San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, whose rise to the majors during his first full pro season included a 35-game stop with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, has been named the winner of the 50th annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year.
Posey, 22, is the first player in Fresno franchise history to be given the Spink Award. Past winners include Derek Jeter (1994), Johnny Damon (1995), Eric Chavez (1999) and Josh Beckett (2001). Posey hit .321 with five home runs and 22 RBIs for the Grizzlies after a July 14 promotion from Class-A San Jose.
Including his time with San Jose, Posey hit .325 with 18 homers, 31 doubles and 80 RBIs, one year after earning the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top college player while at Florida State. He ranked 14th in the minors with a .416 on-base percentage.
The fifth overall selection in the 2008 amateur draft was promoted to San Francisco on Sept. 2 and made his major league debut Sept. 11. His first big league hit came Sept. 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared in seven games with San Francisco, collecting two hits in 17 at-bats.
The Giants sent Posey, ranked the No. 5 prospect in the minors by mlb.com, to the Arizona Fall League for more seasoning. Posey is hitting .205 with five RBIs in 39 at-bats for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
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