It was always when, not if Buster Posey was going to arrive in the major leagues and make his presence felt.
But as a rookie catcher, in the heat of a pennant race, on a club with two Cy Young Award winners?
“I guess I try not to look at it in that light,” Posey said. “It’s still the same game I grew up loving to play. Just trying to have fun and continue to enjoy it. Just keeping it simple. Just sticking to what got me where I am.”
Sounds easy, and frankly, Posey has made it look that way. His bat was destined to get him to The Show — he hit well enough at Florida State to merit the fifth pick in the 2008 draft — but his work behind the plate during his first month as the Giants’ starting catcher has been nothing short of outstanding.
“To catch our guys, it’s a lot to put on somebody, especially a rookie,” Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti said. “We had an awful lot of confidence in him as an organization. He wouldn’t be here if he was having trouble catching. That’s guaranteed.”
The Giants had won 18 out of 25 games with Posey behind the plate going into Tuesday night’s game vs. the Rockies at Coors Field. Their pitching staff, the one that includes Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain, had compiled a 3.44 ERA with him calling the pitches.
That number is significant for a lot of reasons. For one thing, it’s lower than the 3.50 mark they were carrying when veteran Bengie Molina was traded to the Rangers on July 1, opening the door for the Posey era to begin.
Did we say era? If that sounds like hype, you need to stay home more and watch the nightly baseball highlights. Posey was recalled from Triple-A on May 29. Since, he leads the National League with a .350 batting average, including .421 on the road and .417 in July.
A pennant contender trading away its starting catcher in July is borderline unheard of. But how often does a rookie replace him and lead the league in hitting from the cleanup spot? No wonder the Giants finished 20-8 in July to move into the wild-card lead.
“We’re just trying to keep on rolling,” Posey said. “We’re playing good ball right now. . . . I’m just trying to keep it simple and win ballgames. If you have that approach, the individual results take care of themselves.”
How much has Posey’s presence impacted the Giants? They scored 148 runs in July, 39 more than any other month, scratching their plans to deal for a hitter before the trading deadline.
Posey was considered an uberprospect before this season. He got his major-league baptism late last season but was optioned to Triple-A late in spring training. Still, it was when, not if he was going to become an impact major- leaguer.
“Wow, what a big shot in the arm he’s been for this offense,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “Right away, he made an impact in this lineup. He’s worked his way to the heart of the order.
“Coming up last year, and in spring training catching all these guys, he had a good idea of what the game was all about up here. He had that sense of belonging that you like from a young guy. . . . It was his time.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Posey/By the numbers
Rookie catcher Buster Posey has been the offensive catalyst in the Giants’ surge to the lead in the National League wild-card race. Posey was recalled from Triple-A on May 29. Since, he has:
• Led the National League with a .350 batting average.
• Racked up six three-hit games and three four-hit games.
• Reeled off a 21-game hitting streak from July 4-29.
• Reached base safely in 27 of his last 28 games.
• Hit .421 (45-for-107) on the road.
• Thrown out 8-of-22 runners, better than 36 percent.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
