Former All-Star infielder Joe Panik has decided to retire, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. That concludes an eight-year MLB career for the Yonkers native.
Panik went to St. John’s University and was a first-round pick of the Giants in 2011. A contact-oriented second baseman with good strike zone awareness but limited power, Panik was seen as a solid but not top-tier prospect. He hit his way up the minor league ladder quickly, reaching the majors midway through the 2014 campaign.
The lefty-hitting Panik staked a claim to the regular second base job in San Francisco almost out of the gate. He made a brief debut in May, returned to the minors for a month, then was called up for good in late June. From that point forward, he played regularly at the keystone. Panik hit .305/.343/.368 through his first 73 games. He continued his regular role into the postseason for a San Francisco club that won its third World Series title in five years.
Panik remained the Giants second baseman for the next few seasons. He followed up his rookie showing with an excellent .312/.378/.455 campaign. Paired with sure-handed defense, he earned an All-Star nod that year. Panik’s offense took a step back in 2016 but he continued to play well on the other side of the ball, picking up the National League Gold Glove award for second basemen.
After another solid season in 2017, his offensive production dipped as he dealt with injuries (including repeated concussion issues). Panik became more of a veteran role player than a true regular from that point forward, still offering a high-contact bat but without great results on balls in play. The Giants designated him for assignment in August 2019, ending his eight-year tenure in the organization. He hooked on with the Mets for the stretch run and performed fairly well.
Panik signed successive minor league contracts with the Blue Jays heading into 2020 and ’21. He made the Opening Day roster both times, but the Jays dealt him to the Marlins last July to offset some salary in the deal that landed Adam Cimber and Corey Dickerson in Toronto. Panik finished out the season with the Fish, appearing in 53 games.
At just 31 years old, it seems likely Panik could’ve found another minor league deal had he wished to continue playing. He left the Miami organization late last season to attend the birth of his daughter, though, and Heyman writes that he’s now “enjoying family life.” Panik steps aside having appeared in 818 big league games and tallied more than 3000 trips to the plate.
All told, he was a .264/.328/.372 hitter. He only hit 42 home runs, never more than ten in a season, but he also had a minuscule 10.1% strikeout rate that’s less than half the MLB average. Panik also tallied 136 doubles, 19 triples, scored 340 runs and drove in 258. He has the aforementioned Gold Glove and All-Star selection and was a regular on a World Series winner. MLBTR congratulates Panik on an excellent career and wishes him the best in his post-playing days.
Everyone is “Paniking”
Gee nobody ever thought of that one!
Panik was a great Giant! And yes, that glove flip that started the 4-6-3 dp in game 7 of the 2014 will go down as one of the best ever (at least in Giants history). Enjoy your retirement Joe!!
Oh lord. Here it comes. Joe Panik was a mediocre middle infielder that couldn’t hit. But Ridiculously overly sentimental Giants fans drunk on nostalgia are gonna hero worship Panik because of defensive play he made in WS game 8 years ago.
*ring*
Will you please shut up? You’re making us (Padres fans) look bad.
Absolutely! And why not? If the Padres had ever won anything you would be doing the same. Mediocre role players have some of great plays in baseball history.
I will alway romance the game and my memories of it!
Now…@Tony, I don’t believe you’re a true Padres fan. But, if you are, you got nothing on me for acknowledging Panik’s potentially best play of his life that was instrumental in my team (yeah, that’s right, I am a Giants fan) winning their 3rd WS in 5 years. You see, you wouldn’t know how I feel….your team doesn’t have ANY rings to speak of. Go barf somewhere else.
@burnt, worry not friend. We know Tony is not a true fan and doesn’t not represent the Friar’s faithful. He’s just a heart burned troll.
No Padres fan should ever be allowed talk about WS in a post
Out of curiosity, in your opinion, whats the shelf live for nostalgia in a finals game in any sport? 1 year? 3? 5?
To me it never expires. I think offensive plays or game winning homeruns/receptions/goals etc will never get old. Dwight Clarks catch. Carlton Fisks homer. Joe Carter’s walkoff. Ray Allen’s 3. Brett Hull in the crease beating Hasek.
But since you mentioned defensive plays in the world series, what about Kirby Puckett’s catch of Ron Gant’s flyball? Or Chase Utley’s throw home vs the rays?
Do since those are both older, should we stop reliving those memories?
His offensive numbers the first three seasons were actually pretty good. He was a traditional second baseman, with good contact skills and good glove.
Brooks Robinson. 1970 WS. 2 memorable plays; one to the right, the other to the left. Like it was yesterday!
It must suck to root for a team that has never won a World Series.
sportznut1000
I agree. I still hear the occasional mention of Bill Mazeroski, and his 1960 WS walk-off. Time doesn’t dim the accomplishment.
Loved Joe Panik as a Giant fan and wish him a fun retirement. (grew up near you, Joe.)
ShitPostSD19 comes through again
@sportznut1000 or in my case i have 4 games in a ws run that i’ll never forget, first was wanio k’ing beltran on a bases loaded full count with a curve just to get to the ws. #2 the nlds game in 11 that ended both carpenter and doc’s careers, also ftr its a shame doc lost that game he was dealing but so was his buddy. #3 wanio’s k of inge in game 5 of the 06 ws (the set up was the same as #1). #4 was david fresse’s walkoff in game 6 (also have to give credit to berkman because his double re-tied the game). all them games were 10+ years ago and i still get the felling of anxiety watching even thou i know the outcome. to your point if your a fan of the team that won and your a true fan that felling never goes away no mater how many years pass
Did not realize until the other day that the GIANTS are the winningest team in American sports history.
No more Panik at the disco.
or in Detroit.
Or in Needle Park
Or in the streets of London
I’ll always think of that World Series double play. What a play that was. Great career.
