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Buster Posey Facing Turning Point in His Storied Career

By Jake Mastroianni

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 15: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants tags out Brian Dozier #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 15: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants tags out Brian Dozier #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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It seems clear that San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey will soon have season-ending hip surgery that could also impact his career.

Honestly, I am glad to see that Buster Posey is going to go ahead and get the surgery now, giving up ample time to get ready for next year. The 2018 season is all but dead for the Giants, so while I appreciate a player who wants to play banged up, it makes little sense here.

I’m also hoping that with Posey down, the Giants will get a chance to look at catching prospect Aramis Garcia once rosters expand in September.

But getting back to Posey, this surgery could be the turning point in his career — for good or bad.

Even the most diehard San Francisco Giants fan has to admit that Posey is no longer the MVP-type player that he was back in 2012 when he hit 34 home runs and drove in 103 runs.

He’s hit just 31 home runs over his last 1,428 at-bats. Posey has been nowhere near the run producer we saw early in his career, and he’s clearly lost some power.

If you want to think optimistically, then hopefully this surgery will help Posey regain some of his former power and we can once again see him be a 15-20 home run bat.

On the flip side, Posey will turn 32 next March with over 8,000 innings behind the plate at the major league level. This surgery could signal the decline of Posey’s already brilliant career.

This would certainly be devastating for the San Francisco Giants and their fans. Not just to have to witness the decline of their star player, but knowing that Posey is owed $66.5 million over the next three years with a $22 million team option in 2022.

It would be the exact same situation as what the Minnesota Twins have faced with Joe Mauer. Once an MVP catcher with 20 home run potential, Mauer has an average major league player for five years while making $23 million a year.

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I certainly don’t want that to be the case with Posey, but we are definitely facing one of two scenarios heading into next year with our beloved backstop.

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