SAN FRANCISCO – Buster Posey joined the Giants at training camp on Saturday, but doesn’t rule out the possibility of staying out of the season as the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the county and around the world.
While Posey did not indicate such an opt-out option is likely, he said in a video conference Saturday that he considered such a move before his arrival and will continue to evaluate the safety of playing.
“I’ve thought about it and talked to my wife quite a bit,” Posey said. “I think there are still some reservations on my part. I think I want to see how things progress here in the next two weeks. ”
“I think you would be a bit naive or foolish not to evaluate what is happening around you, not only here, but paying attention to what is happening in different parts of the country. [It’s] obviously unprecedented times right now. ”
To date, there have been five players on the MLB rosters who have chosen to exit the season, Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross of the Nationals, Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond and David Price. from the Dodgers. The Los Angeles starting pitcher and former Cy Young Award winner announced his decision Saturday afternoon.
“I would be surprised if you ask any player, if they gave you a hard line, ‘No way, I am not going to choose not to respond,'” Posey said.
Buster and I chatted today. We had a good conversation, ”said Giants manager Gabe Kapler. “He gives a great example of speaking openly about his position on things. This is a very personal decision and whatever Buster decides to do, I and the organization are going to support him. ”
Posey caught live batting practice on Saturday, highlighting the fact that he is in close proximity to umpires and hitters, making him the only player on the baseball diamond who is not naturally socially estranged.
“To a certain extent, you have to rely on some of the evidence,” Posey said. “Obviously it won’t be bulletproof, but I do know that medical personnel are taking extreme measures to make sure men get tested every other day.”
[You] I understand that there is some inherent risk involved there. But … I don’t know what you would do from the receiver’s point of view other than wearing a mask while you’re shooting and me, I’m not sure how realistic that is. ”Posey said Saturday that he remained in the Bay Area during the break during the baseball break and praised the way California’s political leadership handled the pandemic. He also said that no one in his family has contracted COVID-19 to date. His absence from the Giants’ first day of camping was a family affair.
“Everything is fine,” he said.
One of the pitchers Posey caught Saturday in live batting practice was Logan Webb. The Giants catcher called the pitchers’ performance “electric” and that it was a “tick or two” above where he was in spring training.
Kapler also realized Webb’s stuff and how he fits into the Giants’ rotation.
“We are looking to put it in a massive ticket handling category for us,” Kapler said. “As always, nothing is set in stone and we are going to see how things unfold as we go through the modified camp, but we see it on paper so we can take several entries.” We will try to build it as much as possible. ”
That could be a big change for Webb, who as a 23-year-old pitcher, could have faced an innings limit in a 162-game season.
Webb, who has some of the best “stuff” in the Giants’ system, posted a 5.22 ERA in his first eight Major League starts last year, but advanced metrics indicated better performance.
As for who else could join Webb as a “bulk ticket” launcher:
“I think it’s a little premature to start comparing and contrasting,” Kapler said of the Giants’ pitchers. “There are not five, six or four [starters]. We need to see how fast we can build these guys. Chances are we don’t have many, if any, pitchers accumulated by more than three or more than three [innings].
“There just isn’t enough time on the calendar.”
.
