Posey's hilarious way to keep arm in shape for Giants return

Share

Buster Posey has had another full year to recover from major hip surgery, just had a summer off for the first time in decades, and got an early start on his conditioning at Oracle Park after the 2020 season ended. There were plenty of reasons for the Giants to expect Posey to be in great shape when camp opened in Scottsdale on Wednesday, and as he spoke with reporters for the first time in seven months, Posey revealed another one.

Posey opted out of the 2020 season to take care of twin girls his family adopted last summer, and he said his nine-year-old son Lee is not a big fan of helping to change diapers. But Lee stays involved in another way. 

"The fun thing with him is I'll change a diaper from a baby and ball it up real tight and he knows that I'm about to fire it at him, so he'll go running," Posey said, smiling. "I'm keeping my arm in shape that way, by firing diapers at him."

Whether true or not -- and it should be noted here that Posey has always had a dry sense of humor -- it appears whatever Posey has been doing with the free time worked. He appears to be a bit bulked up after an offseason when he didn't have to rest his body and instead was able to start working out right away. Posey often ran into Gabe Kapler during those sessions at Oracle Park, spending some time with a new manager he hasn't yet played for. 

"He looked like he was in great shape every time," Kapler said Wednesday. 

Posey turns 34 next month, but the Giants are hoping he can turn back the clock and once again be right in the middle of all their success. Fellow veterans Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt had bounce-back years in 2020 under the new staff, which has brought different training methods to the organization. But none are as creative as Posey's new one. 

"You have to really make sure that you have the right weight of the diaper," he explained. "Depending on how well (the twins) have been feeding, that plays a lot into my accuracy if it's equivalent to the weight of a baseball. You take all of that into account, the type of formula they've gotten, if they're eating baby food or not. Yeah, I've been pretty accurate."

RELATED: Why Posey feels hopeful about 2021 season

Posey said the babies, Ada and Livvi, are doing great, and his entire family will join him soon in Arizona for spring training. He said that right now he feels he's in great shape, although he knows those familiar aches and pains will be coming. They might be welcomed this time around. They're a reminder that Posey is back to doing what he loves. 

"It was definitely good to be back out there," he said." I think you appreciate the little things, just playing catch, hitting in the cage, and obviously the camaraderie as well."

Contact Us