A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Buster Posey.
Buster Posey is a retired American professional baseball catcher who played his entire 12-year MLB career with the San Francisco Giants (2009-2021). Known for his exceptional skill and leadership, he is currently the president of baseball operations for the Giants, marking a continued commitment to the organization.
1942: Ernie Lombardi Lead in Hitting
In 1942, Ernie Lombardi of the Boston Braves was the last catcher to lead the NL in hitting, a feat Buster Posey replicated in 2012.
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1947: Rookie Starting Pitcher-Catcher Tandem
In Game 4 of the World Series, Posey and Bumgarner became the first rookie starting pitcher-catcher tandem in a World Series since Yogi Berra caught Spec Shea in Game 1 of the 1947 World Series.
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2002: Barry Bonds lead in hitting
In 2002, Barry Bonds was the first San Francisco Giant to win the batting title.
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2004: Barry Bonds lead in hitting
In 2004, Barry Bonds was the second San Francisco Giant to win the batting title.
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2006: Freshman Season at Florida State
In 2006, Buster Posey played shortstop as a freshman at Florida State University, starting all 65 games and being named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
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2006: Cape Cod League Championship
In 2006, Buster Posey started at shortstop for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, winning the Cape Cod Baseball League championship.
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2007: Second Cape Cod League Championship
In 2007, Buster Posey started at catcher for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, winning another Cape Cod Baseball League championship.
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2008: Awards and Accolades
In 2008, Buster Posey had a remarkable junior year, hitting .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI, winning the ACC Baseball Player of the Year, Johnny Bench Award, and Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year award.
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2008: Awards at Florida State University
In 2008, Buster Posey won the Golden Spikes Award and the Brooks Wallace Award while attending Florida State University.
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2010: Top Prospect
Coming into 2010, Baseball America ranked Buster Posey as the top prospect in the Giants' organization.
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2010: Player of the Week
In 2010, Buster Posey earned the NL Player of the Week honors for the week of July 5-11.
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2010: Rookie of the Year Award
In 2010, Buster Posey was named the NL Rookie of the Year and also received the NL Players Choice Awards Outstanding Rookie.
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2010: World Series Win and Rookie of the Year
In 2010, Posey caught every inning of the playoffs as the Giants won the World Series. He was also named the NL Rookie of the Year.
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2010: Joe Mauer Contract
In 2013, Buster Posey signed an eight-year contract extension worth $167 million with the Giants. The agreement was the second largest in major league history for a catcher, exceeded only by that of Joe Mauer in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins.
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2010: First Player of the week since 2010
On July 1, 2013, Posey was named National League Player of the Week for the week of June 23–29. It was the second time Posey earned the award during his career, and the first since 2010.
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2012: NL Batting Title
In 2012, Buster Posey led both leagues in batting with a .336 average, becoming the first catcher to lead the NL in hitting since 1942.
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2012: MVP and Second World Series
In 2012, Posey returned from injury, caught Matt Cain's perfect game, won the NL batting title with a .336 average, was voted the NL MVP, and won his second World Series.
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2012: MVP Season
In 2013, Buster Posey's offense regressed from the 2012 MVP season, especially in the second half of the season, though he maintained a .294 batting average, 15 home runs and 72 runs batted in.
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July 1, 2013: National League Player of the Week
On July 1, 2013, Buster Posey was named National League Player of the Week for the week of June 23-29.
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July 13, 2014: Hit Grand Slams with Bumgarner
On July 13, 2014, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner both hit grand slams against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This marked the first time they both homered in the same game and the first time in MLB history a catcher and pitcher hit grand slams in the same game.
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August 29, 2014: Five-Hit Game
On August 29, 2014, Buster Posey went 5-for-5 in 6 innings during a 13-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He became the only catcher in Giants franchise history to have two career five-hit games.
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2014: Giants Win World Series
In 2014, Buster Posey finished the season with a .311 batting average, 22 home runs, and 89 RBIs. The Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in seven games in the 2014 World Series, giving Posey his third championship in five years. He became the second player in Major League history after Pete Rose to win the Rookie of the Year, a League MVP, and three World Series championships.
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2014: Third World Series Win
In 2014, Posey won his third World Series as the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals.
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June 19, 2015: Grand Slam and Stolen Base
On June 19, 2015, Buster Posey hit a grand slam and stole a base in a 9-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first Giants catcher in 112 years to achieve this feat.
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July 5, 2015: All-Star Selection
On July 5, 2015, Buster Posey was selected to his third career All-Star Game and led the voting for NL catchers.
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September 6, 2015: 100th Career Home Run
On September 6, 2015, Buster Posey hit his 100th career home run in a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
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November 11, 2015: Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award
On November 11, 2015, Buster Posey was named the winner of the 2015 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award, given to the best defensive catcher in MLB.
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2016: Last Silver Slugger before 2021
2016 was the last time Buster Posey won the Silver Slugger award before winning it again in 2021.
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2016: Won First Gold Glove Award
Buster Posey finished the 2016 season with a .288 batting average, 14 home runs, and 80 RBIs. He also won his first Gold Glove Award, receiving recognition for his advanced defensive metrics.
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2016: Selected for MLB All Star Game
In 2016, Buster Posey was selected by fan voting to start at catcher in the MLB All Star Game, Posey's fourth career MLB All-Star Game, the most all-time by a Giants catcher in franchise history.
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2017: Named All-Star Starter
In 2017, Buster Posey, with a league-leading .339 batting average, was named starting catcher for the MLB All-Star Game for the third consecutive time. He ended the season batting .320/.400/.462.
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2019: Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
In 2019, Buster Posey was named the recipient of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.
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2019: Buster Posey Award
In 2019, the Johnny Bench Award was renamed the Buster Posey Award, honoring college baseball's top NCAA Division I catcher.
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2021: Final Season Stats
During the 2021 regular season, Buster Posey batted .304/.390/.499, with an .889 OPS. His .304 batting average is the highest ever by a catcher in their final season. On defense, he caught 31.1% of attempted base-stealers, 4th-best in the NL.
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2021: 1,000 Games as Catcher
In 2021, Buster Posey hit a home run on his first swing since 2019. He became the first player in franchise history to catch 1,000 games for the Giants and was named an NL All-Star for the 7th time.
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2021: Received Silver Slugger and Comeback Player of the Year Awards
In 2021, Buster Posey received the NL Silver Slugger award at catcher, his fifth overall and his first since 2016, along with his second NL Comeback Player of the Year award.
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2021: Record-Breaking Season
In 2021, during his final season, Buster Posey led the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins.
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