Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Panik hasn’t, well, panicked. The numbers he pays attention to have told him his luck would turn.
Perhaps it has.
The Giants second baseman is amid a second straight down season, entering Saturday’s action slashing .238/.318/.333. The fall of the Giants has coincided with the fall of Panik, who has seven home runs in 619 at-bats the last season and a half.
His BABIP is also down, signaling balls haven’t been falling. What is up, though, is his hard-hit percentage, which Fangraphs records at 38 percent.
“I know for me, my hard-hit percentage is up. It’s the highest it’s been in my career,” Panik told KNBR before the Giants hosted the Diamondbacks. “So that’s what I’m looking at. So, stay the course.”
Last season, the number was at 31 percent — also a then-career high. His low exit velocity reflects the fact he’s 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and isn’t the slugger made for this era.
But if he keeps putting bat on ball with authority, he thinks it’ll keep turning. In a short sample size, he’s 5-for-15 with two doubles and a triple in his past five games.
“I’ve had some good at-bats recently,” said the 28-year-old. “Just gotta keep the good feeling going. Nothing’s really different, just working with our hitting guys.”
As the balls haven’t found grass enough, Bruce Bochy has lowered him in the lineup, batting eighth Saturday and at the bottom of the order in four of five games.
He said his approach mostly stays the same no matter where he comes up.
“Down in the order, you’re trying to turn the lineup over. So for me, really nothing much different,” Panik said. “Maybe allows me to be a little more aggressive — more runners on base being down in the order versus at the top. But it really doesn’t change.”
Steven Duggar will play five innings Saturday at Triple-A Sacramento as his rehab assignment begins. It’ll be upped to seven innings Sunday as the Giants increase his workload.
“We just talked about some things as he goes down there,” Bochy said. “Things we want him to work on. Think he’s excited to get back to playing.”
Starting Sunday, the Giants will see four straight lefties. That’s Tyler Austin music you’re hearing.
“He’s probably been waiting for a string of lefties to be honest,” Bochy said. “Even with the lefties, I’ll put some of these left-handers against them.”
Bochy referenced Alex Dickerson and “maybe even Pablo” Sandoval who still will see at-bats.