Giants’ fans are well aware of how important catcher Buster Posey’s bat is to the San Francisco lineup. Without his presence in the cleanup spot, the team looked shakier than Rick Santorum’s grip on reality. Posey’s injury in 2011 was all it took for the Giants to hit rock bottom.

If skipper Bruce Bochy has one job this season besides keeping Pablo Sandoval away from the post-game buffet table, it would seem to be to keep Posey healthy and with the lumber in his hands at all costs.

And he appears to be doing everything he can, within reason. In February, he told the media of his instruction for Posey to avoid collisions like the one ending his season last year by not blocking home plate when a runner is approaching and to try to make a tag in another way.

Never mind that acting as a wall to prevent a potential run from crossing the dish is a huge part of any catcher’s job. Posey’s offensive production is so important to the Giants’ success in 2012 that he needs to back off a little on defense to keep himself in the game.

In light of Posey’s work-in-progress recovery from a shattered lower leg, Bochy said he plans to start the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year at first base once or twice a week, primarily to give his legs a rest. But with the potentially imminent rise of Hector Sanchez behind the plate and the seemingly inevitable crash and burn of Aubrey Huff at first, Bochy may be tempted to throw up his hands and move Posey there permanently. After all, his bat really is that important, right?

The answer may be more complicated than it seems.

For the uninitiated, the Silver Slugger award is handed out every year in each league to the player at each position who performed the best on offense. So there are nine awards handed out in each league. Among National League catchers since 2000, the winner of the Silver Slugger has averaged a .297 batting average and 26 home runs.

This kind of production is well within Posey’s reach. In 2010, playing about two-thirds of a season, he hit .305 with 18 round-trippers. In other words, as he continues to develop, he could easily become the best-hitting catcher in the game.

If he were to move to first base, however, this could be a different story. In the same time span, first basemen upon whom the Silver Slugger was bestowed have owned an impressive .330 batting average and knocked an average of 43 dingers. This sounds absurd, but it makes sense when you consider Albert Pujols and Todd Helton have won the award eight of the last 12 seasons.

As good as Posey is and as high as his ceiling might be, it’s tough to picture the kid belting 40 home runs in a season. Realistically, his numbers will probably be closer to those of fellow catchers Joe Mauer or Brian McCann. He may hit .315 with 20-25 homers in an average season, which is outstanding for a catcher and would fill his cabinet with plenty of silver hardware.

Ultimately, it’s just not what one would hope to get from an elite offensive first baseman. Posey would quickly go from the best in the business to a shrug-inducing, middle-of-the-pack guy playing his secondary position simply by moving 90 feet.

While he’s rehabbing his broken body, Posey should certainly get some reps at first base. But Bochy should consider what he wants out of a first baseman before offering the job to his catcher on a full-time basis.

Chances are, as good as Posey promises to be, he won’t be able to give Botchy the offensive production needed at first base.

Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].