Giants tell Posey not to block plate this season GIANTS Catcher under orders from Bochy: Don't block the plate this season

Recommended Video:

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- It is not a hint, or a suggestion, or a plea, but a direct order: Manager Bruce Bochy has told catcher Buster Posey not to block the plate this season.

"I'll take this out of Buster's hands," Bochy said after Giants pitchers and catchers, including Posey, finished their first formal workout of spring training Sunday. "As a manager, that's my job. I certainly don't want people to think he's backing off on his own. It's something we'll work on with him this spring."

Posey was a full participant in a workout he long anticipated after the May 25 home-plate collision with Florida outfielder Scott Cousins resulted in a broken leg and ligament damage that required multiple surgeries to repair.

Posey caught the bullpen sessions of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, took batting practice to the cheers of a small crowd of spectators, worked on changing direction while running, and catching drills such as blocking balls in the dirt and springing to his feet to throw out baserunners.

Seeing Posey in action was "good for the morale of the team," pitcher Barry Zito said. "It feels like we're a full unit again."

San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey waits to take batting practice during a baseball spring training baseball workout Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey waits to take batting practice during a baseball spring training baseball workout Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) Photo: Darron Cummings, Associated Press Photo: Darron Cummings, Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Giants tell Posey not to block plate this season 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Lincecum already threw two bullpens to Posey before camp formally opened and said, "It's like having the old Posey back. It was just one of those fluky years not having him."

The first sign that this he is not entirely the old Posey arrives today, when he sits out the pitchers' bullpens as coaches and trainers assess his body's reaction to Sunday's workout.

Posey held court with a large group of reporters in the dugout and said he had an adrenaline rush working with his teammates again.

"It was special for me because I put a lot of work into getting to this point," he said.

Posey will get additional work before the April 6 season opener learning how to tag runners at the plate without blocking it. He and Bochy already discussed Bochy's insistence that Posey stay out of harm's way so he can stay on the field, though Posey, still suggesting that Cousins went after him, said, "I want to make it clear I wasn't blocking the plate in the first place."

Tagging the runner at any cost is instinct, but Posey believes he can learn how to apply alternate methods through repetitive practice.

Posey was expressive on a number of subjects.

He acknowledged a fleeting thought two months after the injury that he might be best served changing positions, though now he is committed to catching as long as he can. He also said he had a cathartic moment in January in which he mentally shifted from rehabbing player to regular guy aching to play.

"I kind of felt that hunger to be back out there," he said. "Not that I didn't feel it before, but I really started getting excited. It's something I told my wife. It was a good feeling to have, because that's always what you're looking for as a player, that passion to be out there."

Posey told Bochy he wants to start in the Cactus League opener March 3 because it would be tough to watch from the dugout after more than nine months away.

"That's something we're going to play by ear, and if it is something I can do, I'll be fired-up about that," he said. "If it's not something I can do, it's not the end of the world, either."

Posey accepts that Cousins is sorry about what happened but reiterated he sees no need to talk to the player who ended his season. Posey also said that after a long absence, he looks forward even to the grunt work here.

"I think it's just a greater appreciation for doing what I do and just enjoying this," he said, "being out here today and catching some 'pens, and maybe some of the not-so-glamorous stuff of a catcher's job, enjoying that stuff a little more knowing that can be gone quick."

Inside

Giants beat: Ryan Vogelsong sidelined at least two weeks with back injury. B6

A's beat: Josh Donaldson adds to his versatility by playing third base. B7