Bruce Bochy
Bochy with the Giants in April 2011
San Francisco Giants – No. 15
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1955-04-16) April 16, 1955 (age 57) Landes de Boussac, France
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 19, 1978 for the Houston Astros
Last MLB appearance
October 4, 1987 for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics (through May 30, 2012)
Batting average	.239
Home runs	26
Runs batted in	93
Games managed	2,787
Win–loss record	1,387-1,400
Winning %	.498
Teams
As player Houston Astros (1978–1980) New York Mets (1982) San Diego Padres (1983–1987) As manager San Diego Padres (1995–2006) San Francisco Giants (2007–present)
Career highlights and awards
1996 NL Manager of the Year World Series champion (2010)

Bruce Douglas Bochy (pronounced /ˈboʊtʃi/; born April 16, 1955, in Landes de Boussac, France) is the manager of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to joining the Giants, Bochy had been the manager of the San Diego Padres for twelve seasons. Bochy is the only former Padres player to serve as the team's manager. He has participated in all five postseason appearances in Padres history, as a backup catcher in 1984 and as their manager in 1996, 1998, 2005, and 2006. In 1998, he led the Padres to their first National League pennant in 14 years, where they lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series. He reached the World Series for a second time in 2010, this time in a winning effort, and brought the first ever World Series Championship home to the city of San Francisco and the first for the Giants since 1954. He is both the first foreign-born manager^{[citation needed]} to reach the World Series (1998) and the first European-born manager^{[citation needed]} to win the World Series (2010).

Early life[link]

Bochy is one of just eight Major Leaguers to be born in France, where his father was stationed as a U.S. Army officer at the time. However, Bochy grew up in Virginia and in Melbourne, Florida. He graduated from Melbourne High School in 1973^{[citation needed]} where he was baseball teammates with Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live fame.^{[citation needed]} He attended Florida State University, and Brevard Community College.^{[citation needed]} Bochy was then drafted in the first round (24th overall) by the Houston Astros in the 1975 Supplemental Draft.

Playing career[link]

As a catcher, Bochy played with the Houston Astros (1978–80), New York Mets (1982) and San Diego Padres (1983–87). In 802 career at-bats, he hit .239 with 26 home runs. He was the backup to Terry Kennedy when the Padres won their first NL pennant in 1984, and played in one game in the 1984 World Series, which the Padres lost in five games to the Detroit Tigers. Bochy was behind the plate on September 11, 1985, when Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds collected his record-breaking 4,192nd major league hit off Padres pitcher Eric Show.

Managing career[link]

Bochy ejected from game, 2007

In 1996, Bochy was named the NL Manager of the Year. He won over 900 games as manager of the Padres – the most in team history – despite often being saddled with low-budget squads. Bochy led the 1998 Padres to the World Series where they were swept in 4 games by the New York Yankees.

In 2006, new Padres CEO Sandy Alderson preferred to have a younger manager, so he allowed Giants General Manager Brian Sabean to interview Bochy for his job opening.^[1] Bochy agreed to a four-year contract to replace Felipe Alou and become the Giants' new skipper on October 27, 2006.^[2]

Bochy also managed the 2004 and 2006 MLB All-Stars in the Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.

Personal[link]

Bochy is known for having one of the largest cap sizes in Major League Baseball at over size 8.^[3] When he joined the Mets in 1982, they did not have a batting helmet that would fit him, and they had to send the ones he was using in the minors.^[4]

Bochy also has a son that pitches professionally. Brett Bochy was drafted by the Giants in 2010.^[5]

Bochy is not publicly known for an out-going, humorous presence. However the opposite is true. "Fans rarely see it because he becomes a two-by-four when the TV cameras click on."^[6]

References[link]

General

• Baseball A Doubleheader Collection of Facts, Feats, & Firsts. St. Louis, Mo.: The Sporting News Publishing Co.. 1992. ISBN 0-88365-785-6. .

Inline citations

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bruce Bochy

Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Bruce Bochy managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com

Matt Cain
Cain before his Major League debut with the Giants in August 2005
San Francisco Giants – No. 18
Starting pitcher
Born: (1984-10-01) October 1, 1984 (age 27) Dothan, Alabama
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 29, 2005 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics (through May 27, 2012)
Win–loss record	74–75
Earned run average	3.33
Strikeouts	1,151
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2005–present)
Career highlights and awards
Willie Mac Award Winner (2009) 2× All-Star (2009, 2011) World Series champion (2010)

Matthew Thomas Cain (born October 1, 1984) is an American professional baseball player. A starting pitcher, Cain plays for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He is 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighs 235 pounds (107 kg).

