Minor League Baseball

The San Francisco Giants have invited six more players to their Spring Training camp for 2009. the players include Todd Jennings, Eli Whiteside, Matt Downs, Scott McClain, Ivan Ochoa and Jake Wald.

This is the fourth trip as a non-roster invitee to Giants camp for catcher Todd Jennings. He was at camp in 2004 and from 2006-07.

Whiteside, another catcher, made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2005. Downs spent the 2008 season splitting time between High-A San Jose and Fresno.

Ochoa is returning for his third straight Spring Training with the Giants. McClain led all Giants Minor Leaguers with 29 homeruns in 2008.

Wald has earned his third trip to big league camp in 2009. He was the Giants 11th round pick in the 2002 draft.

San Francisco Giants catching prospect Buster Posey has received an invitation to their Major League Spring Training for the 2009 season.

Posey played his collegiate baseball at Florida State University, won the Golden Spikes Award last season for the best college player in the country.

He hit .351 in ten games between the rookie level Giants and short season Salem-Keizer after the Giants signed him to a $6.2 million bonus.

Posey also played Hawaiian Winter League ball and hit .338 in 19 regular season games for Waikiki. He will more than likely begin the season in the Minors but an invitation to Spring Training will expose Posey to a group of catching veterans.

That group includes manager and former Major League catcher Bruce Bochy, roving catching instructor Brian Harper, and Major League bullpen catcher Bill Hayes.