San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey Will Have Epic Bounce-Back in 2012

Buster Posey's 2011 season came to an abrupt end when a home plate collision with the Marlins' Scott Cousins resulted in a broken fibula and torn ligaments in the young catcher's ankle.

Without Posey's bat in the lineup, the Giants sputtered to a 86-76 record and a second place finish in the NL West, failing to return to the postseason to defend their 2010 World Series crown.

However, 2012 is the dawn of a new day for both Posey and the Giants. With the young backstop finally healthy enough to participate in team workouts, it's time to start talking about what we can expect from Posey this season.

Let's keep in mind that Posey has yet to play a full season in the Major Leagues. He wasn't called up until May 29, 2010 during his rookie season and, as already mentioned, his sophomore campaign was cut well short of a full year.

This is the year Posey not only plays a full season in the Orange and Black, it's also the year that he proves the naysayers wrong and establishes himself as one of the elite bats in the National League.

Posey will seemingly receive time behind the plate, but it also appears he will see some time at first base. This will allow him to zero in on his hitting rather than focusing his attention on managing the pitching staff.

Furthermore, Posey is one of the hardest workers around. He's as competitive as they come and will not settle for anything less than the best. It takes a great deal of drive and determination to recover from an injury as serious as Posey's, but the 24-year-old has demonstrated a tremendous amount of will power throughout the process.

Now that the long road to recovery is nearly complete, Posey will be more motivated than ever to prove he is back.

Looking at the Giants' potential lineup this year, San Francisco made a couple of key additions that should fuel the top of the batting order and, in turn, help Posey's comeback.

Melky Cabrera, who had a .339 on base percentage in 2011 to go with 20 steals, will give the Giants a boost towards the top of the lineup.

The Giants' other offseason outfield acquisition, Angel Pagan, will also serve as a spark in the leadoff role judging by his .322 on base percentage and 32 steals a year ago.

Should both these players get on base consistently at the top of the order, Posey will have plenty of opportunity to drive in runs this season from his cleanup spot.

The stars are aligned for Posey to have a stellar bounce back campaign. While there have been numerous cases of players never returning to form after falling victim to serious injuries, Posey does not fit into that category.

Look for Posey to return to the field in 2012 without skipping a beat. Sure, the Giants may exercise caution by splitting his time in the field between first base and catcher, but these defensive changes won't have any negative impact on his offense.

At the end of the day, Buster Posey is still one of the brightest young stars in baseball today. 2012 will only serve as an advancement, not a hindrance, on his path to greatness.