Buster Posey calmer during his 1st opening day as Giants' president of baseball operations
CINCINNATI (AP) — Buster Posey experienced his share of nervous energy before his 10 opening day starts as the San Francisco Giants' catcher.
Posey admitted before the Giants faced the Cincinnati Reds that he has a sense of calm as he goes into his first season calling the shots as president of baseball operations.
'I don't have near the butterflies I had as a player,' said Posey, who turned 38 on Thursday. 'I was telling BoMel (manager Bob Melvin) just a minute ago that I'll probably go up to the booth pretty early and just take in the pageantry of opening day. I never did that as a player because I was hyper-focused on the game.'
Posey retired after the 2021 season before joining Giants ownership in 2022 as the 31st principal partner in the franchise's ownership group and a member of the six-person board of directors.
He was named president of baseball operations last September after Farhan Zaidi was fired following six seasons in charge.
While Posey generally knew what the plan would be each day as a player, he acknowledged that things in the executive role sometimes won't be that clear.
'I think each day is going to present something new,' Posey said. 'In comparing this role to a player's role, each day as a player I pretty much had it mapped out in my head what was going to happen. In this role, I think you have an idea, but most of the time you don't.'
Even though he has been on the job less than six months, Posey has made his mark on and off the field. Posey and general manager Zack Minasian signed infielder Willy Adames and right-hander Justin Verlander during the offseason.
Eight players are on an opening day major league roster for the first time, including Heliot Ramos, who became the 19th different left fielder in a row to start the Giants' first game. The streak ties the record for any position held by the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles, who also started a different left fielder in every opener from 1937-55.
Posey is hoping to see Ramos become entrenched in left field, something the Giants haven't had in that position since Barry Bonds retired.
'I'd love to see it for, like, 10 years or more,' Posey said about Ramos starting a streak of his own.
Among other changes, Posey is having a trophy case built across from Melvin's office to hold the team's World Series trophies from 2010, '12 and '14.
During San Francisco's run to the 2012 title, Posey delivered one of the more memorable hits of his career with a grand slam against the Reds during the fifth inning of the fifth and deciding game of their National League Division Series.
The Giants have finished under .500 the last two seasons, but went an MLB-best 21-6-4 during spring training.
'I thought it was a great spring. The way I would sum it up is, it was just a lot of clean, crisp baseball. There's some moments in there that are teaching moments, but overall, though, it was a good spring,' Posey said.
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