Giants: Was Buster Posey the best catcher of the 2010s?

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 03: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Seattle Mariners at AT&T Park on April 3, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Homegrown superstar Buster Posey has been one of the faces of the San Francisco Giants for the past decade. Was he the best catcher in baseball during the 2010s?

The San Francisco Giants selected Buster Posey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2008 MLB draft after a standout collegiate career at Florida State University.

Immediately pegged as one of the top prospects in baseball, he made his MLB debut the following year, going 2-for-17 in a brief September audition.

Veteran Bengie Molina was re-signed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal prior to the 2010 season to serve as a stopgap until Posey was deemed ready.

That moment came on May 29, 2011, when Posey was called up for good and handed the starting gig. By midseason, Molina had been traded to the Texas Rangers, and there was no question the job belonged to the rising star.

He went on to hit .305/.357/.505 with 23 doubles and 18 home runs to win NL Rookie of the Year honors, eventually helping lead the team to a World Series title.

That proved to be just the start for Posey, who quickly emerged as one of the game’s true superstars.

Over the past decade, he was a six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger winner and he took home NL MVP honors in 2012 when he hit .336/.408/.549 with 39 doubles, 24 home runs and 103 RBI in a 7.6 WAR season.

Add to that the fact that he also won three World Series titles during that span, and you have quite the resume.

So while there’s no question Posey has a full trophy room, is that enough to call him the best catcher of the decade?

Ahead we’ve assembled our list of the 20 best catchers of the 2010s, based on a collection of individual statistics, advanced metrics and each player’s importance to his team’s success during the course of the decade.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 23: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the eighth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 23, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 3-2 in 10 innings. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Without further ado, here’s my take on the best catchers of the 2010s.

Note: In order to be eligible for inclusion, a player needed to appear in at least 500 games during the decade, which notably excluded Willson Contreras (436 G) and Gary Sanchez (372 G).

1. Buster Posey
2. Yadier Molina
3. Salvador Perez
4. Russell Martin
5. Brian McCann
6. Jonathan Lucroy
7. Carlos Ruiz
8. Matt Wieters
9. Yasmani Grandal
10. J.T. Realmuto
11. Wilson Ramos
12. Alex Avila
13. Miguel Montero
14. Yan Gomes
15. Francisco Cervelli
16. Kurt Suzuki
17. Jason Castro
18. Robinson Chirinos
19. Welington Castillo
20. Chris Iannetta

By a wide margin, Posey (42.2) led the position in WAR during the decade, with only Molina (31.9), Martin (23.9) and Perez (22.3) also eclipsing the 20 WAR mark.

Posey was also the positional leader in hits (1,378), RBI (673) and runs scored (594), while posting a stellar .302/.371/.458 batting line. He was never a truly elite power threat, but his 140 home runs were also good for fifth among catchers.

On the defensive side of things, Posey may have been a tick behind Molina and Perez, but he was a standout backstop in his own right and a Gold Glove winner.

All of that makes Buster Posey the best catcher of the 2010s and one of the true superstars of the decade.

Next. 3 power hitters to target in free agency

Stay tuned as we break down where each San Francisco Giants staple during the decade ranked among his positional peers. Up next, Brandon Belt and the first basemen.

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