MLB All-Star Game: Buster Posey's strange, stellar season sends him to Miami

SAN FRANCISCO - In some ways this has been just like any other season in Buster Posey’s charmed career.

The San Francisco Giants catcher will play in his fifth All-Star Game on July 11, having garnered by far the most votes at his position in the National League. He remains one of the game’s premier hitters and is widely admired by his peers and opposing managers. His commercials continue to pop up on TV.

The former NL MVP and rookie of the year, a three-time World Series champion, even added to his collection of achievements by helping Team USA claim its first World Baseball Classic title before the season, an experience he raves about.

This hardly qualifies as a normal season for Posey, though, what with the Giants’ stunning decline and his rare brush with criticism stemming from the Bryce Harper-Hunter Strickland incident. Posey has even been seen openly expressing exasperation with a teammate, a nearly unheard-of occurrence for him.

Losing will do that to even the most stoic of players, and for Posey this is an uncommon experience. The 2013 season, when the Giants finished 76-86, is the only other time he remembers playing for a losing team, as a pro or amateur. This year’s club, at 33-51 thanks to a six-game winning streak, could flirt with just the second 100-loss season in San Francisco history.

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“I don’t think there’s any one way to explain it,’’ Posey said of his uncharacteristic displays of frustration. “I’ve always been extremely competitive. Ultimately, that’s what it boils down to. I want to win.’’

He has known little else but success since coming up in the 2010 season and guiding the Giants to their first World Series crown in the San Francisco era, beginning a stretch of three championships in five years for the club.

The Giants were universally expected to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers for NL West supremacy again this year, but instead find themselves trying to stay ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies to avoid having the worst record in the big leagues. They sit in last place in the division, 23 games behind the Dodgers and even two back of the San Diego Padres, who are in rebuilding mode.

A club that stood as a model of a tight-knit unit while making four playoff appearances in seven years has also shown signs of discord.

Twice this year Posey has been caught on camera visibly upset with Brandon Belt, once when the first baseman failed to hold a runner close to the bag and the other time when Belt didn’t score from second on a single.

In late May, Posey was ripped in some quarters for making no attempt to intercept Harper as he charged the mound after Strickland drilled him with a pitch that appeared to be blatantly intentional.

Shortstop Brandon Crawford said the incidents had no impact on Posey’s standing in the clubhouse.

“Nobody had any issue with the Strickland thing. Belt has had no problems with Buster,’’ Crawford said. “The thing between Belt and Buster, that’s emotion, we’re showing emotion. It’s a frustrating time. Stuff like that is going to pop up occasionally.

“If anything, that actually shows how much closer we are as teammates than separated. You talk about a family in this clubhouse. Two brothers fight all the time, and they’re able to show emotion and not get sensitive about it or anything like that, just like those guys did.’’

Pitcher Johnny Cueto, who has a high regard for Posey’s work behind the plate, called him “our horse.’’

Posey said he and his teammates, who last week completed their first series sweep of the year by taking three games from the Colorado Rockies, are determined to make something of the last three months of the season. He recalls the strong finish of the 2013 club, which went 16-11 in September, serving as a launching point for the 2014 championship.

He certainly has been doing his part. Other than having fewer RBI than usual (35), a result of a .254 average with runners in scoring position and the club’s overall lethargic offense, Posey has enjoyed a resurgence at the plate.

Sunday, Posey lifted the Giants out of a stupor with a leadoff double in the seventh inning. A few minutes later, they’d erased a 2-0 deficit on their way to a 5-3 victory, their sixth consecutive.

His on-base plus slugging percentage of .937 not only leads all major league catchers but trails the .957 figure of his MVP year in 2012 by just a few points. And after hitting just 14 home runs in 2016, his fewest in a full season, Posey has 10 to go with a majors-leading .339 batting average and a healthy .521 slugging percentage.

Both represent major improvements from last season, when he batted .288 and slugged .434. Posey said he has changed the focus of his pregame preparation to get more lift on his drives, and remarkably has achieved results without sacrificing plate discipline. He has one fewer walk than strikeouts and is trending toward some of the best percentages of his career in both categories.

“I’m trying to get the ball in the air a little bit more,’’ said Posey, acknowledging he now pays attention to his launch angle. “Whether it’s on the tee or even in batting practice, not necessarily worrying about hitting those line drives but more like getting good backspin to all fields. I feel like that path translates well into the game.’’

After earning his first Gold Glove last season, Posey at 30 again ranks among the league leaders in fewest passed balls (one) and percentage of runners caught stealing (36%), though numbers alone may not accurately measure his value as a receiver.

Just ask Rockies manager Bud Black, who marveled about the Posey laser throws that nailed two Colorado runners attempting to steal late in the Giants’ 4-3, 14-inning victory Tuesday.

“The defense is really solid, and he seems to make those kind of throws when it counts,’’ Black said. “What a mark of a great player.’’

And one who continues to excel amid a turbulent season.

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