Early career[link]

Cain graduated from Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee, where he earned the nickname "Big Sugar" and was selected by the Giants in the first round (25th overall) in the 2002 MLB Draft.^[1]

Prior to the 2005 season, Cain was named the #13 prospect in baseball by Baseball America.^[2]

Pitching style[link]

Cain features a mix of mostly four pitches: a four-seam fastball (89-92 mph), a slider (85-88), a curveball (78-81), and a changeup (85-88). Very infrequently, he also throws a two-seam fastball at 90-92 mph. Cain leads with his four-seamer, throwing it just over half the time in 2011. His changeup is his secondary pitch to left-handed hitters, while he throws sliders as a secondary pitch to right-handed hitters. Cain throws curveballs in roughly equal proportions to righties and lefties.^[3]

Major League career[link]

2005[link]

Cain made his major league debut on August 29, 2005, at the age of 20 against the Colorado Rockies, losing the game despite giving up only three hits and two runs in five innings. Following his debut, Cain joined the team's regular five-man starting rotation, finding immediate success. He earned his first major league win on September 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and notched his first complete game, a two-hitter, against the Chicago Cubs on September 9. Cain finished his first season with seven starts over 46 ¹⁄₃ innings in which he posted a 2–1 record, 30 strikeouts, a 2.33 ERA, a 0.928 WHIP, and a minuscule .151 opponent batting average.^[4][5]

When he was called up, Cain was the second youngest pitcher in the major leagues, behind Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners.

2006[link]

Cain's 2005 performance was impressive enough that manager Felipe Alou named him to the team's 2006 starting rotation before spring training began. Cain began the season as the team's fourth starter.

In 2006, Cain struggled with consistency, but showed signs of dominance in several starts, flirting with a no-hitter on more than one occasion. On April 24, 2006, Cain pitched six innings without allowing a base runner against the New York Mets, one of the league's most prolific offenses. On May 21, Cain pitched his first complete game shutout, a one-hitter against the Oakland Athletics. On June 19, Cain pitched 7 ²⁄₃ innings of no-hit ball against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before finally surrendering a single to Chone Figgins in the eighth inning.

Late in the season Cain increased his chances for Rookie of the Year consideration with a run of remarkable pitching. From August 12 to September 14 Cain recorded a 5–0 record with an almost unheard-of ERA of 0.21. During this streak, he allowed just one earned run in 42 innings—and did not allow an earned run in 30 ²⁄₃ innings. He led all National League rookie pitchers with 13 wins and 179 strikeouts in 2006. His 2006 record was 13–12, with a 4.15 ERA. Cain finished in a fifth-place tie in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

2007[link]

In 2007, Cain changed his uniform number from 43 to 18, following the departure of Moisés Alou, who wore 18 in 2006.

He started the 2007 season with a 1.55 ERA with 11 hits in 29 innings pitched. This run was capped on April 22, in which he pitched a complete game allowing only one run (in the ninth) and just three hits. It was the third complete game of his young career. Cain's record through August 3 was 3–12. He had limited opponents to a batting average of .238 against him during that stretch. The Giants scored two or fewer runs in 20 of Cain's first 30 starts.^[6] Additionally, the bullpen blew four leads behind him.^[7]

Cain went 4–1 over his next five starts.^[8] This stretch was bolstered in part by a power surge at the plate by Cain himself. He hit his first and second career home runs in these starts, off Tim Redding of the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano.^[9]

Cain finished the season with the 10th-lowest ERA in the National League at 3.65. The Giants went 9–23 in his starts; the bullpen lost leads in five of his starts and the team scored 2 runs or fewer in 21 of his starts.^[10]

2008[link]

Cain went 8–14 with a 3.76 ERA, 186 strikeouts and 217.2 innings. Cain's season record was deceiving, as he again received low run support. As in 2007, Cain hit two home runs for the season, the third and fourth of his career.

2009[link]

Cain finished the 2009 season with a 14–8 record with a 2.89 ERA and 171 strikeouts. His ERA ranked seventh in the NL, and tenth in major league baseball. He finished the season with a career-high in wins (14), and winning percentage (.663).

On July 5, 2009, Cain was announced as an All Star for the first time in his young career. On Matt Cain's final start before the All Star Game, he was hit by a line drive right below his elbow and was forced to miss pitching for the All Star Team, although he did still attend and was announced as an All Star. Pirates pitcher Zach Duke replaced Cain on the NL All Star team.^[11]

On September 25 Matt Cain was awarded the Willie Mac Award, presented yearly to a Giants player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership consistently shown by Willie McCovey throughout his long career, which is voted upon by the players and coaching staff.^[12]

2010–11[link]

This section contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (February 2012)

Cain was part of a rotation that included 2008 and 2009 National League Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, 2002 American League Cy Young award winner Barry Zito, along with Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner. In the month of May, Cain pitched into the sixth inning or later in all 6 of his starts while giving up 9 earned runs on 23 hits with 35 strikeouts and 18 walks in 44 ²⁄₃ innings pitched with an overall record of 3–3 with an 1.81 earned run average.

