San Francisco Giants: Who Plays Second Base if Panik Goes?

The San Francisco Giants could soon have another hole in their lineup while filling a different one, with the possibility that Joe Panik gets traded.

The San Francisco Giants are still chasing Giancarlo Stanton, and with a resolution to the saga expected in the coming days, the team will soon know if he will patrol right field in 2018 or not. If they do acquire the premier slugger, the question becomes “who will play second base?”. Joe Panik‘s name has been involved in trade talks with the Miami Marlins, and he is one of the team’s most valuable assets when it comes to a trade.

Let’s start off with a disclaimer. Marlins’ beat writer Craig Mish, who has been the go-to guy for information during the Stanton saga, tweeted on Sunday night that he doesn’t believe Panik is part of the deal. While that is good news for Panik fans, it doesn’t mean he is completely safe, both in this potential trade and in any future trades that could take place.

If Panik does end up on the move, that creates another hole in the Giants’ lineup. That hole could immediately be filled in the potential Stanton trade, as the possibility still exists that Dee Gordon could come to San Francisco in the deal. That would be another money-shedding move by the Marlins, and give the Giants their everyday second baseman and the most likely option for leadoff hitter.

But again, let’s say that doesn’t happen, and Panik goes to Miami without Gordon going the other way. The free agent market is a bit thin for second baseman, but the top guy at the position is Brandon Phillips.

The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover is nearing the end of his career at age 36 (37 next June), but is still coming off a rather solid season with the bat in 2017. With the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels, he hit .285/.319/.416 with 34 doubles, 13 home runs, and 60 RBI to go with a 93 wRC+. His defense hasn’t been at a Gold Glove level in recent years, as 2017 was his second straight year with negative DRS and UZR/150 numbers.

Phillips could probably be had for a relatively cheap deal, but might be best utilized in a more part-time role at this point in his career. Howie Kendrick is another free agent option, but like Phillips, could be best-suited in a role-player type role, taking spot starts at second base and left field while serving as a solid option off the bench, at this point.

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If the Giants want to stay within the organization to fill the position, they have options. The one that comes to mind first is Kelby Tomlinson. The 27-year-old has filled in admirably over the last two seasons as a utility infielder (and emergency outfielder), all while bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors because of his options.

In 2017, he established himself as an excellent option off the bench, hitting .295 with five of his 11 RBI in 50 plate appearances as a pinch hitter. However, he hasn’t found himself as a regular fixture in the starting lineup since his first big league call-up in 2015, when he filled in almost every day while Panik was sidelined.

Tomlinson is a good hitter with great bat control, able to slap the ball to all fields to beat defenses. Those kinds of hitters have always been welcome in the Giants’ lineup, but Tomlinson has a complete lack of power. He’s hit three home runs in 535 big league plate appearances, one of which was of the inside-the-park variety, (but one of those is off Clayton Kershaw, though) and eight in 2,255 minor league plate appearances.

That’s bad news for a team that’s looking for more pop, although it would be a lot easier to handle with Stanton in the mix. His speed would certainly play in an everyday role, and he’d likely be the best base-stealing threat the team has had in a few years. Defensively, Tomlinson has definitely improved since his earliest days as a big leaguer and wouldn’t be a liability as a regular.

Another option is Christian Arroyo, who was drafted as a shortstop and pegged as the third-baseman of the future after the Matt Duffy trade. He did play a bit of second base in his first major league call-up, and looked just fine defensively at the position.

He’s had a rough go of things since getting called up, first going through a slump, then getting demoted back to Triple-A, and then not getting a chance to come back because of an injury. The broken hand required another surgery this offseason, cutting short his winter ball opportunity and rendering him unable to make up for lost at-bats.

Arroyo is still considered one of the team’s best hitting prospects, and if his minor league track record is any indication, he will figure out big league pitching given time. However, with his lack of playing time over the past six months or so, the team could find it necessary to send him back to Triple-A to start 2018.

If they are intent on pushing Arroyo next year, the Giants could keep their plan of having Arroyo take over at third base while Tomlinson plays second, filling two positions internally without having to drop more cash.

Another option, though a bit more outside the box, is Miguel Gomez. The 24-year-old Dominican was brought to the big league directly from Double-A, and proved to be a fairly capable bat despite the big jump. He was a good pinch-hitter that made solid contact, but didn’t show himself to be a very patient hitter, taking no walks in 34 plate appearances.

Defense has always been a question for Gomez, but in his short stint as a big leaguer, looked okay at second base. It was a very small sample size, however, and his track record isn’t in his favor. Slotting him at second base would be a big push for this young man.

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This is all speculation. No one is certain if the Giants will get Stanton at this point, and no one can be certain that Panik will be involved in the potential trade. The possibility does exist, and if Panik does wear another uniform next season, the Giants have options to fill the position.

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