Posey preaches memory making, accountability in new Giants role

SAN FRANCISCO -- Within the first 90 seconds of his initial address to the media and fans, president of baseball operations Buster Posey had mentioned just about all of the most important players in Giants history.

There was Mays, McCovey and Marichal, but also Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner. Posey talked passionately about how he could sit at a table with Hall of Famers in spring training and then take the field and see Barry Bonds or Will Clark. After three disappointing seasons and a tumultuous end for the previous regime, one of the best players to ever wear orange and black sat behind a podium and played the hits. 

"What those guys ultimately meant to the San Francisco Giants fan base and community was memories," Posey said. "All of us that are lucky enough to be involved in baseball in whatever capacity, I think we understand that not only is it the greatest game in the world, but we're in the memory-making business. It's ultimately entertainment. 

"It's an opportunity for grandparents and parents to share memories with friends, it's an opportunity for strangers sitting out in the bleachers to share a great memory that happens in the ballpark and can be talked about from that time on for the rest of their life."

The new man in charge did more memory making than just about anyone in franchise history. Whether replicating that as an executive truly is his main goal doesn't really matter at the moment. The Giants, for lack of a better phrase, have felt somewhat broken. They needed a day like Tuesday, one that could bring a fan base and organization back together.

Posey was the perfect man for that specific job, and he has given the organization a bit of an unexpected honeymoon phase.

There are fans that want the Giants to fire their hitting coaches, but who better to trust with that decision than a man who actually played with Pat Burrell and took instruction from Justin Viele? In a few weeks, Blake Snell will opt out of his contract and the Giants will have to decide how fervently to pursue a reunion. The man making that decision will be the only president of baseball operations to actually hit a homer off of Snell. Posey's preferences in any Juan Soto decision likely will be shaped in part by his memories of how hard it was to call the right pitch against Soto from 2018-21.

The Giants won't feel the need to sit back this offseason, but there also is less pressure than there would have been on Farhan Zaidi, who committed about $400 million last offseason in an ill-fated attempt to reach the MLB playoffs. Posey won't think of it that way, though.

He could have taken on a different role, one with nearly as much power on big-picture decisions but without the title and day-to-day responsibilities. As a member of ownership -- and as Buster Posey, really -- that wouldn't have been hard to do. But Posey made it clear to chairman Greg Johnson that he wanted the accountability that comes with being the man at the top of the ticket. 

"When somebody like Buster asks for the ball," manager Bob Melvin said, "You give it to him."

"When somebody like Buster asks for the ball, you give it to him."

Melvin is eager to work with Posey in his new role 🤝 pic.twitter.com/oZiG6hbZZ5

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) October 1, 2024

Johnson always hoped it would happen, but he thought it would take a few more years. Since the moment Posey joined the organization's board of directors it has been clear that he one day would hold greater influence, but Johnson was surprised when Posey expressed interest recently in leading baseball operations. It came at a crucial time for an ownership group that was trying to decide whether to give Zaidi one more year. 

"I think that probably increased the probability of us obviously making a change, then, that we had that," Johnson told NBC Sports Bay Area of Posey's interest. "If we had to open it up to a search, who knows what would have happened."

If there was a moment when it all clicked for Posey, he didn't divulge it Tuesday. There was no one loss or play that stood out and made him realize he needed to take over. There seemed to just be a general displeasure with a lot of what he was seeing. 

The last few years haven't approached the standard that Posey grew used to as a player, and he said several times Tuesday that the bar needs to be raised. Johnson mentioned "getting bunts down, not holding runners and making errors on the base paths."

It was the little things. For three years, fans have complained that the team is hard to watch. Posey and Johnson seem to agree. 

"Those are all things that I think we can clean up and push a little harder than we have been," Johnson said. 

For Posey, it all comes down to accountability. That was his other theme Tuesday, one that ultimately will be much more important than memory making. There will be a firm chain of command, similar to what was in place when it was Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy and coaches and players who won three World Series titles. 

Posey talked of how important it is for everyone behind the scenes to do everything in their power to make sure players are in a position to succeed. He noted that the Giants seemed to lack the proper preparation, and he already has started the process of taking a deep dive into the staff, not just the coaches, but everyone in the clubhouse. At some point in the coming weeks, some team employees might be asked some version of a simple question: What do you do here to help the San Francisco Giants win?

Posey also made it clear that accountability extends to the field. If you didn't hold runners in 2024, well, you'd better practice this offseason. If you constantly threw to the wrong bases, start figuring it out. If you occasionally gave away at-bats, know that it will no longer fly. 

"We want guys to be accountable for their own careers," Posey said. 

That's a line that has been used by other executives, but Posey brings a unique perspective. How many front office employees can walk into a pitcher's meeting and explain how they held even Madison Bumgarner to a high standard? Posey said he'll never forget how hard the game is, but that's also not an excuse.

"I did go through that, right? I get that it's hard, but here is our standard and here's our expectation, so now it's like, what do we have to look at?" Posey said. "Do we need to look at the process? Were you unprepared for that moment, or was it just, hey, the guy on the mound got the better of you this time, or vice versa. You take all of those things into account, but I am hopeful that a big part of this is for every player to understand that when you put on this uniform, hey, congratulations, you made it to the big leagues, but now you're playing for something that's bigger than yourself.

"Of course you're playing for yourself, of course you're playing for your family, but again, the impact and the possible impact that you get to make on a city is what's really special."

Posey rode in a parade at the end of his first full season. He did it again two years later, and again two years after that. He takes over without much experience in baseball operations, but he promised on Tuesday that he would listen, and that he would surround himself with the right people. 

This is a plan that has been bouncing around his head for years. This week, it became a reality, sooner than anyone could have expected, but also just in time for an organization that felt it was time for a new direction. 

"I probably, if I'm being honest with myself, always thought this would be something fun to do," Posey told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I didn't necessarily think it would be right now, but again, sometimes when you have opportunities they don't come at the time that you think they're going to come. 

"Honestly, I wish we were sitting here talking about the team being in the playoffs right now instead of me being in this role. Hopefully that's a conversation we can have in the future." 

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