John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
If Step One is admitting you have a problem, Buster Posey is on to Step Two.
He knows something has to change with his swing. He has a plan for how that swing or approach tweak will unfold. And no, he doesn’t want you to know about it.
“I’ve got an idea” of what, specifically, he will work on in the coming months, Posey said. “I don’t feel like sharing it right now.”
Fair enough.
Posey, who went 1-for-4 in his return to the lineup in the Giants’ 2-0 loss to the Dodgers at Oracle Park on Saturday, is batting .256 with so much of his pop evaporated, just seven home runs on the season and one at home.
For the first time, he’s been in a bit of a timeshare at catcher, with Stephen Vogt behind the plate nearly as much. He admitted Sept. 9 that his confidence is not “at an all-time high.”
Next year Posey will not have Bruce Bochy anymore to plug him in at the top of the lineup; he batted third Saturday. But next year he also will be coming off a (presumably) rehab-free offseason.
Last August he underwent hip surgery, and while he recovered in time for Opening Day, an optimist would see a chance for a revival given a healthy, clean few months to prepare this winter.
“You hope so. At the same time, you don’t want to make excuses,” said Posey, who’s played 113 games this season. “I don’t ever want to be someone to say, ‘Well, yeah, get a whole offseason, everything will [be fine].’ … I don’t think it’s fair to speculate that if I get a quote-unquote normal offseason, [I’ll hit better]. I mean, I’m hopeful that it’ll make a difference. We’ll see.”
One face of the Giants will be gone after Sunday, and another is trying to survive in an era in which every pitcher throws 95 mph-plus and teenagers seem as likely as 30-somethings to succeed. For now, Posey will rest. Then it’s off to work to fix what’s wrong.
“I think the biggest thing is I’m just going to try to take a little reprieve,” said the 32-year-old catcher, who said he feels “great” right now — at least as “great” as you can feel Sept. 28. “… Take a little mental, physical break, then get back out there.”