"So many questions await Buster Posey this spring. They hover in the air like a series of foul pops, subject to the whims of wind and spin.

Will his repaired left ankle respond when he hops out of his crouch to throw? How will it feel when he wakes up the following day? Will his timing at the plate be an issue after the longest layoff of his baseball life?

Will he be the ebullient rookie of the year who led the Giants to a World Series title in 2010? Or will Posey's career be more about concessions than celebrations?

"I guess questions like these are just hard to answer without playing, you know?" he said, squinting a bit. "Without being back in the action."

It's the thought of being back in action that helps Posey replace the scowl of uncertainty with that familiar visage of confidence. On the eve of the Giants' annual FanFest, as the players gathered for the first time since September, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Brian Wilson all remarked that Posey struck them as poised and able."