Is Buster Posey a Hall of Famer?

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is retiring. So naturally, the big question people are asking is this: Is he a Hall of Famer?

The question shouldn’t be whether Buster Posey is a Hall of Famer. He is. It’s that simple.

The more accurate question as the catcher settles into retirement is whether Buster Posey a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The answer to that one will be the subject of debate over the coming years.

The Buster Posey Hall of Fame case

Posey established himself among the greatest catchers of all time in his 12 years of service for the Giants.

What he lacked in prolific stats he made up for in consistency and class. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010 and quickly made his way to the top of the heap as the NL MVP in 2012. He went on to seven All-Star nods including one in his final season in 2021 at the age of 31 despite sitting out the 2020 season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His WAR numbers are at a Hall of Fame level, easily.

His career WAR of 44.9 is 16th all-time among catchers with significantly fewer games under his belt than most. His impact is best reflected in his WAR/162, or average WAR per season, of 5.3. That ranks sixth all-time, ahead of Hall of Famers like Bill Dickey, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter and others.

At his peak, Posey was immense. His WAR7, or the sum of his WAR in his best seven seasons, ranks ninth among catchers, tied with Hall of Famer Mickey Cochran. The average WAR7 for Hall of Fame catchers is 34.8. Posey’s is 36.6.

Posey wasn’t just doing all that on ho-him teams. He made a tangible impact behind the plate, at the plate and in the dugout as he led the Giants to three World Series titles.

His Hall of Fame résumé is beyond reproach.