Buster Posey has added hydration/nutrition drink BODYARMOR SuperDrink to his growing stable of endorsement deals. The drink has previously announced deals with Mike Trout, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Pierre-Paul, LeSean McCoy and Ray Rice.
Posey said his agency approached him with the product, and he tried it out during spring training this year.
“I tried [the drink] for spring training and then sat down with the company," Posey said, "and they presented me -- along with representatives from my agency and my wife -- a presentation about the product and how this product helped an active person or an athlete with the superior hydration they need after a tough workout. Also, they just kind of told me the direction they were planning to go with the company.”
Undoubtedly, there are countless companies that would love to partner with a rising star like Posey. It’s up to his team at Creative Artists Agency to filter through those requests.
“Quite a few do come in when you’re talking about the startups,” said Jeff Berry, co-head of the baseball division at CAA. “With those concepts and ideas, they run from ridiculous to wow.”
Berry said CAA has an entire team of agents that vet the companies and proposals that come in for athletes the agency represents.
“If we deem an idea to have legitimate merit, we’ll ask for more detailed information," Berry said. "We’ll evaluate their history or lack thereof. Then we’ll look at competitive landscape they’re looking to enter or potentially enter.”
B.B. Abbott, an agent who represents players such as Brian McCann and Jonathan Broxton, said they similarly field numerous requests from start-up companies.
“I would say that most are an automatic no," Abbott said. "If it is something that we believe might have some legs, or that the client might be interested in, we will have more lengthy discussions about capitalization, marketing plans, sales figures, demographics and other items of equal importance."
Posey said he leans heavily on CAA to filter the requests and make recommendations, because his primary focus is on playing for the San Francisco Giants to the best of his ability each night.
“I know that for myself, when I make a decision to partner up with somebody, it’s something I put a lot of thought into before I do it," Posey said. "This is a big reason why you have agents to represent you, so they can help filter through the different options you have off the field in terms of partnerships. Ultimately, my main responsibility is to the San Francisco Giants and to try to be prepared to play baseball every day, and so there’s definitely a balance when you’re looking to commit to some partnerships.”
The deal with the sports drink adds to an already impressive list of endorsements for the 26-year-old catcher who was last year’s National League MVP and already has two World Series rings. His other deals are with Toyota, Pro Camps, PlayStation, DirecTV, Under Armor, Safeway, Louisville Slugger, Rawlings, Topps and LoJo Sports.
As for BODYARMOR SuperDrink, Posey appreciates that the company has been willing to work around his schedule so he can focus on playing baseball during the season. Asked if he’s shared some samples with teammates this season, he said he’s working on it.
“I’ve definitely talked to them about it and mentioned it some. I’ll need to get them a couple of cases,” Posey said, laughing.