Joe Panik

Despite registering almost as many walks (36) as strikeouts (38), Panik hit only .235/.310/.317 with the Giants last season before being DFA'd and subsequently released in early August. He was quickly scooped up by the Mets on a big-league contract, and the results improved down the stretch. In 103 PA with New York, Panik hit .277/.333/.404, good for a 99 wRC+ -- so about league average. It wasn't enough for the Mets to want to keep him around, however, as they outrighted Panik and he opted for free agency. While limited defensively to second base, Panik remains a net positive there as he enters his age-29 season. His abilities in the field and bat-to-ball skills (career 9.4 K%) should earn Panik a spot on an Opening Day roster, but it may very well be as a backup/part-time player. Without regular at-bats, Panik's not viable at all in a mixed league. Even with them, he's borderline.

Through five games, Panik had three homers and it looked like perhaps it was necessary to adjust baseline expectations. As fate would have it, Panik managed just one more long ball the rest of the season. A sprained left thumb knocked Panik out of action for more than a month and he later missed a three-week stretch with a groin strain. When on the field, Panik was largely the same player he's always been from a plate-skill standpoint as he finished with an ultra-low K-rate (7.7%) alongside a middling walk rate (6.6%). After that first week, the power was non-existent, even the gap power. His .332 SLG was a career low, and with Panik's BABIP sinking to .265, his average also plummeted. He should be back as the primary second baseman in San Francisco barring a trade, but the total package here is entirely underwhelming.

For the second straight season, Panik lost time due to a concussion, but he avoided injuries otherwise and bounced back from a disappointing 2016 campaign despite having a light-hitting lineup around him. He continues to show a great eye at the plate, maintaining a strikeout rate below 10 percent for the third time in four seasons, and continuing to draw walks at a nice clip (8.0 percent). Most of the improvement last season came with a BABIP (.301) that was nearly in lockstep with his career mark (.299) as his line-drive rate recovered from a one-year drop. Panik doesn't offer much pop or speed, but he's a career .282 hitter with an opportunity to hit near the top of the order in San Francisco. If the Giants find help for their disappointing offense during the offseason, the counting stats could improve and make him a useful middle-infield filler, but the aforementioned limited contributions in homers and steals will leave Panik as a player best utilized in deeper formats.

At first glance it appears that Panik took a huge step back in 2016. His batting average -- considered his greatest asset -- took a dive from .312 in 2015 to .238 last season. Luck played a big role in the steep decline, as his .245 BABIP was nearly 100 points lower than the .343 and .330 marks he had in his rookie and sophomore campaigns respectively. A midseason concussion from a fastball to the head cost Panik a month of playing time, and it took him some time to get comfortable at the plate even after returning from the disabled list. It's encouraging that Panik's 90.0 percent contact rate was right in line with his career marks, and he continued to spray the ball to all fields. His .140 isolated power keeps him in the 30-double and 10- to 15-homer range over the course of a full season. Assuming his BABIP returns to .300-plus range, we could see a bounceback season from Panik in 2017.

Panik put himself on the map with his solid rookie campaign, but he kicked things up a notch in his sophomore season. He had a tremendous first half, hitting .308 and connecting on seven home runs while earning his first All-Star appearance. Things took a turn for the worse when he injured his back in July, effectively ending his season. Still, he showed enough in two-thirds of the season to become fantasy factor at second base. Panik saw his walks increase, his strikeouts decrease and his power round into form (.144 ISO, .455 SLG). With an offseason of rest, Panik should be back on the Giants' Opening Day roster, manning second and batting second while looking to build on his strong 2015.

Panik made the most of his first opportunity in the big leagues, hitting .305/.343/.368 over 287 plate appearances. Batting average was the only category in which he helped fantasy owners, but it was a mark more than 50 points above the league average. His defense will keep him in the field because it is quite strong, but his offensive value will always be capped at three categories. He can hit for average, run a bit and showed enough plate discipline to hit in the second spot of the lineup to help score runs down the line. He has a career line of .296/.365/.403 in the minor leagues, and the 2011 first-round pick looks like a lock to make the 25-man roster, making him a nice endgame target in NL-only leagues.

Panik, San Francisco's 2011 first-round draft pick (29th overall), put up a solid season High-A producing a .297/.368/.402 slash line with seven home runs in 605 plate appearances. His offense took a step back considering his 2011 season in Low-A, which is attributed to a drop in BABIP. Panik does not have much power (.105 ISO), but he has shown a good eye at the plate (9.6 percent walk rate) and only had an 8.9 percent strikeout rate in 2012. Most scouts see him as a future second baseman because of his lack of arm strength and speed.

Panik was taken with the 29th pick of the 2011 draft and he posted a .341/.401/.467 line over 270 at-bats as a 20-year-old in Low-A after joining the Giants organization. He's a long ways from making an impact at the major league level, but held his own during a stint against advanced competition in the Arizona Fall League (.323/.394/.473), although it's unclear if he's more of a utility guy or a possible regular down the road.