For the season Cain was 13–11 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 177 strikeouts, 61 walks, 223 innings pitched, and 4 complete games including 2 shutouts.

On October 28 Cain capped an impressive post-season performance as he pitched 7 ²⁄₃ scoreless innings in Game 2 of the World Series to become the fifth pitcher to pitch at least 20 innings in the postseason without allowing an earned run, earning the nickname Big Game Cain among Giants fans.^[13] His total post-season stats of a 2–0 record, with a 0.00 ERA through 21⅓ innings pitched helped the Giants win their first championship in San Francisco.^[14]

Matt Cain was an Allstar for the second time in his career in 2011 and continued his success thereafter. Cain had a 2.39 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break but earned just 3 wins in that stretch, due to a continued lack of run support on the part of the Giants offense.

On September 28, 2011, Cain hit his fifth career home run against the Colorado Rockies.

2012[link]

On April 2, 2012, Cain agreed to a five-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $112.5 million through 2017 with an option for 2018, surpassing Kevin Brown for the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher. Cain earns a $5 million signing bonus, and will earn $20 million each season from 2013–17. His option for 2018 will vest automatically if he is not on the disabled list to an elbow or shoulder injury in 2017 and is worth $21 million. Should he be on the DL for those reasons in 2017, the Giants can either pick up the $21 million option or pay a $7.5 million buyout. Cain was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2012 season.^[15] On April 13th, pitching the Giants' home opener, Cain threw a complete game shut out, walking none and allowing only one hit. It was the third one-hitter of Cain's career. He is currently 6-3.

Personal life[link]

Matt Cain is married (Chelsea) and has a daughter, Hartley Mae, born in December 2010.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Cain

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Buster Posey
Posey in July 2010
San Francisco Giants – No. 28
Catcher
Born: (1987-03-27) March 27, 1987 (age 25) Leesburg, Georgia
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 11, 2009 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics (through May 03, 2012)
Batting average	.298
Hits	197
Home runs	26
Runs batted in	97
On base percentage	.357
Slugging percentage	.471
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2009-present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series Champion (2010) NL Rookie of the Year (2010) Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Rookie (2010) 1× NL Player of the Month 1× NL Player of the Week Golden Spikes Award (2008) Johnny Bench Award (2008)

Posey playing catcher with the Giants in September 2010

Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III^[1] (born March 27, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. Posey made his major league debut on September 11, 2009; he was named the Giants' regular catcher on June 30, 2010.

As a rookie, he hit .305, slugged 18 home runs and had 67 runs-batted-in.^[2] He was a key to the Giants winning the 2010 World Series. He was named the National League rookie of the year.

Early years[link]

Posey, the eldest of four children, was born to Gerald "Demp" Dempsey Posey II and Traci Posey on March 27, 1987, in Leesburg, Georgia.^[3] His nickname, "Buster," came from his father's childhood nickname. He played football, soccer, and basketball along with baseball growing up, but baseball was his main sport.^[4] As a junior at Lee County High School, Posey (playing shortstop and pitching) had 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 7 home runs while setting school records for batting average (.544) and runs batted in (RBI) (46). Meanwhile, he had a 10–1 record and a 1.53 earned run average (ERA). He batted .462 with 40 RBI as a senior while setting a school record with 14 home runs. Meanwhile, he had a 12–0 record (in 13 starts) with a 1.06 ERA and 108 strikeouts. That year, he was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, the Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year, an EA Sports All-American, and a Baseball America All-American. Posey had a 3.94 GPA in high school while graduating fourth in his class (out of 302 students), and although he was drafted in the 50th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he chose to enroll in college instead of signing.^[3]

College career[link]

Posey played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles under coach Mike Martin. He began his freshman year at FSU playing shortstop, starting all 65 games for the Seminoles, and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. He finished his freshman season with a .346 batting average, four home runs and 48 RBIs.^[3] As a sophomore, he moved from shortstop to catcher on the suggestion of assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr.^[5] He batted .382 with three home runs and 65 RBIs. After just one season of playing the position, Posey was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, awarded to the best catcher in college baseball. He would end up finishing behind Edward Easley of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.^[6]

In 2008, as a junior, he hit .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs, won the Johnny Bench Award and was named the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year.^[7][8] On May 12, 2008, he played all nine fielding positions in a game against Savannah State, including pitcher where he struck out both batters he faced.^[9][10] On June 14, 2008, Posey was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy, and on July 16, 2008, he won the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the best player in amateur baseball.

