Buster Posey 8/26 and 8/27 observations

August 31, 2009

I've had a chance to see Buster Posey play in Triple-A, High-A and Minor League Spring Training this year. I hadn't really seen him have a bad at-bat before last week.

The footage below was taken on August 26 and 27. It includes two Posey strikeouts -- the first at-bat of the video is an ugly K -- three ground outs, a flyout, a popup and two singles.

As expected, Posey wasn't controlling Triple-A at-bats nearly as well as he was able to in High-A. He's still gotten off to a great start in Triple-A -- numbers are pretty similar to High-A thanks to a hot start in August.

The key at-bat that I saw last week was when Posey faced Henry Alberto Rodriguez. Rodriguez was powering his fastball in the high-90s (96-99). Posey quickly adjusted to the flamethrower by shortening his leg kick. Posey ended up popping up, but he wasn't overmatched by one of the livest arms in the world. That's a pretty good sign.

Posey also looks decent on defense. Though he made two errant throws and had a passed ball in one of the games I watched last week, he hasn't made many defensive mistakes when I've seen him this year. He looks comfortable behind the plate. His arm is solid. And he moves fairly well.

I don't expect Posey to be an above-average defender, but he should be average. Combine that defensive value with a bat that should be well-above-average for a catcher and you have a very elite prospect.

 

Discuss this footage in our Video and Scouting forum.