Since becoming the Giants' everyday catcher in 2010, Buster Posey has only batted under .300 twice. And one of those times was in 2011, when Posey was limited to only 45 games due to a fractured left fibula and tearing of multiple ankle ligaments.
Posey is a lifetime .310 hitter, and batted .318 in 150 games last season.
RotoWorld took a look at projections for Posey's batting average in 2016.
Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
2015: .318
Composite Projection: .308
If you take away the 17 at-bats he logged as a September call-up in 2009 and his injury depleted 2011 campaign, Posey has only had one healthy season where he hit below .300. That came in 2013 when he missed the mark by just six percentage points. Maybe he was still fatigued from 2012 when he logged 60 postseason at-bats en route to winning his second World Series in three years. Posey might not be the flashiest fantasy choice with just two 20-homer seasons, but man is he consistent.
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Posey is getting older (he turns 29 next month) but there’s no reason to think 2016 will be the year he slows down. The Giants have done a very wise thing by limiting his exposure behind the plate.
Last year Posey logged a career-high 37 starts at first base. The less time Posey spends at catcher, the fresher he’ll be when he steps into the batter’s box.
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Posey had one fluky year in 2012 when his BABIP was up around .370 but that’s evened out over the last few seasons (.312, .319 and .320 respectively). Posey’s .318 average last year was his highest since 2012. His improved contact rate may have played a role in that. Posey connected on 88.2 percent of his swings last year, which was easily a career-high. .308 is an aggressive projection but if 2015 was any indication, I think Posey is still getting better. That’s a scary thought for teams competing in the NL West.
Prediction: Over
