One of the Great Catchers Of This Generation Calls It A Career

 

He's got 3 World Series rings, an MVP and a Rookie of the Year award; now the San Francisco Giants' face of the franchise, Buster Posey, is going to announce his retirement, as of tomorrow, according to reports. 

BREAKING NEWS: Sources tell The Athletic that Buster Posey will announce his retirement tomorrow. More to come...

— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) November 3, 2021

As a catcher, few across the majors could boast a more successful run over the last decade. But Posey had been starting to slow down in recent years, due to a series of debilitating injuries, and the usual assortment of aches befitting a 34-year-old catcher who's squatted behind the plate for nearly 1,400 career games over 12 seasons. 

But Posey is going out on his own terms, having boosted his average back over .300 this season, while adding 18 home runs, the most he's hit in six years. But Posey will always be known as the rock and team leader of three World Series teams, when the Giants went on their every-other-year run from 2010-2014. He won the MVP in 2012, the second of those championship years. 

Posey is also a 7-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner (2016). 

But injuries really took their toll on Posey. He's had surgeries on his hip, ankle and leg. He's famous (infamous) as the catcher who was demolished by a runner at home plate in 2011, causing the institution of the 'Posey Rule', which prohibits a baserunner from going outside of the baseline to drill a catcher. 

He finishes with a .302 career average, .831 OPS and 158 home runs. 

As for the Giants, they now have an extra $22M in cap space to play with, as free agency begins.

Photo Credit: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports