Sports

Awards keep piling up for potential No. 1 Posey

Danny Aller

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There aren’t many who won’t call former Lee County baseball star Buster Posey a “class act.”

And on Tuesday, Posey quite literally proved that to be true.

Now a junior at Florida State, the Leesburg native became just the second player in the history of Seminole athletics to be named the Academic All-American of the Year,joining Garrett Johnson, who won the award in Track & Field/Cross Country in 2006.

“It’s gratifying,” Posey said in a statement released by the school. “I’ve put in a lot of effort off the field with school and hopefully it can be a good example for younger kids out there that you can accomplish both school and athletics. It definitely takes discipline, but doing well in school is something I take pride in.”

In the classroom, Posey — still being tapped as the No. 1 overall pick by Major League Baseball insiders in the June 5 draft — is a two-time member of the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll and has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2006 and 2007. The junior catcher, who was named the ACC Player of the Year last week, is pursuing a degree in finance and received the highest honor possible during the spring of his sophomore year as he was named to the President’s List after earning a 4.0 GPA. Following the recent spring semester, Posey was named to the Dean’s List registering a GPA of 3.875, raising his cumulative GPA above a 3.8.

Of course, the former Trojans star has a lot more going for him than that these days.

In addition to helping FSU gear up for its first trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., since 2000 — FSU (48-10) opens the NCAA Regionals on Friday at home vs. Bucknell (29-22-2) — has also been named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and is a two-time semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award. The latter is an honor given each year to the nation’s top catcher, a position Posey didn’t even play when he came to FSU.

Additionally, Posey is up for the Dick Howser Trophy, while also being named to the Brooks Wallace Award Revised Watch List.

But it only gets better.

On Tuesday, MLB.com posted yet another story on Posey’s chances of being named the No. 1 draft pick — something no other Southwest Georgia baseball star has ever done.

One week after MLB insider Jonathon Mayo wrote that he felt Posey would be taken No. 1 by the Tampa Bay Rays, on Tuesday fellow MLB reporter Brittany Ghiroli penned that “(Posey’s combination of power and pure athleticism had Major League teams salivating and phone lines buzzing long before Posey made the transition to catcher ...It's been rumored that Posey is one of three finalists for Tampa Bay.”

But if you asked Posey’s coach at FSU, Mike Martin Sr., the Rays would be nuts to pass on Posey.

“We are talking about a guy catching 99 percent of the games, and then, with the game on the line, taking off the gear and closing the game off pitching," Martin said. "So, there's no way you can compare what he's done (with other players), because you can't do any more.

“They just don't come any better. He's (even) a better person then he is a player. I've seen him for three years and he's never changed. He's a guy that you build a franchise around.”

Posey currently leads the nation in three offensive statistical categories including batting average (.467), on-base percentage (.567) and slugging percentage (.864). He also ranks in the top 10 in total bases (2nd), hits (2nd), runs (5th) and runs per game (6th).

Posey has also had a stellar season on the defensive end posting a .981 fielding percentage with 53 starts behind the plate. He is throwing out 41.5 percent of would be base stealers on the year while registering six pick offs. The right hander has also made eight appearances on the mound and is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities. Posey has struck out 10 batters and has not allowed a run in 7.1 innings of work.

FSU baseball sports info. director Jason Leturmy and MLB.com contributed to this report.

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