San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey was selected winner of the 2012 "Willie Mac" Award, the club announced Friday.
The Willie McCovey Award is an annual honor bestowed upon the most inspirational player on the team, as voted upon by Giants players, coaches, training staff and the fans.
The award was established in 1980, in honor of former legend and Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. Posey will receive a plaque prior to tonight's game. Engraved on the plaque are the words “Competitive Spirit, Ability and Leadership” to characterize the qualities both McCovey and Posey exemplify.
Posey is having an MVP-caliber season, batting .335 (166-for-495) with 74 runs scored, 36 doubles, 23 home runs and 95 RBI in 137 games this season. He enters tonight’s game leading the National League in on-base percentage (.410) while ranking second in batting average and OPS (.957), fourth in slugging percentage (.547), sixth in RBI and eighth in hits, doubles and total bases (271).
Since the All-Star break, he’s hit .392 (87-for-222) with 39 runs scored, 20 doubles, 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 60 games.
Posey is the sixth Giants catcher to win this award, joining Bob Brenly (1984), Kirt Manwaring (1993), Benito Santiago (2001), Mike Matheny (2005) and Bengie Molina (2007, 2008).
