams the sense of pride we all take in coming together each day working hard and pushing each other toward a common goal. Oddly, some of the best times when you look back are the challenging times. When you’re going through them they don’t tend to be very fun, but when you get on the other side you re alize that you’ve grown from these experiences. I think that’s one of the best things about sports and hopefully something a lot of fans can also identify with.

When I was a child, one of my earliest base ball memories was Sid Bream of the Atlanta Braves sliding into home plate to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 7 of the NLCS to send the Braves to the World Series. To be able to share in the joy with my grandad that Christmas as he proudly displayed a picture of Sid Bream sliding into home on his T-shirt is a memory that I’ll never forget. I’m sure there are kids out there today — who might actually be adults now — and parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who can re member exactly where they were when in 2010 Edgar Renteria hit the game-winning homer in Texas that led the Giants to their first World Series title since moving to San Francisco. Or when Sergio Romo stood on the mound, shook me off from throwing a slider (which still scares me to this day) and snuck a fastball past Miguel Cabrera to clinch the second title in three years. Or when Madison Bumgarner came out of the bullpen in Kansas City in Game 7 and 45,000 people went deathly silent because they knew at that point the World Series was over. Or you remember where you were when Matt Cain stood on the back of the mound and gazed up at the crowd, taking it all in before he recorded the final out of the first ever perfect game in Giants franchise history. To me, this is what baseball is all about. It’s a lot more than just winning or losing a game — although the wins do feel a lot better. It’s about time spent with family on countless nights and days pulling for your team, riding the emotions of the highs and the lows. It’s ultimately about the people who have come along with you for the ride and making great memories together. I am so very humbled to have played a part in some of those memories. Thank you for welcoming me into the Giants community 12 seasons ago and for supporting me every step of the way. I look forward to creating new memories of my own and sharing them with my children as I pull for the Giants for years to come.With deep admiration and appreciation, Buster Posey

Giants catcher Buster Posey and his wife, Kristen, pass through a stream of confetti as the San Francisco Giants celebrate their 2012 World Series victory over the Detroit Tigers. MACOR

MICHAEL