Buster Posey was a force of nature around the Bay Area even before he became a fixture in the San Francisco Giants‘ clubhouse.
The former Florida State Seminole was selected by the Giants with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft after he was done ruining psyches in college baseball. I’d make a “Sherman through the South” reference here, but Posey’s a good ol’ Georgia boy so it might be a sensitive subject.
Nevertheless, scorched earth is appropriate imagery when speaking of Buster’s collegiate exploits.
He was a Louisville Slugger All-American as a shortstop in his freshman year before switching to catcher for his sophomore year and finishing as the runner-up for the Johnny Bench Award (goes to the top catcher in college baseball).
Then he had a junior year that can stand on its own as a career-worth of accolades—he hit .463 with 26 home runs, won the Johnny Bench award, was the 2008 Collegiate Player of the Year and won the Golden Spikes award which is given to the best amateur baseball player in the country.
Consequently, it’s no surprise that Gerald Demp III was touted as the best catcher in the draft, handed the largest signing bonus in the draft’s history at the time ($6.2 million) and engendered the sort of hype San Francisco rarely sees over a baseball player not named Barry Lamar Bonds.
Nope, the surprise came when Posey not only delivered on all that hype but when he even managed to outpace it en route to the ‘Gents 2010 World Series Championship.
And he continues to see expectations in his rear-view mirror as the 2011 season rolls on.
On Thursday, the franchise catcher sat down with Bleacher Report for an exclusive look at that magical ’10 ride as well as the current campaign and what the future may hold.
