The San Francisco Giants have designated second baseman Joe Panik for assignment. It is a surprise move from a Giants team who is just one game under .500 and 3.5 games back in the Wild Card race. However, it should be noted Panik has been relegated to a bench role of late after the Giants acquired Scooter Gennett from the Reds at the trade deadline.
Digging deeper into the numbers, this is the worst season of Panik’s career. In 103 games, he is hitting .235/.310/.317 with 17 doubles, a triple, three homers, and 27 RBI. His current 69 wRC+ and -0.4 WAR stand to be career worsts for the 28 year old.
Similar to what the Mets are seeing with Juan Lagares, Panik’s struggles are not just offensive, but also defensive. The 2016 Gold Glove winner has only been a 0 DRS and 2.1 UZR in the field this year. That is a step up from the -12 DRS and -1 UZR he had across the previous two seasons, but it still insufficient to carry his weak bat in the everyday lineup.
Digging deeper on the offensive numbers, there is some hope he could improve. He is currently at a career worst .254 BABIP (.287 career) despite his hitting fewer groundballs and improving his soft and hard hit rates. Panik also has a career best LD% along with an improved walk and strike out rate. The question for any team who may have interest is if there is still something left in a bat who was league average just two years ago, or is this part of a two year decline for a player who is entering his last year of arbitration.
From the Mets perspective, their question is whether Panik is better than playing some combination of Adeiny Hechavarria, Luis Guillorme, and Lagares everyday in the wake of what may be a season ending injury for Robinson Cano. Part of the analysis should also consider whether Panik is a better option than Dilson Herrera and Ruben Tejada, both of whom are having good years with Triple-A Syracuse.
Overall, this is not an easy decision, but the Mets should be taking a long look at the New York native and St. John’s alum to see if bringing him back home would re-energize his career.
