The NL Rookie Of The Year Award Seems More Likely For Buster Posey

The NL Rookie of the Year Award Seems More Likely for Buster Posey

No National League rookie has ever won the batting title and San Francisco Giants rookie, Buster Posey, will not be the first.  After a storied collegiate career at Florida State and a meteoric rise through the minors making his MLB debut on May 29th, Posey has torched major league pitchers for a .339 batting average, but he doesn’t have the 502 plate appearances needed to qualify.  Even if he plays every game for the rest of the season, Posey would be on pace to fall just short of that mark.  So the batting title is Joey Votto’s to lose, who currently holds a .323 avg. heading into today, but Albert Pujols is nipping at his heels with a .322 avg. as well.  Ichiro Suzuki was the last rookie to win a batting title when he hit .350 in ’01.  Posey might not win the batting title this year but he has a great shot at the NL Rookie of the Year Award, for which he remains a strong candidate to win it.Buster Posey joined the Team 1270 in Tallahassee to talk about whether he envisioned that he would be playing at an All-Star level like he is this early in his career, whether he found it easy to deal with all of the personalities in the Giants clubhouse, and who the toughest pitcher he has faced so far has been to get a read on and deal with as a hitter.

Whether he envisioned that he would be playing at an All-Star level like he is this early in his career:

“You know I don’t know.  I have had that question a lot.  I guess I just, I try not to focus too far ahead and focus on what is just going on now and what I can do to get better each day.  It is just a matter of making sure you prepare as best as you can in the offseason and each day when you get to the ballpark.  When the games come around you hope that you have prepared enough to be successful.”

How he has been able to deal with the egos of the umpires, hitters and pitchers and whether it has been hard to adjust to at times:

“I wouldn’t say that it is tough.  Anything in life I think you are going to have to deal with people and it is just a matter of on a daily basis you are making adjustments all the time, just one of the many adjustments you make.”

Whether he found it easy to deal with all of the personalities in the Giants clubhouse:

“Oh, definitely, easy, easy.  I get along great with everybody in here.  The chemistry of this clubhouse has been great the whole time I have been here.  I think you need guys like that.  You need guys that, you don’t want everybody to be the same.  You want guys to be a little more eccentric and keep everybody loose and what not, so it is a good mix.”
Whether it is easier to be in the big leagues vs. the minors on the basis that a big league clubhouse is a close group of

guys that care about each other:

“I think that is fair to say.  Unfortunately that is the way minor league ball is.  Nobody cares if you win in the minor league championship in anything; your goal is to get to the major leagues.  When you get to the major leagues that does change a little bit.  Guys are pulling together and trying to get another win and that is the way baseball should be played.”

Whether it was a shock to prepare his mind and body for the grind of a whole season:

“It is different no doubt about it.  I think the main things is for me is to have a routine where I get enough sleep.  Sleep is important.  Whether we are flying to the east coast or what not that means I sleep ‘til 12 eastern time.  I might not be going to bed late because my body is off whack.  I think it is just important to get a consistent amount of sleep so you feel the same each day.”

Who the toughest pitcher he has faced so far has been to get a read on and deal with as a hitter:

“Josh Johnson is probably up there.  It seems like he is about 8 feet tall throwing 98 right on top of you.  Another tough one is Ubaldo Jimenez with the Rockies.  He is another big guy who throws the upper-90’s with movement.  It is hard to believe that guy can throw 97-98 and the ball can still have time to move but it can.”

How many pitches he needs to see from an elite major league pitcher before he feels comfortable and give a good swing:

“With guys like that you are never going to feel good.  You are just going to have to battle through those days.  Hopefully you will get a mistake and if you do get a mistake you have got to get it because if you do miss it you are pretty much done.  It is one of those things you might get a little bit more comfortable before you face them but it is just a constant adjustment, constant battle.”