2020 Giants season preview: Catcher Buster Posey

Can longtime face of the franchise Buster Posey turn in a bounce-back season for the San Francisco Giants after a disappointing 2019 campaign?

Despite coming off a career-worst year offensively, we all know who will be the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants to start the 2020 season. Buster Posey is still the face of the franchise, and now he has something to prove as he moves into the later stages of his career.

Last season, Posey hit .257/.320/.368 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Coming off hip surgery during the 2018 offseason, the possibility of a drop-off in production always seemed possible. The question now is whether he can regain some of his old excellence.

With top prospect Joey Bart knocking on the door, perhaps Posey will have some added motivation to prove that a changing of the guard is premature.

Posey’s role will not change much from last season. He will again be the starting catcher, while also making quite a few starts at first base, depending on who’s hot and who’s pitching for the opposition.

After he was unable to play the entirety of both 2018 and 2019 due to injuries, the big question will be whether the soon-to-be 33-year-old can stay on the field in 2020.

If Posey stays healthy and is not having to change his swing to compensate for injury, then we could definitely see a slight resurgence in 2020.

The consistent power from his younger days is likely gone for good, but he can still be an incredibly valuable player who hits for average in the middle of the lineup.

I predict that Posey will hit somewhere in the .280 range with double-digit home runs and 70 RBI. If he stays on the field, he is just too good of a natural hitter not to eventually figure things out at the plate.

Plus, with the return of Hunter Pence whose reworked swing earned him a spot in the 2019 All-Star Game, maybe Posey can pick up a few tips to help him out at the plate.

In all, I expect a much better year from Posey than 2019. And if he can deliver a solid season, then it would go a long way toward improving his path to the Hall of Fame someday.