The San Francisco Giants were ready to welcome back their star catcher Buster Posey for the 2022 MLB season and beyond. Still, that wasn’t enough to convince the 34-year-old All-Star to continue playing baseball.
Posey officially announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference on Thursday. He cited his wish to spend more time with his family and the physical efforts needed to play at a high level as reasons for his decision.
“It was getting to the point that things that I was enjoying were not as joyful anymore,” Posey said while adding that he intends to remain part of the Giants in some capacity.
After deciding to sit out the 2020 shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic, Posey returned to action with a stellar campaign in 2021 that saw him hit 18 homers. He also posted a .304 batting average and added 56 RBIs en route to his seventh career All-Star appearance.
Shortly after the Giants’ season ended, the team’s president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told the media that the organization intends to pick up their option to extend Posey’s contract for 2022. Several reports indicated that San Francisco was also willing to offer him a new deal that would tie him with the franchise for a few more years.
Buster Posey spent his entire MLB career with the San Francisco Giants, and helped the franchise win three World Series titles. He put together a Hall of Fame-worthy resume in the process, winning a number of individual accolades, including the NL Rookie of the Year Award, NL MVP Award in 2011, and four Silver Slugger Awards. Posey retires with a .302 batting average, 158 home runs, and 729 RBIs.
