San Francisco Giants: What Can We Expect from Buster Posey in 2012?

Now that pitchers and catchers have reported to their respective camps for spring training, it means Buster Posey, the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner and San Francisco Giants phenom, is officially in the building. But the question that is on everyone's mind is how productive will he actually be in 2012?

After three torn three ligaments in his left ankle and a broken bone in his lower left leg during a brutal collision at home plate with Miami Marlins' Scott Cousins, Posey's 2011 season ended on May 25. However, his recovery has progressed quite nicely since the incident and he actually participated in batting practice and caught bullpen sessions with the Giants pitching staff this week .

Posey even showed he still has some pop in his bat after he smashed a couple of balls over the fence, which certainly electrified the crowd that was there to witness the show. However, Posey downplayed the showing and insisted that squaring up a 55 mph four-seam fastball is nothing to brag about.

But now that Posey is back in action with the rest of his teammates, one has to wonder how productive he will actually be following his ankle injury that many thought was career-changing at the time.

The fact of the matter is that Posey is a special player that a team can be built around—Posey makes everyone around him better. The Giants will improve in a multitude of ways upon Posey's return.

The first thing that will improve is the pitching staff. Posey handled the staff like a savvy veteran during his rookie year and up until his injury in May 2011. He was also one of the main factors in the Giants' pitching dominance during their run to the World Series in 2010.

As Tim Lincecum said:

"

Posey’s that guy who leads by example. Obviously, he speaks up when he needs to. He didn’t have a problem telling me that I was doing something wrong, even though I’m supposed to be this ’2-time Cy Young winner’ when he first came up. I admired that about him, I respected that about him. It wasn’t about ego, it was about the game.

"

There were rumors flying around that Posey was one of the reasons for Lincecum's struggles in 2010, but only Linecum himself knows if that's true or not. Lincecum is notorious for needing continuity and familiarity when it comes to who's catching him, and that could be the reason why he struggled when Bengie Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers and Posey took over at catcher.

However, Lincecum and Posey have undoubtedly established a relationship with one another, and it has made them arguably the best battery in all of baseball. Now that Posey is back, except to see the entire pitching staff build on its success from last season. That's a scary thought for the rest of baseball.

Secondly, the Giants defense will instantly improve once Posey returns as the starting backstop. His knack for throwing out base runners was something the Giants truly missed when Eli Whiteside and Chis Stewart (it was more Whiteside than anyone) were behind the plate.

In 2010 and 2011, Posey threw out 38 base runners in 104 attempts (36 percent). On the other hand, Whiteside threw out 30 base runners in 112 attempts (26 percent). Having Posey behind the plate will instantly improve the Giants defense.

Thirdly, and most obviously, Posey will have the ability to ignite the Giants' stagnant offense. We saw what Posey is capable of during 2010 after he hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in only 108 games. 2011 was a little different, as Posey was hitting only .241 on May 10, but Posey was in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak that raised his average to .284. However, the collision at home plate ended any hopes of Posey catching fire that season. 

Even though his batting average and power numbers weren't as high as we expected, his .368 on-base percentage proved he was still having a solid season with the bat. He would've finished the season with the team's highest OBP had the Giants not traded for Carlos Beltran, who finished with a slightly better OBP of .369. Plus, who knows if the Giants would've even traded for Beltran if Posey never got hurt.

There are also reasons to be concerned about Posey's power numbers after his ankle injury. He only had nine extra base hits in 2011 (four home runs and five doubles), and breaking a leg and tearing three ligaments doesn't exactly bode well for Posey.

However, it's important to realize that Posey is a right-handed hitter. When he swings the bat, all the power is generated from his right leg, and not his left. All of his weight will shift to his back leg, and his front leg (the damaged one) will simply be utilized for leverage and balance. Posey is fortunate his left ankle was the one that was demolished. If it had been his right ankle, squishing the bug during his swing might have posed a problem. If Posey is not able to hit for a ton of power in 2012, it will not be because of the injury he sustained last season.

Plus, Posey pushes off his right foot when throwing the baseball. He shouldn't lose much velocity on his throws when trying to gun out base runners.

Lastly, and most importantly, once Posey returns the Giants will have their leader back.

As Barry Zito said, "Buster's the core of this team just because he's on both sides, offense and defense. He's our leader. It's good for the morale of the team. We feel like we're a full unit again."

Not only will Posey help the Giants on the field, but his presence will benefit the team off it as well. Chemistry was key for the Giants in 2010, and it all starts with the catcher—arguably the most important position on the field. If Posey is able to have a strong bounce-back season in 2012, he has the ability to rejuvenate the Giants' lackluster offense.

Hitting is contagious after all.

It will be interesting to see how Posey recovers from the devastating injury he endured last year, but he's young and athletic, which certainly benefited him during the rehabilitation process. If Posey remains healthy throughout the entire season—a couple of starts at first base now and then shouldn't hurt—Posey will be the missing piece that guides the Giants back to the postseason in 2012.

Posey was born to play baseball. He's too good of a hitter and catcher not to be successful next season.