For a decade now, Buster Posey has been the face of the Giants, taking the responsibility seriously in tense moments.
When Melky Cabrera was suspended after testing positive for testosterone in the middle of the 2012 season, a young Posey stood in front of reporters and talked about how the outfielder made a bad decision and the rest of the team would move on. When manager Gabe Kapler was hired amid a firestorm in November, Posey was the lone Giant to attend the press conference. Earlier this week, he spoke up on a video conference call that included the entire team, harping on the importance of players not being selfish while the Giants try to play a season during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In his first public comments since March, Posey spoke passionately Saturday about the virus and said he's not surprised some players have opted out of the season because of all that is going on. He admitted he "definitely" has thought of doing it himself.
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"I think there's still some reservation on my end as well," Posey said. "I think I want to see kind of how things progress here over the next couple of weeks. I think it would be a little bit maybe naive or silly not to gauge what's going on around you, not only around you here but paying attention to what's happening in the country and different parts of the country.
"Obviously it's unprecedented times right now. Most definitely I've thought about [opting out] and talked about it with my wife quite a bit."
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Posey said he would spend the three weeks of camp watching what's going on, not just at Oracle Park but around the country. He said he won't take opting out of the season off the table, and would continue to discuss it with his wife. The Poseys have two young children at home and Posey said three grandparents are living on his side and two on his wife's side of the family. Thus far, nobody in Posey's family has contracted COVID-19.
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"I'd be surprised if you asked any player if they gave you a hardline 'No way, I'm not going to opt out ever' answer," he said.
Posey missed the first day of camp for personal reasons but was heavily involved Saturday, catching live batting-practice sessions and also taking his own turn at the plate. When he was walking the field between drills, Posey wore a blue medical mask. He could be at particular risk this season, even with MLB putting new rules in place to try and prevent the spread of the virus.
There's no way to keep your distance during a game when you're a catcher. Posey will have an umpire right behind his shoulder and at least nine opposing players digging into the box a few feet away. He said he hopes umpires wear masks under their protective gear, but it's not realistic for batters or catchers to do it.
Posey said he has spent the last three months in the Bay Area, staying "very low key" while spending time with his family. He talked often Saturday about how much research he has done, and all the "unknowns" that are still out there. Posey said his biggest concern "is protecting the people that are going home to those people that are compromised or older."
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At least six big leaguers have opted out of the season already, and people around the game expect more to come in the next three weeks. For now, Posey is here, keeping his eyes open and trying to figure out how to make the best decision before the July 23 opener.
"You make the effort, you get here. You take a look around at how things are going. I think we all just have to be somewhat cautiously optimistic right now," he said. "It's such a strange time. I'm looking at you guys wearing masks on a computer screen right now. What are we doing? There's that thought.
"You drive into the city of San Francisco and nearly every person you see has got a mask on, and I know it's not the same in all parts of the country but I think that's a perfect example of the way things have gone. People are not necessarily seeing eye-to-eye on how this disease is going to progress or has progressed. Ultimately, I just still feel like there are unknowns. That's where I'm falling. There's unknowns. Hopefully, we have more solid answers here as medicine makes advances."