Buster Posey returns for possible final season with San Francisco Giants



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Buster Posey tried to watch every inning of the San Francisco Giants baseball he could last year, but he was busy.

Most of her energy has been spent looking after four children, especially two adopted twin daughters who were born eight weeks premature last summer. But he also found a useful way to keep his arm in shape – by squeezing the diapers really tight and throwing them at his 9-year-old son Lee as he ran for cover.

“You really have to make sure you have the right diaper weight,” Posey said after the Giants’ first official practice on Wednesday. “Depending on how they ate, that plays a big role in my accuracy and whether it equates to the weight of a baseball. Take all of that into account, whatever type of formula they have, s ‘they eat the food baby or not – and yes, I was pretty specific. “

Posey, who did not participate in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season primarily out of concern for his newly adopted daughters, is heading into the 2021 season with unknown uncertainty. On opening day, he will be 34, entering his 11th and potentially final season as the Giants’ daily receiver. Posey’s $ 167 million contract includes a $ 22 million club option for 2022, but the Giants also have a promising young receiver in Joey Bart, who was drafted second overall in 2018 to one day replace Posey. long-term.

“Yeah sure, that came to my mind,” Posey said of the possibility that this would be his last season with the Giants. “I think for me my biggest goal this year is really – cliché as it is – to go one day at a time and try to focus on what needs to be accomplished by that day, whether it’s weight. chamber work or cage work or whatever. And try not to go too far. “

The last time Posey was on the pitch, he was coming out of hip surgery and struggling through the 2019 season, ultimately beating .257 / .320 / .368 with seven homers and 24 doubles in 114 games. In the previous seven seasons, he made six All-Star teams, won an MVP award, and hit .308 / .378 / .466 with an average of 16 home runs, 31 doubles and 141 games per year.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler said in mid-December that Posey would return as the team’s main receiver in 2021, giving Bart, 24, more time to develop after a difficult season in 2020.

Posey had access to Oracle Park when the team was away last summer and used the facilities to train regularly. He admitted it might take him a while to re-acclimate to live pitching, but said he believes his body is in good enough shape to withstand the rigors of another season. He missed the competition.

“It’s good,” Posey said of his return to the game. “It’s different. Look at what we’re doing right now [conducting an interview over video conference] — It’s not the same thing. You’re still masked, so it’s obviously different too. There is also normality. There is the normality of standing on the foul line and stretching. Play catch, catch pens. Yeah, it’s great to be back, and hopefully as this vaccine continues to roll out, we can all experience the game the way we’re used to.

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