The Unbeatable Battery: Posey, Bumgarner Aim For More Playoff Success
The Giants are pretty lucky. They drafted two guys, just a year apart (both top-10 picks in the first round) out of southern schools on the east coast. Little did they know Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey would become what they are today.
That's not to say the Giants front office and scouts didn't think highly of them out of the draft, they were pleased with their picks, but it would take some time to see how they develop in the Giants farms system. After all, the team was still getting used to the fact that Barry Bonds was gone and Barry Zito was the disappointing "ace" of the starting rotation.
Cut to 2010, amid a division title race with the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres. Posey was brought up mid season in June to take over the role from Bengie Molina and Bumgarner was given his chance around the same time when Todd Wellenmeyer fell with an injury. Since then, the dynamic duo has become the most successful battery in Giants history. In fact, you'd have to go back to 1888 for the last battery with this much talent with perhaps Buck Ewing and Tim Keefe. Even then, Posey and Bumgarner still have them beat.
In the past seven years, the two have won three World Series championships, numerous postseason and regular season accolades as well as put their names down in the record books for some of the most dominant baseball in postseason history.
This season has been no different. Bumgarner, who played in his third all star game before turning 26, has been the backbone of the starting rotation this season. Tim Lincecum has been shaky and/or hurt, Matt Cain has also been hurt/mediocre, Tim Hudson has ran out of gas, Ryan Vogelsong and Jake Peavy have been inconsistent and Chris Heston is still a rookie refining his pitching. Bumgarner has been the constant leader.
A large part of his success is the man calling his pitches in the squat, Posey. He has caught every pitch Bumgarner has thrown this season all the while hitting his way into another MVP conversation. With 16 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .332 batting average - he is clearly the best catcher in the league offensively. Defensively, his 1.8 dWAR leads all catchers in the league as well.
With the final two months of the regular season remaining and many games to be played, Bumgarner and Posey are hoping to continue their success into another deep postseason run in October. They will be pushing hard grinding out wins for the remainder of the season, playing catch up to the Dodgers and/or Cubs for a playoff spot.
If there's one thing the MLB has learned in the last six seasons, it's that once you let the Giants into the postseason, you better bring your best baseball if you want any chance of winning it all.
