The SF Giants have two familiar championship-era faces helping shape what comes next in Arizona.
According to a recent report by Andrew Baggarly in The Athletic, Travis Ishikawa is working with hitters in the Arizona Complex League, while Joe Panik is also spending time there with young players. For Giants fans, those names still carry plenty of weight: Ishikawa is the man behind that unforgettable blast in 2014, and Panik’s five-and-flip in Game 7 is the kind of play that sticks for decades.
That matters now because the Giants’ best young talent is in the same pipeline. Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernandez are San Francisco’s top two prospects, per MLB Pipeline, and they’re only 18 and 17 years old. Their development is still wide open, but having experienced hands around them gives the organization a real advantage as they learn the basics of pro ball.
Baggarly’s piece had a few especially good details, including Hernandez making an impressive sliding play in the infield and former Giant Shawon Dunston saying, “Panik taught him that.”
Ishikawa and Panik have both stayed connected to the organization since their playing days ended. Ishikawa has worked as a hitting coach for the Single-A San Jose Giants, while Panik has been around spring training helping young infielders with their form.
That fits with the broader direction under president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who has leaned on former teammates and ex-Giants in meaningful ways. Javier Lopez and Curt Casali have joined the front office, and former players have remained a regular presence in Scottsdale during spring training.
It’s a noticeable change from the previous regime, and it gives Giants fans a bridge between the championship years they still remember and the future they’re hoping to see take shape. There are no guarantees with prospects, and Ishikawa is proof that a player’s road can go in plenty of directions. But it’s easy to appreciate the idea of those two playoff heroes helping pass along what they know to the next wave of Giants talent.
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