Leesburg’s Posey debuts with Giants’ rookie team

• Former Lee County and Florida State baseball star records a single in his first at-bat during Arizona Summer League action with the Giants.

Danny Aller

PHOENIX — League change? Uniform change? Scenery change?

Same old Buster Posey.

The former Lee County turned Florida State baseball star — who was selected fifth overall in the 2008 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants after having the best college baseball season of any player in recent memory and subsequently signing for a record $6.2 million — smacked a single in his first-ever at bat with the team’s Arizona Summer League rookie club last Friday night.

Since then, Posey has played a total of three games, batting .308 with four hits, including two doubles.

He’s also scored four runs.

“It takes awhile for a catcher to get his legs under him,” Giants vice president Dick Tidrow told the paper after the first game.

In his debut, Posey batted third and was the designated hitter, where he’ll remain for a few games, according to a report in the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, Calif.

The Giants are 2-1 since Posey joined the team, which has actually played a total of four games, though one of those — Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Angels’ rookie team — was the completion of an Aug. 14 contest that was suspended. The Giants lost that game, 17-7, but Posey didn’t play.

When the Giants played the Angels later that day, Posey went 2-for-4, including belting a line-drive double in the bottom of the eighth inning to start a rally for his team that never reached fruition.

San Francisco went on to lose, 6-4.

The rest of Posey’s schedule for August — the final month of the league — looks like this:

* Aug. 26 vs. AZL Royals, 7 p.m.

* Aug. 27 vs. AZL Brewers, 7 p.m.

* Aug. 28 vs. AZL Mariners, 7 p.m.

* Aug. 29 vs. AZL Padres, 7 p.m.

To follow the remainder of Posey’s games or get up-to-date stats, log on to MILB.com or Herald sports editor Danny Aller’s blog at Albanyherald.com.