During the college offseason, Posey started at shortstop on the 2006 Cape Cod Baseball League championship team for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and started as the catcher on the 2007 championship team as well.^[11]

Professional career[link]

Draft and minor leagues[link]

Posey was considered the best catcher available in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.^[12] He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the fifth overall pick.^[13] On August 15, 2008, the Giants signed Posey shortly before the signing deadline for draftees, giving him a $6.2 million bonus, the largest up-front bonus in MLB draft history at the time.^[14] He was invited to the Giants Spring Training in 2009. Following 2009 Spring Training, Posey was assigned to the San Francisco Giants Class A Affiliate San Jose Giants.

On July 13, 2009, he was promoted to the Giants' Triple A team, the Fresno Grizzlies. With an injury to Giants starting catcher Bengie Molina, Posey was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2009.^[15] He made his major league debut on September 11, 2009 as a pinch hitter, striking out. Posey got his first Major League hit on September 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After again appearing in the Giants' spring training camp, Posey began the 2010 season at Fresno, batting .349 in 47 games.

Major League career[link]

Posey in April 2011

Posey was called up to the major leagues on May 29, 2010, and started at first base against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Posey drove in the first runs of his major league career, going three for four with three RBIs.^[16] He appeared primarily at first base through the end of June. Following Molina's trade to the Texas Rangers on June 30, 2010, Posey became the starting catcher for the Giants.^[17][18] Posey hit his first career home run off of Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds on June 9, 2010.^[19]

Posey hit his first career grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2010, en route to a two-home run, four-hit, six-RBI night. That came during a July hitting streak—all of which was played on the road—in which Posey batted .514, had 19 hits, 6 home runs, and 13 RBIs to set a record for rookies during any 10-day stretch in the history of the National League, per the Elias Sports Bureau.^[20] This performance also earned Posey the National League Player of the Week honors for the week of July 5–11, 2010.^[21] Posey also had a 21-game hitting streak that ended July 29 when Anibal Sanchez of the Florida Marlins threw a one-hitter against the Giants. During the streak, which fell one game short of tying the San Francisco Giants' rookie mark set by Willie McCovey and five short of the team record, Posey batted .440 with 37 hits, six home runs, and 23 RBIs.^[22][23] Posey was awarded both the NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month awards for his excellent July.^[24] On July 10, on the road against the Washington Nationals, Posey was inserted into the Giants' batting order as the clean-up hitter, which became his regular position in the lineup.

On September 21, 2010, Posey hit an 8th-inning home run against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field to win the game, 1-0, the only time in major-league history the feat has been accomplished by a rookie on a first-place team in a September pennant race.^[25] He hit another 8th-inning home run, his 18th, in the final game of the year to help secure the NL West Division championship, 3-0.^[26]

Posey was named by his peers as the NL Players Choice Awards Outstanding Rookie. He was also named the catcher on Baseball America's All-Rookie Team.^[27]

Posey helped lead the Giants to the 2010 World Series to face the Texas Rangers, hitting .282 with three runs batted in during the first two rounds of the playoffs. In Game 4, Posey hit his first postseason home run to center field off of Darren O'Day. The Giants would go on to win the series, 4-1. He became the fifth rookie catcher to win a World Series. During the series he hit .300 with a home run and two runs batted in.

On November 15, 2010, Posey was named National League Rookie of the Year, taking 20 first place votes to second place finisher Jason Heyward's nine.^[28] Posey joins Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gary Matthews and John Montefusco as the 6th Giant to win the Rookie of the Year award. He became the sixth catcher in National League history to win the award.^[29] He was also named the catcher on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.^[30]

On May 25, 2011, during a game against the Florida Marlins, Posey was injured during a collision with Scott Cousins at home plate after a sacrifice fly by Emilio Bonifacio. The Giants lost the game against the Marlins 6-7 in 12 innings. Posey suffered a fractured fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle, requiring surgery to repair.^[31][32] Cousins said he hit Posey so that he could score. "If you hit them, you punish them and you punish yourself, but you have a chance of that ball coming out." ^[33]

On May 29, 2011, a 90-minute surgery was performed to repair the ligaments and insert two screws in his leg to stabilize the ankle, following which the Giants announced Posey would be out for the rest of the season.^[34] Scott Cousins was not disciplined. He expressed regret that Posey was injured, but defended the play as aggressive, but not dirty.^[35] Cousins received threats, but Posey denounced them: "I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back ... But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family. As I said last week, I'm not out to vilify Scott".^[36]

Personal life[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Posey's younger sister, Samantha, plays softball for Valdosta State University. On April 18, 2011, she hit a home run cycle in a doubleheader.^[37]

Posey married his high school sweetheart, Kristen, in January 2009.

On Sunday, August 14, 2011, Buster and Kristen became the parents of twins (a boy and a girl); Lee Dempsey Posey and Addison Lynn Posey.^[38]

Further reading[link]

• Baggarly, Andrew. A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-60078-598-6. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buster Posey

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Florida State Seminoles bio