SAN FRANCISCO — Hall of Fame announcement day has become a bitter one for much of the Bay Area. It’s increasingly clear that Barry Bonds will not get the votes needed for enshrinement before his time on the ballot is up, and with Jeff Kent also lagging, it’s hard for Giants fans to get too excited this time of year.
That should change pretty soon, though. Bruce Bochy is a lock to make it as a manager, and at some point shortly after Bochy retires, he will be giving a speech in Cooperstown. One of Bochy’s players should follow him, too.
While Tim Lincecum had the spectacular peak and Madison Bumgarner has the legendary postseason success, the current face of the franchise is the best bet to finally give Giants fans a reason to celebrate induction day.
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SIGN UP HERE Buster Posey continues to compile numbers and accolades, and when you look at other catchers in the Hall of Fame, it’s easy to see Posey one day hearing his name called by the BBWAA. There are 18 catchers in the Hall of Fame, but much of that list is made up of players who caught in a much different time. If you limit it to players who caught at least half of their careers and played in the expansion era — since 1961 — you’re left with just five Hall of Fame catchers.
Posey has some work to do to catch those five — Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter and Ivan Rodriguez — when it comes to offensive numbers that have been significant parts of Hall of Fame cases. All five have at least 311 homers; Posey is at 133 and hit just five last season. He has 1,276 hits through 10 seasons, and those five are all part of the 2,000 hit club.
But there are other statistical categories where Posey is well on his way to Hall of Fame status. His .306 average would rank second among the Hall of Fame catchers who played modern baseball. His .840 OPS would rank second, too, along with his OPS+ of 132, which puts him well ahead of Fisk (117), Carter (115) and Rodriguez (106).
Over the years, advanced statistics have become a bigger part of the voting process, and at 41.3 career WAR, Posey is nearly two-thirds of the way to the average (69 career WAR) for all the hitters already in the Hall of Fame. He has a good shot at passing a slew of big names in the Hall, including two famous catchers: Yogi Berra (59.4) and Joe Torre (57.6 WAR).
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Posey will compile more basic stats — hits, homers, RBI, etc. — as the years go along, but it’s reasonable to expect some of his rate stats to drop a bit as he gets further from his peak. His Hall of Fame case won’t be entirely based on numbers, though, and that’s where he’s already in pretty good shape.
Posey likely won’t play in 14 All-Star Games, like Bench, win 13 Gold Gloves like Rodriguez or 10 Silver Slugger Awards like Piazza, but he has put together a more varied resume that should stand with the other catchers in the Hall of Fame. Through 10 seasons, he has a Rookie of the Year Award, MVP, Hank Aaron Award, batting title, Gold Glove and four Silver Sluggers. He’s a six-time All-Star and has a shot to reach double-digits if he keeps catching.
Then there’s the postseason, where Posey caught every pitch for three championship teams. The five catchers listed above have combined for four World Series titles. When asked last spring about his legacy, Posey said it’s something he does evaluate on a year to year basis, and pointed out that he’s well aware that he’s running out of postseason shots.
“It’s a little bit of a different feel than when you’re 23 or 24 and you’ve got, you hope, so many more years ahead of you,” he said. “For me, it’s the same thing. I want to win a championship.”
Another one would help his cause, but he probably doesn’t need to worry too much. The previous face of the franchise is struggling to get necessary support, but Posey enters his 11th season on a strong path to one day get that call from the Hall of Fame.