The Posey Era begins: Buster called up!

According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, the Giants have promoted none other than catching prospect Gerald Demp “Buster” Posey.

Posey started at first base for the second consecutive time Friday night for the Fresno Grizzlies and it is expected that he will take over the first base job for San Francisco, with Aubrey Huff moving to left field.

Posey was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI on Friday, lifting his PCL average to .349.

In addition to the ridiculous batting average, Posey also has six home runs and a .442 OBP for Triple-A Fresno. He hit .325/.416/.531 across two levels last year, with 18 homers and 31 doubles. He’s throwing out base-stealers at a 44 percent clip this season and hasn’t yet committed an error, so the stats don’t suggest many weaknesses in the 23-year-old’s game.

If he plays first base initially, as expected, then Bengie Molina remains useful.  Posey will obviously make the occasional appearance behind the plate, too. In a recent radio interview with KNBR, general manager Brian Sabean said, “When we bring [Posey] here, we want to make sure he’s on the field at least five days a week.”

The Giants also recently signed Pat Burrell to a minor league deal, but they can’t reasonably view him as more than a bat off the bench. Opening Day left fielder Mark DeRosa  is down to one healthy wrist, so don’t expect a meaningful contribution from him anytime soon.

It appears that the Posey era is about to begin. He’s merely expected to transform the lineup and rescue the team. No pressure, kid.