Joe Panik (2B, SF) - 2015 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~250 Overall in NL Only Leagues

ANALYSIS: Panik, a former first rounder, joined the Giants in June after their experiment with Dan Uggla failed miserably. Panik does nothing special in terms of fantasy and his numbers are dependent on his AVG, but his minor league career shows that he can maintain a .300 AVG and he carries a high OBP (.343 last year). Furthermore, his 11.5% K rate along with his low BB% of 5.6% show he has the discipline to succeed full-time in the two hole for SF.

Panik has reached double digits stolen bases three times in the minors, so expect to see a rise from the doughnut he put up in 2014. Panik will start the year near the bottom of the order, with Aoki likely slotted into the two hole, but all it will take is one Angel Pagan injury for Panik to see time at the top of the lineup. I don’t think Panik will be enough to carry you at 2B in mixed leagues, but I highly recommend grabbing him late for a MI slot or as a cheap alternative in NL-only leagues.