Utility-man role no problem for Panas
ONTARIO PRODUCT: Corner outfielder/infielder carries a potent bat, says he’s willing to learn any position
Connor Panas came to the Vancouver Canadians with a ready made fan base. That included C’s play-by-play man Rob Fai and media relations intern Natalie Scadden. Panas’ father, Rich, is a high school geography teacher in Etobicoke, Ont., and both Fai and Scadden are former students of his.
“I’m not surprised Connor has turned out like this,” said Fai, who remembers the dad as an athletic guy and a baseball umpire in the local ranks. “There have been times where I’ll be around Connor and I’ll feel like I’m back in school again.”
Panas, 22, said of Fai and Scadden remembering his father: “It’s kind of neat. It shows how small the baseball world can be”
There are others with an instant connection to him already here, as well.
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Panas, a left-handed hitter capable of playing the corner spots in both the infield and the outfield, in the ninth round last month after he played four years at Canisius College, an NCAA school in Buffalo, N.Y. Canisius head coach Mike McRae recruits heavily on this side of the border; his 36-man roster for this season included 13 Canadians.
One of them, outfielder Mike Krische, starred with the B.C. Premier League powerhouse Langley Blaze before heading to school in Buffalo. He’s back in town, having completed his four years of eligibility this season, and he was at Nat Bailey Stadium to watch Panas debut with the C’s in a recent home stand against the Spokane Indians.
“It’s cool being out here. I’ve never been to the West Coast, and to get to see my best friend from college while doing this is just surreal,” Panas said.
He has those links to the C’s and the area. He also has a unique tie to the Blue Jays. One of Panas’s best friends and teammates growing up was Casey Fletcher, the son of longtime Blue Jays starting catcher Darrin Fletcher.
They played T-ball and Little League together. When Fletcher retired from the Blue Jays after the 2002 season, the family moved back to Illinois. Casey would eventually wind up at his father’s alma mater, the University of Illinois.
He and Panas have always kept in touch and they have played against each other in various summer circuits, including last year in the Northwoods League, a collegiate all-star loop based largely in Wisconsin and Minnesota that’s similar to the Cape Cod League.
The younger Fletcher hit .326 in 61 games as a senior outfielder with Illinois this season, but he was passed over in the June draft and is playing independent ball in Illinois.
Finding a job in a big-league system is a tricky proposition, and keeping it long term is another thing entirely. Panas seems to get that. He’s already keen on showing that he’s capable of playing a utility-man role.
“Wherever you put me, I’ll just compete,” said the 6-foot, 218 pounder. “The more positions, the better. It gives me a better opportunity to play.
“I’m willing to learn more positions to get my chance.”
Panas hit .391 (9-for-23) in six games with the Blue Jays of the Gulf Coast Rookie League before being assigned to Vancouver. In his first seven games with the C’s, he hit .304 (7-for-23).
With Canisius this season, he finished 30th in the NCAA in average (.372) while also coming in tied for 10th in RBI (68). He hit 11 home runs in his 64 games.
He received compliments from Baseball America in a pre-draft scouting report, which said that he is “as polished as college players come,” and that he makes up “for his lack of plus tools with a lack of weaknesses.”