Yankees' Jorge Posada: at home behind the plate: it took him time to hone his talents as a catcher, but New York's switch-hitting backstop is among the top players at his position.

JORGE POSADA BECAME A CATCHER late (age 20), and he made the major leagues for good late (age 25). Consider, in contrast, that Posada's good friend Derek Jeter became the Yankees' starting shortstop at age 21.

Posada started to get it all together as a catcher at an age when many of his fellow catchers have already begun their downward slide.

Now, at 32, Posada is coming off a season that was his finest in every aspect: offensively, defensively and, perhaps most important, emotionally.

"I think you learn," Posada said. "You learn from your mistakes. You learn from things you do and try to stay away from the negatives you do in your career. I think I've grown.

"I'm a lot older. I'm wiser. I know what to do now, and hopefully, I don't get in (anybody's) way."

"Last year, he took on a lot more maturity, I thought," Joe Torte said. "He felt more responsible for the pitching last year and really acted like that."

At a position that often requires its practitioners to act as pacifiers, Posada has often been, well, "I don't know if I would use the word emotional," said veteran catcher Joe Girardi, who helped teach Posada from 1996 through 1999. "I think he's fiery."