Adjusting to hitting 8th instead of 2nd
The Giants won a World Series with Joe Panik batting second. He entered the season as a .280 career hitter with a .343 on-base percentage. As a left-handed batter, he seems a prototypical No. 2 hitter.
In the Giants’ 2017 Opening Day lineup, their second baseman hit eighth.
That might become the norm as manager Bruce Bochy leans on Brandon Belt (.359 career OBP, .394 last season) in the second slot behind Denard Span.
“Hitting eighth and hitting second is a little different,” Panik said Saturday on the eve of the opener. “Hitting second, you can be a little more patient. Hitting eighth, you have to be kind of selective aggressive, knowing the pitcher is behind you.
“You might get that one pitch to hit, you might not. You just have to be ready for it. It’s a learning process.”
Panik received some insight from Brandon Crawford, who has considerable experience hitting eighth, especially early in his career. With the pitcher on deck, it can be frustrating seeing few hittable pitches.
There might be just one per at-bat. Or none. Well, unless Madison Bumgarner is on deck.
“It might be the first pitch of the at-bat. It might be the fifth or whatever,” Panik said. “Craw said you just have to be ready. Don’t overthink it.”
On Sunday, Panik drove in the Giants’ first run of the season, his sacrifice fly to center scoring Eduardo Nuñez. It came with one out in the second inning, and Arizona’s Zack Greinke wasn’t necessarily pitching around him with Bumgarner up next.
With any other pitcher on deck, Panik might not see the pitches he saw Sunday. Bumgarner drew a walk, and Span was retired to end the inning.
Bumgarner lined a homer to left in his next plate appearance and homered again in the seventh.
Panik led off the ninth with a triple to center and scored the go-ahead run.
Panik, who struggled in the second half last year after sustaining a concussion, doesn’t take the switch as a demotion as much as an opportunity.
“Every spot in the order has its importance,” he said. “For me, I’m definitely going to get some opportunities to drive in runs down in the order. In this game, you either want to score runs or drive in runs. No matter what, you’re going to have an opportunity to do that.
“And hitting eighth, it’s important to turn the lineup over. Get on base so the pitcher gets up (and isn’t leading off the following inning). Like I said, every spot has its importance.”
Through it all, Panik said he’s not concerned with where he bats in the lineup.
“You’re still going up there swinging a bat, trying to hit a ball,” he said. “It’s not like I’m becoming a left-handed relief specialist.”