Retired Giants catcher Buster Posey goes back to school to complete his degree from Florida State

By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Buster Posey is going back to school at age 36.

No, the seven-time All-Star doesn’t need to study again after a decorated baseball career spanning more than a decade. He wants to do it.

The retired San Francisco Giants catcher has a year’s worth of online coursework remaining to complete his degree in social science at Florida State, yet he plans to spread the work over two years given his busy home life with four children.

School started Monday. Posey had been a finance major before being drafted by San Francisco fifth overall in 2008, but since he can’t finish that path remotely, he will study social science, with his current studies including a class focused on sports and society.

“So I’m kind of in somewhat of my realm that I lived the last 15 years or so since I took a class,” Posey said.

He expects the degree will take more time given the demands of having twin toddler girls Ada and Livvi and another set of twins — daughter Addison and son Lee — who are now preteens.

Posey and wife Kristen recently moved their family back to the East Bay suburb of Lafayette after a stint living in their native Georgia after Posey retired following a franchise-record 107-win season and NL West title in 2021. He opted out of the virus-shortened 2020 campaign.

“I think some of it is as simple as finishing it, finishing what you’ve started,” Posey shared with The Associated Press while attending Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s charity golf event Monday. “Also, I do think from a parental standpoint, it’ll be a good lesson for my own kids to say, ‘All right, dad doesn’t really need to do it but he’s doing it anyway because he thinks it’s the right thing to do.’ So those are just a couple of reasons — and it’ll be nice to have a degree. My wife won’t be able to say she’s the only college graduate anymore.”

Then, he chuckled and added: “Now I’ve got a couple of years to go, so I don’t want to speak too soon.”

A career .302 hitter, Posey’s 12-year career with the Giants included winning three World Series championships, 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and 2012 NL MVP all while leading a long list of star pitchers.

He is still admired in the Giants’ clubhouse.

Mike Yastrzemski is proud of Posey’s commitment to complete his schooling — as the outfielder did earning a degree over four years at Vanderbilt.

“It’s just something that smart, well-rounded role models do, and not to put pressure on him by calling him a role model but I think he’s somebody that I myself have looked up to, I’ve learned from and I think you would be in the wrong position if you’re not striving to be someone like Buster,” Yastrzemski said. “To see somebody go back at mid-30s to try to finish school is really impressive. And I think it’s something that means something to him and his family. It’s an important thing.”

Golden State Warriors star Curry earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology years later from Davidson College in spring 2022, then teammate Gary Payton II received his diploma from Oregon State this past April to fulfill a promise to his mother.

If anybody knows how to make a comeback, it’s Posey.

He returned from a devastating, season-ending leg injury in 2011 to win NL MVP the following year. Posey tore three ligaments in his left ankle and broke a bone in his lower leg when he was run over by the Marlins’ Scott Cousins on May 25, 2011. Posey responded by winning the 2012 batting crown and MVP while leading the Giants to a second World Series championship in a three-year span.

In all, he won World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14.

Now, Posey can apply some of those lessons and experiences to his college coursework.

“It’ll be nice. There will be some work involved with it for sure, which will make it feel good,” he said. “For me, we’ve got four rascals at home that I’m trying to keep up with every day, so mixing in some schoolwork, it’s been 15 years since I’ve taken classes, so it’ll be good. I’m excited.”

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