He doesn't 'go fishing' for balls out of the strike zone much.
He stays within himself.
And even when fooled, he seems to hit the ball with authority.
He's just a darned good hitter.
That being said, I am preparing for the PreMature Draft and I have a problem with Posey.
He is one of the few catchers who hits in the middle of the lineup, but he is no longer an imposing Posey, as it were.
Posey has gone Joe Mauer on us.
Posey is far down the list of catchers with just 12 homers.
James McCann hit 13!
We could blame Posey's ball park, but it mostly stifles left handed power, not right.
Posey's home run totals have gone from 22, to 19, to 14, to 12.
He has two home runs since the all star game.
If Posey were not a catcher, he would be Mauered.
Fun fact... Joe Mauer also has hit two home runs since the all star break.
Posey's batting average (.313), his placement in the lineup, and his past history of consistency will again place him among the top catchers for next year.
Should it?
JT Realmuto hit .276 this year and beat Posey (tied in rbi, 64) in every other roto category.
Same with Yadier Molina.
That is alarming.
Realmuto is considered a good hitter, but never in Posey's class.
Posey will be one of three catchers finishing with 500 at bats.
A good thing for his owners batting average.
At the same time, future owners are thinking '500 at bats, only 12 homers?'
In just 350 at bats, McCann and Yan Gomes will have more homers.
We have the inner tussle of the Posey of the past vs. recency bias.
And on top of that, Posey will be 31 next year, no longer the spring chicken. He goes to a Summer-Fall hen.
We also have the average vs. power struggle.
Batting average is hard to find among catchers. Posey is da man for batting average.
Power-wise, while everybody else is hitting more homers, Posey is hitting less.
What comes first, the power egg or the batting average hen?
So, what do we do as drafters?
For my part, Posey becomes an option based on the first few players drafted.
If drafting Arenado, Encarnacion, and Nelson Cruz with the first three picks, Posey becomes an option at a later round.
The roster construction would be a fit for Posey.
If drafting Altuve, Bumgarner, and Abreu with the first three picks, Posey becomes less tasty in that power overcomes the need for batting average.
Posey's past performance, notoriety, and placement in the lineup has made him a permanent fixture as the first catcher off the board in NFBC drafts.
I believe that streak ends this year.
There are many catchers with better numbers.
They are both more powerful and more youthful than Posey.
It'll be interesting to see where Posey goes in early drafts, especially the PreMature League.
If hazarding a guess, I believe he will be the third catcher drafted and that he will be selected in the fifth round.
I'll let you know how that guess turns out when/if we ever get started.