Congrats on a great career Joe, see you in Cooperstown.
Guess we really lowering the standards for HOF candidates
@mil the standard was lowered when Harold Baines was elected to the hof
yamsi, are you going to buy Panik’s ticket, or are the two of you going dutch?
Cooperstown Illinois or Cooperstown, North Dakota?
More time to spend at the disco
Or the streets of London.
True
Or in Detroit.
Joe Panik’s career was somewhat pedestrian; unlike Mick Ronson’s guitar work on ‘Panic in Detroit’, which was otherworldly.
Well he got a ring and 10 million. Not too shabby
I got a 4 for 4 from Wendy’s today.
Was that your shift meal?
Remember when arbys offered 5 for $5 classic roast beef sandwich deal? Glorious.
Put a packet of both Arby’s and Horsey Sauce on each and then Yum Yum Eat’em Up.
Solid 2nd baseman. Got a ring and a gold glove. Class guy. Congratulations on a good career.
Good luck to Panik in whatever he decides to do now. Albeit it brief, I liked his time as a Blue Jay. I didn’t realize until I looked it up that he was a negative WAR guy for us (-0.8 lol.) Every so often it seemed like he’d go on a nice little streak of play though even if it wasn’t something you’d call eye catching.
Good on him for getting a ring, a Gold Glove and an All-Star selection under his belt. Definitely a nicer resume than most players will ever be able to boast. He gets to also say that he was part of a pretty impressive 1st round in that 2011 draft class.
He’ll be back in a few years.
Don’t Panick. Okay, Panick.
Panik was all class and represented the Giants well.
Always a class act…Happy retirement Joe..
You were the exception to the present day norm…..
Thank you for the 2014 World Series win!
Couldn’t have happened without you.
Unfortunate, premature end to a career that got off to an impressive start.
Got to wonder if both the rapid decline in his offensive performance
and his decision to exit the game at such a young age with seemingly
more time on the clock, is due to the cumulative effect of sustaining
multiple concussions and/or concerns about the long term effects of
those and concerns related to the possibility of incurring additional concussions.
Thanks for the memories, Joe. Enjoy your life and family.
Definitely. Those concussions hurt his contact skills, you could see his decline start as soon as his first one occurred.
Just got worse with each successive concussion.
Joe was a hard working class act and a great Giant. Good luck in whatever you do Joe!
Rip so young
Didn’t die you moron
Forgot your comma there, Sparky.
Injuries suck. Thought he was going to a cleaner looking Pedroia. Sucks his career got cut short.
Future manager and had a solid career… Enjoy your time with the family and best wishes…
It would be a pleasure to see him in the Giants org again someday. I believe he and Brandon Crawford have remained close friends, and I think, one way or another, Craw will always remain a part of the team.
I wish Joe the best in his future endeavors.
I saw him at the disco..
This guy was such a solid giant for a few years def. Thought we had something there. But he was great and forever will be remembered like most have said for that sterling glove flip to start the double play in 14. Watching him and Crawford that season was something special defensively. Best of luck in your future endeavors Joe,hope to see you at those fun reunion games!
Congrats on a solid career Joe, I appreciated your time in a Mets uniform down the stretch in ‘19. Enjoy retirement!
how much did he make in 8 seasons?
Probably more than you and I will make in 8 lifetimes.
Speak for yourself, rodent.
$10M
Forever Giant
Hopefully, Aaron Altherr’s next to be inducted into the @Forever Giants.
He should re-sign with the giants. They’ve done wonders for guys with the new regime and it seems he’d thrive as a high contact, gap to gap hitter with solid defense. That being said, I would have loved the opportunity to retire at 31. He probably got a solid signing bonus just for being drafted
He hasn’t had a seasonal OPS+ over 79 since ‘17. I don’t think anyone is getting anything out of him. Exciting career but not surprised that it’s the end of the road with his stats.
The current regime cut him so no, that wouldn’t work.
Those concussions got him, sucks
Joe, Best of life, love and luck to you. You gave us many thrills and years of enjoyment as a Giant. Glad you made the right decision for you and your family. ♥️
World Series winner nbd
All right MLBTR, Anthony Franco, Tim D, anyone who’ll listen – now that it’s official it’s time to get Panik on the special guest chat!
Gomes was awesome, let’s keep it rolling…
A career that shows that you should enjoy every moment in the moment. For the first few years, he looked like he would be an All Star caliber guy, but unfortunately didn’t work out that way. He had a nice run at the MLB level and achieved what most of the planet can only dream of. It’s a great life memory to tell his grandkids about.
The concussions are what caused Joe to end his career prematurely, of that I have no doubt. You could see that he just wasn’t the same, especially after the second one.
I’d like to see the Giants sign Joe to a 1 day contract so he can retire as a Giant. He’s a class guy who represented everything that is good about being a team player and was beloved by many fans of the team.
Enjoy your retirement Joe and your young family too. He and his wife have been together since high school!
You’ll always be a San Francisco Giant!
Panik was the last solid 1rst round pick of the Bobby Evans regime. Crick, Stratton, Arroyo, Bickford, and Beede all graduated to MLB, but with much more limited success.
He was an easy guy to root for, because there was always something about his rise that seemed a little improbable, much like with Matt Duffy. Panik was a huge cog in the ’14 championship. Although his career was on the shorter side, he got to win a ring, a Gold Glove, play in an all-star game, and suit up for a couple of different teams; I call that the true MLB arc of a career.
Fun guy to watch. Becoming a father is the greatest thing. Glad he’s able to enjoy it
Coming out of 2015 Panik looked like he was gonna be a star but he never again lived up to that potential. After his first two seasons he wasn’t very good but those two seasons were exciting.
Will always remember his ‘monster play’ during a World Series win for the Giants. Wishing him all the best in his future