Giants' Buster Posey Assuming Mantle of MLB's Pre-Eminent Postseason Hero

There's been a lot of talk about how the San Francisco Giants are lucky. About how this latest October run is fueled less by talent and more by favorable bounces and inexplicable even-year mojo.

The counterargument: Buster Posey.

Lost amid the din of San Francisco's at-times wacky playoff success has been another steadily stellar performance by its catcher and undisputed anchor. After going 2-for-3 with three RBI in the Giants' 6-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, Posey is now hitting .333 in the 2014 postseason. 

And he's caught every frame, including the 18-inning marathon in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals.

Partly, Posey gets overlooked because of his low-key demeanor. In a clubhouse full of characters—the roly-poly Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval, the twitchy, F-bomb-dropping preacher Hunter Pence—Posey defines unassuming.

As Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle put it:

"

The weirdest thing about Buster Posey might be that on a team with a significant weirdness factor, the steadiest player, offensive driving force and quiet leader is devoid of weird...Posey goes about his hero business quietly, leaving a smaller wake than any of the other big boats. 

"

And yet the 27-year-old, selected fifth overall by the Giants in 2008, has steered himself and his team to a remarkable run of success. 

Since his rookie season in 2010, all Posey has done is win a Rookie of the Year Award, an NL MVP, a batting title and two rings. Throw in a horrific season-ending ankle injury in 2011, and you've got a career's worth of highs and lows packed into a scant five seasons.

Marcio J. Sanchez/Associated Press

Well, almost five. This season's not quite finished. With the Giants now a win away from their third Fall Classic appearance in five years, Posey has a chance to pad his resume—and solidify his status as baseball's new Mr. October.

Comparisons to a certain New York Yankees shortstop have been around at least since early 2013, when GQ branded Posey "the Derek Jeter of the Bay Area."

This was, of course, the season of Jeter, the long goodbye for the Yankee captain. And so naturally everyone is searching for a successor, a player with the same combination of skill, timing and unflappable calm.

Posey's as fine a candidate as any, though he'd surely reject the notion in typical aw-shucks fashion.

He's not the only common denominator between the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons. Manager Bruce Bochy led all three clubs, while general manager Brian Sabean constructed them all. And an array of players, from stud starter Madison Bumgarner to slider-slinging reliever Sergio Romo, were key contributors in each charmed run.

In fact, while some pieces have shifted, there are multiple strands of DNA running through the Giants' efficacious even-year squads.  

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

No one, though, has had a more consistent impact than Posey. As a rising rookie in 2010, as an incredible comeback story in 2012 and, now, as a seasoned playoff veteran, Posey has been the cherubic face of a San Francisco club that might soon get slapped, justifiably, with the "dynasty" label.

The Giants still have work to do. If any team understands that a 3-1 series advantage can slip away it's San Francisco, which was down 3-1 to these same Cardinals in the 2012 NLCS before storming back.

"We have that fresh in our minds," Posey told Fox Sports 1 after Wednesday's win (via MLB.com's Chris Haft). "We know we're going to have a tough game tomorrow."

And if the Orange and Black do advance, the red-hot Kansas City Royals, undefeated in October, will be waiting.

No matter what, the Giants know they'll have Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III. So far that's been worth more than all the luck in the world.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.