MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Buster Posey, who began his season in Class A, and ended it in the Major
Leagues with the San Francisco Giants, is the winner of the 50th annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the
Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. The best performances in all classifications of Minor League
Baseball again this year are being honored by the Topps Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction
with Minor League Baseball.
Posey started his year with the San Jose Giants in the California League, hitting .326 with 13 home
runs and 58 RBI in 80 games. He hit at least .350 in three of the four months he spent with San Jose.
The 22-year-old catcher also threw out 49% of the runners who attempted to steal a base.
The San Francisco Giants then had Posey skip the Double-A level, assigning him to the Fresno Grizzlies
in the Pacific Coast League in mid-July. The Leesburg, Ga., resident batted .375 in August, with hits in
17 of 21 games, including his last seven. He hit .321 with five homers and 22 RBI in his 35 Triple-A
games with Fresno.
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Overall in 2009, Posey hit .325 with 18 home runs, 80 RBI, 31 doubles, a triple and 84 runs in 115
Minor League games.
The fifth overall pick in 2008 out of Florida State University then made his Major League debut on
September 11. Posey, who appeared in seven games with San Francisco, is currently playing in the
Arizona Fall League.
Posey joins a group of former Spink winners that includes Mat Gamel (2008); Alex Gordon (2006);
Josh Beckett (2001); Andruw Jones (1996); and Derek Jeter (1994).
Next: Player of the Year in 16 Minor Leagues, November 4

Commissioner Bud Selig shaved drug suspensions of players and broke the rules of MLB. Will Manny Ramirez and three others do a year? What will happen to dozens of minor league players whose records, teams, and leagues are affected? Read the whole story at SZ ( www.mlnsports.com).