Buster Posey: Why the San Francisco Giants Star Should Never Catch Another Game

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey suffered a horrific season-ending injury against the Florida Marlins way back in May of 2011. So much has happened with the team since then that, as inconceivable at it may seem, his injury has become somewhat of an afterthought compared to the trials and tribulations of the season as the final week begins.

Way back in April and early May I used to have a recurring nightmare where Posey was seriously injured in a collision at home plate. I had this dream multiple times, and then on May 22, 2011 at 1:38 pm I sent the following text to my friend and fellow Giants fan Conor Hanley: "Buster Posey as a catcher gives me heartburn...I don't like it long term...he's gonna get hurt...we're gonna lose him." 

On May 25, 2011 at 11:12, I received a text back from Conor that said, "Annnnd there is your worst case scenario" and he was right.

When I received that text I was still trying to understand what I had just seen, what it all meant and hoping against hope that he was actually going to be OK—that it was somehow just a sprain. I actually subjected myself to watching the play over and over, hoping that one of the angles would prove that his foot didn't actually bend unnaturally backward and that the writhing in the dirt and the agony on his face was somehow an over-dramatization of the reality of the situation. 

Of course, no angle would show me what didn't happen and no man can create the look of panic, terror and pain on the face of Posey at that moment as he dug his fingertips into the right-handed batter’s box.

As the next few days passed, I vowed that there was no possible way that the Giants could ever justify playing Posey behind the plate again. If he was able to recover enough from this injury and could play baseball again, the risk was simply too great that he would be hurt again and again miss significant time. 

The Giants showed how significant his loss was this year as they did more than struggle to plate runs. If they were lucky enough to get him back, why risk that type of an injury again?

After a couple of weeks, Posey made it clear that he was a catcher and that he would return as a catcher and nothing else. Hearing this made me love his heart and his competitive drive, but it also made me think twice about where Posey should play upon his return. 

Maybe he is as good as he is in part because of his role as a catcher. Maybe it is what gives him his game-day edge. Maybe he needs to be fully dedicated to every pitch to remain focused. I switched my opinion and could not wait to get him back behind the plate.

Out of sight and out of mind really must be hard for someone like Posey to deal with. All of his hard work this year has been in the background. Rehab is harder than staying at the top of your game. It isn't natural and it drives elite athletes crazy with frustration. 

As Posey was beginning to ramp up his rehab, walking, throwing and even hitting, I started getting that sick feeling in my stomach again. Keeping Posey behind the plate long-term just isn't good risk management.

Forget about catastrophic injuries for the moment. I think everyone will agree that they are rare and it is simply unfortunate that this happened. A catcher is far more vulnerable to much less significant injuries than the broken leg that Posey suffered. Every single pitch that is thrown brings with it the potential to break the catcher’s finger on a foul ball or, at least as significant as the broken leg, a catcher can suffer a concussion on any one of the 100-plus pitches thrown every day. 

Over the course of a season, a catcher may be behind the plate for around 23,000 pitches. The odds of making it through a season relatively unscathed are not very good.

Picture this scenario: The Giants are fighting down to the final weekend of the season against the San Diego Padres for the NL West title. On Friday night in the second inning, Posey takes a foul tip from a 94 mph fastball off his semi-hidden right hand, breaking his right thumb.  Posey is done for the season and the Giants lose their offensive anchor. 

Think that's far-fetched? It really isn't, and the odds of him breaking his right thumb that night while playing another position, possibly first base, are far, far less.

The Giants replaced Posey at catcher this year with two longtime backup catchers who played as well as they could, which resulted in six home runs and 26 RBI and a combined batting average of .205. If that was really all that the Giants had to replace Posey long-term behind the plate, I could start to listen to an argument for leaving him there.

The end of this season has given us all an opportunity to see 21-year-old Hector Sanchez play a little bit, and I've liked what I've seen. He is still raw, but at 21 years old, he can afford to be a bit raw still. He has shown that he has a pretty good approach at the plate and he is a pure switch-hitter who looks equally as capable from both sides of the plate.

He also has significantly improved his ball-blocking and game-calling skills in the short time he has played for the Giants this September, garnering praise from Tim Lincecum after his last outing.

Sanchez is at least a year away from being able to start regularly, but he could benefit from a true platoon next year if the Giants can find a veteran catcher to come in and mentor him—that is, if they do what makes sense for the organization and move Posey out from behind the plate.

The risk for major, career-threatening injuries and more minor, nagging injuries that can cause a player to miss significant time themselves is far too great at catcher compared to other positions. I don't want this to sound completely reactionary based on an incident that happened and may very well never happen again. I also hope no one reads this and thinks I am trying to establish that I predicted the injury.

I simply feel that when a team has a talent that is as special as Buster Posey is, the health of that organization relies on his health. If that player is capable of playing a less dangerous position than catcher and still have significant value over any potential replacement from within that organization, the prudent thing to do would be to mitigate the risk as soon as possible and find that player a new home somewhere else on the diamond.

Buster Posey could handle any assignment he would be given. He's that special.