Buster Posey is the new Giants phenom

Posted on September 28, 2009

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Chicago Cubs during the game at AT&T Park on September 26, 2009 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

For man years the San Francisco Giants have been known as a team with older position players way past their prime who always drafted young pitchers in the June free agent draft. Many fans have become frustrated over the years about the lack of home grown talent that was nurtured in the minor leagues and prepared to play in front of sell out crowds in San Francisco. It has been over 20 years since the Giants drafted and produced an everyday position player that went on to be an all star. The Giants and their fans are hoping this long drought will end with their new phenom catcher Buster Posey.

Selected as the 5th overall pick in the first round by the Giants in June of 2008 as a junior out of Florida State, Posey rose quickly through the Giants farm system and made his big league starting debut this past weekend at AT&T Park when the Giants hosted the Chicago Cubs. The Giants catcher of the future is 22 years old and looks much younger. His arrival in San Francisco has been heralded as the most anticipated for a position player since Will Clark broke into the Giants lineup on opening day in 1986.

Like Clark many years before him, Posey won the prestigious Golden Spikes Award in 2008 as the top amateur baseball player in the country. Getting the chance to shoot Posey in the amazing late September light in San Francisco before the 2009 season ended was a big deal for me. I hope the kid makes it and I hope I will be able to photograph him in a Giants uniform for a long time.