SAN FRANCISCO — Frank Bodner situated himself at Jack Kaier Stadium in the spring of 2009, he set his sights on the St. John's middle infield, and he wondered: Who is that upperclassmen?
"I thought he was a junior or senior, the way he carried himself," Bodner, then a Dodgers associate scout, said Sunday of Joe Panik. "He seemed to automatically get the respect of his teammates."
Five-and-a-half years later, Panik is once again a freshman, this time at baseball's highest level. And once again, it's his composure that most impresses folks around him, as he tries to end his rookie season with a World Series ring.
"He's got that calmness about him that you love," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who also uttered the memorable phrase, "Once he got two or three games under his belt, you could see Panik relax."
"He doesn't take failure [well]," San Francisco center fielder Gregor Blanco said of his clubhouse locker next-door neighbor here at AT&T Park. "He doesn't like to lose."
The soon-to-be 24-year-old (his birthday is Thursday), a native of Yonkers, played a crucial role Saturday in ensuring his team wouldn't lose. Panik came up to bat in three straight innings — the fifth, sixth and seventh. In the fifth, his leadoff double sparked a game-tying, two-run rally. In the sixth, his sacrifice bunt set in motion Pablo Sandoval's two-run, game-winning single. And in the seventh, his two-run double helped turn the game into a blowout, as the Giants eventually prevailed by an 11-4 score.
Joe PanikPhoto: Getty Images
"When the moment gets big, I just tell myself to breathe," Panik, who attended John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction, said late Saturday night. "I can't really let the game get too big. Sometimes, you can try to do too much, but when that happens, you have to tell yourself get back to the basics of what makes you you. I feel like I was able to do that tonight."
Bodner, who lives in Long Island and now works as a consultant for high school baseball players — his venture is called The College Ball Game — filed a positive report on Panik for the 2011 amateur draft. The Dodgers used their first-round pick, 16th overall, on Stanford left-hander Chris Reed, who is already 24 and has yet to pitch in the major leagues. Thirteen picks later, the Giants selected Panik with their first pick.
But Bodner wasn't sore that the Dodgers didn't pop Panik so early. Actually, Bodner admitted, "I was surprised he went that high." John DiCarlo, the Giants scout who knew Panik the best, recently admitted to The Post's Joel Sherman that San Francisco received much grief from other organization about this pick.
Joe Panik (left) and Brandon Crawford high five after Game 4 of the World Series.Photo: AP
When the Giants' other second-base options — a list of names including 2012 postseason hero Marco Scutaro (back injury) and former Marlin and Brave Dan Uggla (released) — fizzled in 2014, however, the club turned to Panik, who had tallied a .321/.382/.447 slash line in 74 games with Triple-A Fresno. And Panik put up a .305/.343/.368 line in 73 major-league games while playing mediocre defense.
It isn't All-Star vintage, and a team couldn't make the World Series by copy-and-pasting Panik eight times and placing him around the diamond and up and down the lineup. On a deep Giants roster, though, a minimum-waged Panik brings considerable value.
"He's a great defender, but he gives you a good at-‑bat, lefty or righty [pitcher]," Bochy said of the lefty hitter. "It's a simple swing, but he doesn't try to do too much up there. He can do little things. You can bunt him. But he's, I think, a tough guy to pitch to because of the short swing."
Bodner said that watching Panik in college reminded him of another St. John's product who eventually played for the Giants — Rich Aurilia. They have similarly quiet demeanors, Bodner said.
Aurilia played shortstop for the pennant-winning 2002 Giants, and he bounced around before ending his career with the 2009 Giants. The next season, San Francisco won its first World Series title since 1954, when the Giants played in New York.
This time, the Giants hope they can reward St. John's for its contribution by going all the way, thanks in no small part to the contributions from their top freshman.
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