A Giant Injury

Both sides of Posey's game will be missed
by the defending champion Giants.

The San Francisco Giants took a major hit, literally, Wednesday night when their young emerging backstop Buster Posey was injured in a brutal home-plate collision. Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins tagged on Emilio Bonifacio's shallow fly ball to right field in the 12th inning, going in hard and colliding at the plate, knocking the ball away from Posey and scoring the go-ahead run in an eventual 7-6 Marlin victory.

    For any baseball fan it was hard to watch as Posey laid on the dirt in excruciating pain, he was later helped off the field. That might be the last time Posey is seen on a baseball field in 2011 after suffering severe injuries to his left leg. The twenty-four-year old catcher was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a broken left leg and torn ligaments in his ankle.

   The broken bone is in the lower part of his left leg and is expected to heal rather quickly, the torn ligaments however, are expected to require surgery and could ultimately have Posey miss the rest of the season.

    Can the Giants, who are currently first place in the National League West, defend their World Series title without their game-caller and clean-up hitter?

    A year ago the Giants did something magical as they assembled a team of misfits and cast offs that no other major league team wanted a part of and went on to won their first World Series since 1954, their first since their move to the West Coast. However, their former first-round pick out of Florida State was the key component to the success of that San Francisco team.

    Before Posey's call-up on May 29th the Giants were 25-22 through the first two months of the season and at the bottom of the standing. After Posey was brought to the big leagues they went 67-48, catching the division leading San Diego Padres the final week of the season and captured their first NL West title since 2003.

    The rookie was rewarded with the 2010 Rookie of the Year edging out Atlanta Braves' Jason Heyward, becoming the first Giant to win the award since pitcher John Montefusco did so in 1975. Posey batted .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs in only 108 games for the Giants during his rookie campaign, taking the baseball world by storm.

    The injury couldn't have come at a worst time, as Posey was in the mist of a thirteen-game hitting streak, raising his average to a respectable .284. Posey had struggled early on as some feared he might be going through the dreaded sophomore slump. Along with his .284 average, the Giants backstop had hit only four home runs and driven in 21 runs through the team's first 48 games. Although his outstanding .368 on-base percentage ranked 15th in the National League.

    The Giants currently ranked in the bottom half of every major offensive category including runs (29th), batting average (23rd), on-base percentage (25th), and slugging percentage (23rd), leaving tough times ahead. That being said it's Posey's leadership behind the dish that the Giants and their pitching staff will truly miss.

    It has been a completely different story on the mound as San Francisco ranks in the top ten in all major pitching categories thanks in large part to Posey's ability to call a game. You rarely see a San Francisco pitcher shake Posey off, which is a testament to the trust they have him their young catcher. His poise and ability to set-up major league hitters at such a young age is truly something to marvel at for the simple fact it just does not happen.

    Posey's defense behind the plate has also slowed opponent's running game, throwing out fifteen would be base stealers, tops in the National League.

Santana has yet to recover fully from his
leg injury suffered last August.

The injury to Posey is the second of its kind in the last nine months, when Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana also suffered a severe leg injury in late August, causing him to miss the final two months of the regular season. Santana also is one of the bright young catchers just starting his career in the major leagues, but it has been a tough road back for the twenty-five-year old. Santana is currently batting .203 with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs still feeling the effects of that broken leg. Although he has found a way to make an impact on the majors best team after hitting a walk-off grand slam earlier in the year for the Indians.

    Most remember another Cleveland catcher that was injured in a similar situation during the 1970 All-Star Game. Then Indians backstop Ray Fosse was on the receiving end of a controversial home-plate collision by Cincinnati Reds' All-Star and all-time hits leader Pete Rose during the Mid-Summer Classic and his career took a turn for the worse.

    Fosse was named to the All-Star team the following year, but never again after that. During his 1970 season Fosse was batting .307, but after the injury he would only hit .300 one more time in his twelve-year career with a minimum of 100 plate appearances.

Fosse was never the same after his
collision with Rose in 1970.

With the recent injuries to Colorado Rockies' left-hander Jorge De La Rosa and now Posey, the NL West is anyones to seize. First basemen Brandon Belt was recalled for his second stint with the parent club this year from AAA-Fresno to replace Posey on the 25-man roster. Eli Whitside, who is a .229 career hitter, will take over the full-time catching duties for Posey.

You have to wonder with the recent injury, if Posey's future is behind the plate in San Francisco.

    Who said baseball was not a contact sport?