Buster Posey had a captivating little behavior as a hitter when he questioned an umpire’s name. Posey, who retired final fall after a dozen sterling seasons for the San Francisco Giants, was too well mannered to show and mouth off. He telegraphed his opinion with a gradual, refined motion of his head and, maybe, a pained smile. An umpire attuned to subtext would get the message.
Posey gave respect and received it in return, traits that ought to assist in his new post-career function within the Giants’ possession group. The group will announce Wednesday that Posey, 35, has purchased into the group and can serve on its board of administrators.
“I wish to be considered as, like, pro-baseball,” Posey mentioned this week by cellphone from his dwelling in Georgia. “I’m not pro-player, I’m not pro-owner, I simply love the sport of baseball, and that is one other alternative for me to study extra concerning the recreation, extra concerning the enterprise and actually commit my time to a company in a metropolis that I’ve grown to like.”
Posey joins a gaggle of 30 companions with stakes within the Giants. The group didn’t reveal Posey’s share, however Posey’s slice is nearly actually very small. He earned most of his cash with an eight-year, $159 million contract to shut his profession, and Forbes not too long ago valued the Giants at $3.5 billion, the fifth highest membership valuation in Main League Baseball.
“He’s placing his actual cash in at that prime worth,” mentioned Greg Johnson, the Giants’ chairman, “which I believe exhibits his dedication to the group and his perception in baseball basically.”
Johnson spoke by cellphone from Luxembourg; he’s additionally chairman of Franklin Sources, Inc., the funding administration firm. Johnson scaled again his function there when he grew to become the Giants’ management particular person in November 2019, and discovered early on about Posey’s model of nice-guy honesty.
“We had a really lengthy dialog, and I mentioned among the greater points that have been arising earlier than collective bargaining, to get an understanding of his perspective versus my perspective,” Johnson mentioned. “And we had an excellent and considerate dialogue, and on the finish of it, he type of turned to me and mentioned, ‘, we simply don’t belief you guys.’
“And that was such a telling factor for me, simply exhibiting the belief hole that exists due to the construction in baseball. So I believe having any person there that’s revered by the gamers and a part of our possession group helps shut that hole.”
Posey will not be the one former participant to purchase into his outdated group; the Corridor of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has a stake within the Seattle Mariners. Stars from different sports activities additionally maintain stakes in numerous franchises — Giannis Antetokounmpo along with his Milwaukee Bucks, LeBron James with the Boston Purple Sox, Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas Metropolis Royals.
And whereas Posey brings a former participant’s viewpoint to large-scale possession points, the Giants extremely worth his native perception, too.
“There’s additionally the component of the Giants group,” mentioned Larry Baer, the group’s president and chief government. “We had a magical 12 months in his final season, and we’ve fallen off this 12 months. He can contribute as a thought chief for the Giants.”
Posey opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after he and his spouse, Kristen, adopted new child twin women who have been born prematurely. The 12 months away from baseball refreshed Posey’s physique for his profession capper: his seventh All-Star season, his fifth Silver Slugger award, and a Nationwide League West championship with a club-record 107 victories.
The Giants’ enterprise mannequin is prospering, with a 33 p.c stake in NBC Sports activities Bay Space (the native TV dwelling of the Golden State Warriors) and 50 p.c possession of a residential and retail growth opening subsequent 12 months on the location of an outdated car parking zone throughout McCovey Cove. On the sphere, the Giants had slipped to 70-77 by Monday; amongst different issues, they haven’t discovered a strategy to substitute Posey’s manufacturing.
Posey, who additionally has a set of 11-year-old twins, approached his brokers with the concept to purchase into the Giants after retirement. He needed one thing extra substantial than the everyday ex-player roles — glad-handing sponsors, serving to in spring coaching, calling a couple of video games on tv — and possession appealed as a tangible connection with out a outlined construction.
“This might be a enjoyable function for me to be in,” Posey mentioned. “However not at all do I would like this to be misconstrued that I’m taking over any kind of entrance workplace function. I believe there’s a pure tendency for followers to possibly suppose that I’ll have this distinguished function, and that’s not going to be the case. It’s extra going to be like, ‘Hey, let me know the place I will help and I’ll assist there.’”
Posey is usually a highly effective recruiting voice for potential free brokers, and mentioned he considers Johnson a pal; they commerce concepts about points dealing with the franchise, and the brand new association will amplify Posey’s affect.
“All the board of administrators have been snug bringing him on to the board and taking a very lively function in each facet of the group,” Johnson mentioned. “That’s actually what he needed. He mentioned, ‘I don’t need this to look good in a press launch after which no person hears from Buster once more.’”
Posey’s view may nonetheless have been from behind the plate. He made greater than 100 begins at catcher in his ultimate season, and clearly had the talents so as to add to his profession totals of 1,500 hits and 158 dwelling runs, which helped him end with a .302 common and .831 on-base plus slugging proportion.
Writers might quickly wrestle with Posey’s Corridor of Fame case for Cooperstown: he gained a number of championships and a Most Invaluable Participant Award, however so did the previous Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, who had comparable statistics however by no means got here near election.
No matter occurs, Posey has by no means regretted his determination. He has transitioned from participant to partial proprietor however will all the time be a full-time father, with or with out a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“Clearly will probably be a lifetime honor to be acknowledged that approach,” he mentioned, “but it surely’s additionally going to be fairly cool, if I don’t get in, to inform my children, ‘Hey look, guys, I had a reasonably good shot to get in right here, however you and your mother are extra necessary than any accolade I may ever obtain.’ And that’ll be equally as necessary to me, if no more.”