Joe Panik won’t sweat the ‘panic’ puns
ST. LOUIS — Rookie second baseman Joe Panik has heard the jokes before, and seen the signs that fans make:
“Panik attack.”
“Nobody Panik!”
“Giants push the Panik button”
“Panik! at the Frisco”
And yet, the youngest player in the San Francisco Giants starting lineup doesn’t freak out about the natural tendency some people might have to poke fun at his Slovak last name. Panik, actually, might have been the calmest person in the room as the Giants prepared to work out at Busch Stadium on Friday evening in advance of the start of the National League Championship Series.
“There’s other things to get tired about or worried about,” Panik said. “I enjoy it. People can have a little fun.
“I see a lot of, ‘We’re in a State of Panik.’ The simplest one is ‘Don’t Panik.’ That’s the one I’d probably say I’ve gotten a little tired of.”
Panik’s numbers — a .305 batting average with .343 on-base in 287 plate appearances don’t blow anyone away, but they don’t have to, because that’s not what the Giants need him for as a rookie. He just needs to play a strong second base while getting on base as much as possible. The Giants tried several other players at second after Marco Scutaro got hurt, but Panik has done by far the best job, stabilizing the starting lineup.
“He actually doesn’t panic out there,” teammate Brandon Belt said. “I don’t think anyone on our team does. And maybe that’s helped us these past few games.”
Nobody panic, because Joe’s got this. Oh, it happened again.
“Honestly, I don’t get tired of it,” Panik said. “I feel, like, especially now, going through the minor leagues into the major leagues, you get to see new signs, new sayings and new people. I actually enjoy it, because it helps people remember your name — if that makes sense.”
Although he’s not producing quite like teammate Buster Posey did when he was a rookie, Panik does hear that he bears a resemblance to the Giants catcher.
“Sometimes, even the girlfriend thinks it, on TV, maybe from the back of the head,” Panik said.
And while they’re not twins, they could be… related? It’s something Panik has heard ever since the Giants took him 29th overall in 2011 out of St. John’s.
“Oh, yeah,” Panik said. “Going back, even when I first got drafted in 2011, going to spring trainings, I get it all of the time. Even in uniform. We have different numbers and people still think I’m him. I guess it must be the back or side profile. Listen, I’m not going to complain. I feel bad for Buster. I don’t mind being mixed up with him.”
Posey cracked wise, saying he doesn’t take it as a compliment that some think he looks like Panik.
“Would you?” Posey said.
Others in the Giants clubhouse weren’t sure about Panik’s supposition.
“He does?!” Ryan Vogelsong said.
“I don’t think they look alike,” Hunter Pence said. “I think more [Jean] Machi and Pablo [Sandoval]” might.”
Belt, who said he frequently gets mixed up with Vogelsong out in public, hadn’t noticed the Panik-Posey resemblance.
“I guess since you mentioned it, I can see it a little bit,” Belt said. “And I get mistaken for someone else. I get called ‘Ryan’ quite a bit and he gets called ‘Brandon’ quite a bit. It happens.
“And if I go 0 for 4, I don’t correct anybody who calls me ‘Brandon.’ I just act like I’m Ryan and I go on.”
Panik won’t be assuming Posey’s identity, but he does think Posey sets a good example to follow.
“Everybody knows what Buster did as a rookie,” Panik said. “As a young guy, you try to look at the way he acts and plays. He’s someone to learn from.”
Buster doesn’t panic, either.
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David Brown is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter!
