Buster Posey won't stick at catcher

Should he get a chance to win the 2B job in spring? I don’t see why not.

This has been a good topic, and I’m glad the original poster shared his concerns with us. It was only one game, but he certainly was where the action is, whereas we are not.

I think our good friend Buck Henry here has put a nice perspective on things. I expected Buster to start the season at AA, and I had forgotten that Steve Decker had been promoted there. That is perfect timing. Remember that Pablo Sandoval was held back at San Jose last season as long as he was because the Giants were more concerned that he develop his catching skills than that he work on his hitting skills.

Yes, there may be concerns. We seem to be getting conflicting concerns about where Buster’s catching stands. I think he has seven passed balls, two of them coming in his first game back after supposedly working on that skill (and probably others) in Arizona. I’m wondering if many of these passed balls aren’t coming from being crossed up. He had only two at Florida State last season.

As a collegian he also did a good job of throwing out runners. I forgot his percentage, but it wasn’t anything to worry about.

Buster has been catching only two seasons, so one would assume he hasn’t perfected the position yet. Some here, including Lyle — whose opinion I respect immensely — believe Buster will move back to his former position of shortstop. I’m dubious about that, since Buster seems to have only average foot speed. I realize not every shorstop is fast, and Buster’s strong arm can certainly help him overcome other difficulties.

But I see Buster’s greatest value in his being able to play other positions as well as catch. I see him and Pablo sharing the catching position, taking advantage of their versatility on other days. Pablo has shown us he can play first base, and he may be able to play third at least acceptably. None other than that noted scout Tim Lincecum said he would like to see Pablo in the outfield.

If Buster doesn’t make it as a catcher, perhaps he will indeed wind up at shortstop. If he can handle the position defensively, his bat would certainly play well there. Shortstop is a position where the Giants have Emmanuel Burriss and pretty much no one else. Not only that, but it appears that Manny’s best defensive position might be second base.

I wouldn’t rule Buster out as the future Giants shortstop, but when if he can play shortstop, he can play perhaps the two positions where bat expectations are lowest. Hopefully Buster will hit well enough to play virtually any position on the field (and he has shown, literally, that he can play any of them defensively). If he can play either position or both, his bat should really stand out.

I think he is more likely to flourish defensively at catcher than shortstop. Then again, I’ve never seen Buster play shortstop. But I’m kind of envisioning Buster as a potential catcher/super utilityman. I could see him playing catcher half the time and almost any one of the other positions the other half. I suspect Buster will settle on one, two or possibly three positions. But I see tremendous value in his being able to give virtually any player on the field a day of rest if needed. I see him as a player who can move around almost anywhere if a double switch or defensive replacement is needed.

This is something I am visualizing that may not be the least bit practical. I guess the first step is to see if he can catch, which I most definitely believe he can. Maybe he can play shorstop, although frankly I don’t see him as an everyday shortstop based on his lack of foot speed. He runs like a catcher. Like a fast catcher, but like a catcher. I don’t think he is as fast as Sandoval. Obviously he is immensely faster than Bengie Molina.

I guess what I’m suggesting is that we not get overly excited, but instead wait to see how Buster progresses as a backstop. If he doesn’t make it there, he might be able to learn to play any of seven other positions (although I don’t think he would work in the eighth, since despite his strong arm, he just doesn’t look like a closer to me).

The Giants are presently blessed with two developing catchers who have the speed, agility and versatility to play other positions. I’m hoping that leads to a situation where both can take advantage of that versatility in order to limit their games behind the plate and hopefully keep their legs strong and extend their careers.

When Buster catches, his bat would seem to play very, very well there. When Pablo plays, he provides on of the few lefty bats behind the plate — AND he can switch hit. He does need considerable work as a right-handed hitter.

Buster and Pablo could arguably form one of the best tandems behind the plate since Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. At the other extreme, it could wind up that NEITHER player catches and instead plays another position or positions. But, wow, what an exciting proposition! This is even more exciting than having Guillermo Rodriguez behind the plate. :)