Awarded for | Bestcatcher inNCAA'sDivision I |
---|---|
Sponsored by | Kamerion Wimbley Foundation |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Wichita Sports Commission |
History | |
First award | 2000 |
Most recent | Walker Janek,Sam Houston State |
TheBuster Posey Award, formerly known as theJohnny Bench Award, was created in 2000 to honorcollege baseball's topcatcher in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association'sDivision I. The award is administered by theWichita Sports Commission and presented after the conclusion of theCollege World Series.
Originally named forJohnny Bench, it was renamed in 2019 after Johnny Bench announced the creation of his own national award for amateur catchers. The commission reviewed the statistics of the prior winners and unanimously chose to rename the award afterBuster Posey.[1]
Schools nominate their catchers during the season to create the official watch list. A select committee of 20 individuals narrows the watch list down to the semifinalists. Two rounds of voting by Division Ihead coaches determine the three finalists and eventual recipient of the Buster Posey Award. The current holder of the award isWalker Janek.
Year | Links to the article about the corresponding baseball year |
---|---|
Player | Name of the player |
School | The player's college when he won the award |
Class | The player's year in college when he won the award |
^ | Player won theMLB Rookie of the Year Award[a] |
§ | Player also won theGolden Spikes Award andDick Howser Trophy in the same year |
‡ | Player is active in MLB[b] |
Year | Name | School | Class | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Brad Cresse | Louisiana State | Senior | [2][3] |
2001 | Kelly Shoppach | Baylor | Junior | [4] |
2002 | Jeremy Brown | Alabama | Senior | [5] |
2003 | Ryan Garko | Stanford | Junior | [6] |
2004 | Kurt Suzuki‡ | Cal State Fullerton | [7] | |
2005 | Jeff Clement | Southern California | [8] | |
2006 | Jake Smith | East Carolina | Senior | [9] |
2007 | Ed Easley | Mississippi State | Junior | [10] |
2008 | Buster Posey§^ | Florida State | [11] | |
2009 | J. T. Wise | Oklahoma | Senior | [12] |
2010 | Bryan Holaday‡ | TCU | [13][14] | |
2011 | Jake Lowery | James Madison | Junior | [15] |
2012 | Mike Zunino‡§ | Florida | [16] | |
2013 | Stuart Turner | Ole Miss | [17] | |
2014 | Max Pentecost | Kennesaw State | [18] | |
2015 | Garrett Stubbs‡ | Southern California | Senior | [19] |
2016 | Zack Collins‡ | Miami | Junior | [20] |
2017 | Matt Whatley‡ | Oral Roberts | [21] | |
2018 | Joey Bart‡ | Georgia Tech | [22] | |
2019 | Adley Rutschman‡§ | Oregon State | [23] | |
2020 | Award not given | |||
2021 | Matheu Nelson‡§ | Florida State | Junior | [24] |
2022 | Kevin Parada‡ | Georgia Tech | Sophomore | [25] |
2023 | Kyle Teel | Virginia | Junior | [26] |
2024 | Walker Janek | Sam Houston State | [27] |