Joe Panik retired yesterday at the age of 31. Thought he was a terrific second baseman cut down in his prime. First round pick of the Giants in 2011 out of St. John's, 6th in Rookie of the Year voting (he hit .305) and was an all star the next year hitting .312, OPS of .833. Won a gold glove the next year. Had a series of injuries over the next few year that really curtailed his career. Very difficult to strike out, led the NL in 2016 and 2017 in most ABs per strikeout. Was one of the few Giants to play well in the 2016 postseason, hitting .600 (6 for 10) against the Cubs with two doubles, line was .600/.615/.800/1.415.
Joe had one more good year at the age of 26 (.288 BA, .768 OPS), then that was it. He was hammered by injuries, multiple concussions (hit in the head with pitches), pulled groin, fractured vertebrae, and a sprained thumb.
Panik's contribution to trivia: He, Crawford, Belt and Bochy were part of the first successful manager challenge on replay:
WS2014 Gm7: Panik starts stellar reviewed double play - YouTube
Joe had one more good year at the age of 26 (.288 BA, .768 OPS), then that was it. He was hammered by injuries, multiple concussions (hit in the head with pitches), pulled groin, fractured vertebrae, and a sprained thumb.
Panik's contribution to trivia: He, Crawford, Belt and Bochy were part of the first successful manager challenge on replay:
WS2014 Gm7: Panik starts stellar reviewed double play - YouTube
Audaces fortuna iuvat