A World Series champion who quietly retired in May of last year has decided to return to the game.
According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports, the San Francisco Giants have hired 2014 World Series champion Joe Panik to a front-office role. Panik, who was named an MLB All-Star in 2015, will serve as a special assistant in player development for the organization where he was an accomplished Gold Glove second baseman for several years.
Panik last played in the majors in 2021 for the Blue Jays and the Marlins, before announcing his retirement at the age of 31 in 2022. Panik made his major league debut with the Giants in 2014 and finished in sixth place in that year’s National League Rookie of the Year voting, as he hit .305/.343/.368 during the 2014 regular season. The following year, Panik hit .312/.378/.455 and found more power with eight home runs and was a National League All-Star.
Panik played most of his career with the Giants, who waived him in August 2019. He finished out the season with the New York Mets and later signed a free-agent deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. The following season, he was traded to the Miami Marlins, where he finished out his MLB playing career. Panik hit .264/.328/.372 with a .700 OPS in 818 career games.
