Giants consider Lee County native Buster Posey primary catcher in 2021 ahead of top prospect

Despite having a rising young star at the position, the San Francisco Giants expect Lee County native and six-time MLB All-Star Buster Posey to remain their primary catcher for the 2021 season, manager Gabe Kapler said during media interviews Tuesday.

Posey, whose salary for next season is $21.4 million, will be the “primary catcher” and will receive “the lion’s share of the reps,” according to Kapler. The catcher sat out the 2020 MLB season over concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically because he and his wife adopted twins who were born prematurely.

The Giants’ future at catcher looks to be 24-year-old Joey Bart, one of baseball’s top prospects. Bart, a Buford, Ga. native who played at Georgia Tech, played in 33 games with 111 plate appearances in 2020, hitting .233 with no home runs, seven RBIs, five doubles and two triples.

San Francisco selected Bart in the first round — No. 2 overall — of the 2018 draft with the plan that he would eventually replace Posey, also a former first-rounder.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that last year was a struggle for Joey on a number of different levels,” Kapler told ESPN. “We think the development that he had, the development time that he had at the major league level, was really good for him. And we’ll continue to assess his readiness and just think about Buster as a sure-fire lock for our Opening Day roster and the lion’s share of the reps back there.”

Posey, 33, last played in 2019 and didn’t play his best after undergoing hip surgery. He hit .257 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs in 114 games in 2019, well off the typical numbers for a career .302 hitter.

The Giants feel there are more good seasons ahead of Posey, who hit .284 in 2018 and .320 in 2017. His best season remains 2012, when he was the National League MVP after hitting .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBIs. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010, when he hit .305 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs, and has won the Silver Slugger award as the league’s top-hitting catcher four times, most recently in 2017. He also was a Gold Glove winner for his defense in 2016.

Posey also has played first base for the Giants, who could feature both Bart and Posey in the lineup at the same time.

“(Posey) really is in great physical condition,” Kapler told ESPN. “I think everyone will notice when they see him that he’s added some muscle, some usable lean tissue. He’s looking agile and strong and fresh. I think the time off gave him an opportunity to reassess where his body was and he’s taking that opportunity to make improvements, some physical conditioning improvements.”

Posey is near the end of a nine-year, $167 million contract extension that features a $22 million club option for 2022 with a $3 million buyout, according to Spotrac.com.

“It’s kind of difficult to say an exact number of games a week we expect Buster to catch, but obviously everybody on this call knows he’ll be our primary catcher,” Kapler said. “Not just a voice we’ll lean on heavily, but between the lines, we’re gonna utilize his brain and his body to the best of our ability.”