Keeping Buster Posey fresh key for Giants in 2017

SAN FRANCISCO - Of all the words in the dictionary, these are the five that most warm the hearts of baseball fans: “Pitchers and catchers report Tuesday.”

The Giants' attempt to recapture the World Series trophy begins this week in Scottsdale, Arizona (the A's start a day later in Phoenix), with the first spring training game slated for Feb. 24. As usual, one man squats in the center of everything for San Francisco - Buster Posey, the Giants' starting catcher, likely cleanup hitter and unofficial franchise face.

“He's one of our leaders, our core players. And those are the guys you lean on, depend on, both on the field and in the clubhouse,” manager Bruce Bochy said Friday in a media warmup for Saturday's FanFest at AT&T Park. “We had three championships with him behind the plate and handling this staff. So he plays a critical role.”

There is no questioning Posey's importance to the Giants. But as the team regroups from a 2016 season that included a prolonged second-half stumble and an unheard-of (under Bochy's reign, anyway) playoff exit, even the catcher bears a question mark. What, exactly, happened to Buster Posey last year?

It's not like he disappeared in 2016. Far from it. Posey led the Giants in hits (155) and runs (82), and logged a highly respectable batting average, on-base percentage and OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .288/.362/.796.

But Posey simply didn't have the pop we're accustomed to seeing. His 14 home runs were a career low (excluding his injury-shortened season in 2011), and his 80 RBIs were not MVP-quality, which is the bar Posey set when he won the National League award in 2012.

More to the point, Posey's power numbers declined as the season progressed. His slugging percentage went from .462 in July to .407 in August to .363 in September/October.

He hit his 12th home run against the Padres on July 16, the Giants' second game after the All-Star break, then went deep exactly twice over his final 69 games, including five in the postseason.

Embedded in there somewhere was a stretch of 49 consecutive games without a dinger. San Francisco went 20-29 in those games.

Fair or not, it's hard to imagine the Giants contending for a title this season if Posey goes 49 games without a home run.

“I don't know. I don't know exactly what the explanation was,” Posey said Friday, appearing genuinely perplexed. “Looking forward to getting out and getting after it this year.”

Bochy suggested that opposing pitchers were “being careful with him” down the stretch last season. Posey, citing an analytics piece that someone showed him, noted that his hard-hit rate remained as high as ever.

“So if I look at that, that tells me that I was probably hitting too many balls on the ground,” Posey said. “Maybe that could be something mechanical. More than likely it probably is. So hopefully there's an adjustment I can make where I can keep that consistent hard-contact rate, but maybe get a few more balls in the gap or better.”

All of that makes sense. But among those who have watched Posey closely over his seven MLB seasons, another theory emerged in 2016. The guy looked increasingly tired as he logged 122 games behind the plate, the most of his career.

Bochy downplayed the notion. “I mean, everybody gets a little worn down,” he said. “There's 162 games, so that's part of the territory as far as playing Major League Baseball.”

But Posey's role as catcher has been a topic of discussion in the organization ever since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010, the first of the Giants' three recent championship years.

Catchers are subject to catastrophic collisions at the plate, as we saw in 2011 when Posey's season was ended by the Marlins' Scott Cousins. And they suffer more everyday wear and tear than other players.

“It's a physically challenging position, so you have to be strategic about how much you ask of him,” said Bobby Evans, the Giants general manager. “ … You're always managing it.”

As adept as Posey has gotten at handling pitchers, a batter of his worth might typically make a move to first base at this point of his career. But the Giants have a dilemma. Their regular first baseman, Brandon Belt, is a superb fielder and an improved hitter who established a number of career highs last year, including RBIs (82) and OPS (.868).

“Buster's bat in the lineup is so important that we always want to try and find a way to keep him out there,” Evans said. “At the same time, I don't see Belt as needing a ton of off days.”

If Posey isn't likely to show up more at first base or as a designated hitter at American League stadiums, he may simply be in store for more days off in 2017. Evans said the signing of veteran catcher Nick Hundley should help in that regard. Bochy confirmed he's looking for opportunities to rest Posey.

“Now, I don't want this be a big thing; you know, headlines: ‘Buster's not gonna play as much.' I'd just like to pick my spots a little bit more,” Bochy said. “And there were times when I wanted to give him a break last year, but we didn't have that luxury because somebody was sick or somebody was hurt.”

Posey, who will turn 30 in late March, said his training regimen during the season hasn't changed much since his rookie year.

“I try to get a lift in once a series, a couple times a week,” he said. “And again, it's something that I'll probably look at and try to decide what's gonna work best for me going forward. Just like everything else, the sports-science world's constantly evolving and there's the latest and greatest thing you should do to be more fresh and ready to go, so I'll try to pay attention to all of that.”

Posey did acknowledge one change to his well-being. He credited his wife, Kristen, with improving his diet - specifically, with getting him focused on raw foods, which shows just how long the Georgia native has lived in California.

“We're still gonna eat our grains,” Posey said. “We're not against the carbs that way. But just trying to eat as raw as possible.”

Posey might be more vital than ever for the Giants this year. Besides filling a key slot in Bochy's lineup card, he will play a big role in grooming the team's revamped bullpen. Three core members of San Francisco's World Series teams - Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez - all departed during the offseason, making way for newcomers like closer Mark Melancon.

Relief pitching went from team strength to Achilles' heel for the Giants last year. If their pen can return to form, this team could be among the best in the National League. Just as helpful would be a bounce-back year by Posey.

As for the malaise that led to reduced power numbers for the catcher last year, Posey thinks it might have gone in the other direction.

“You feel worn down at the end of every year, regardless if you have power numbers or not,” he said. “Usually you feel a little bit better if you are hitting a few more homers. Just the way it goes.”

You can reach staff writer Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.