My point about Buster Posey
Posted By Jeff Fletcher on September 14, 2010 8:15 pm
I tweeted some things about comparing Buster Posey and Jason Heyward, in terms of Rookie of the Year voting, and fear that, in an effort to squeeze it into 140 characters, I didn’t make my point very clear.
All I mean is that if you are comparing two guys with relatively equal offensive numbers — and Heyward’s OPS is .879, compared with Posey’s .877 — that you have to give the nod to the guy who has been doing it for longer. Heyward has played a full two months more than Posey.
I further added that you can’t really just extrapolate and say that Buster would be just as good over two more months because he hasn’t been as good over the past six weeks as he was in the previous six weeks. That’s a fact. Now, I don’t know what Buster would have done if he’d been up on opening day, and neither does anyone else.
I just don’t think it’s right to assume he would have when comparing him to a guy who has actually done it.
That’s all. I’m not ripping Buster. I think he’s a very good player. I also don’t think the Giants would trade Buster for Jason Heyward, because of the value of a catcher. I’m simply talking about making a judgment for an award, which is based on what a guy actually did, not what we think he would do.
(EDIT: Here’s how all this started. In response to one of my followers, I replied with these tweets about the ROY race. This and this and this, but then this one went out to everyone, who didn’t see the context of our discussion.)
That’s better. Your tweet lacked basic logic
Speaking of Buster’s value as a catcher, there are fans who think the Giants should move him to another position to lessen the risk of injury. What do you think? I look at the Twins and see they have not moved Joe Mauer, and J Bench was mostly a catcher, same with Piazza. Is the idea that it’s rare to find a guy who can play the position and hit too and when you do get him, you keep him there to gain a clear advantage over teams with non-hitting catchers?
I would not move Buster. If the Giants only cared about Buster as a hitter, they probably could have had him up on opening day and played him at first base. The reason that he spent two more months in the minors was because the Giants wanted him to develop as a catcher, because that’s where he’s most valuable. Look at Brian McCann and Adam LaRoche. Which guy is more valuable? Their stats are very similar, but one guy is one of the top offensive catchers in baseball, and the other is just another first baseman.
As long as Posey is young and strong, you let him catch. When he starts to get older — and this is a decision the Twins may face with Joe Mauer when he gets to be 35ish — it may make sense to move him to another spot because catching may take more out of him and he is at more risk for injury. That decision is a long way away for Buster, though.