2015 San Francisco Giants report card (Part I): Infielders edition

June 26, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik (12) hits a double during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

#12 Joe Panik (B-)

If it wasn’t for the injury problem this year, I would have been more than happy to give the 2015 All Star a deserved (A) grade. Unfortunately, injuries and how teams are able to succumb to these injuries are for real. At one point Panik was battling for being the NL hits leader this year, but his back injuries limited him to just 100 games, and, although Kelby Tominson did a nice job filling in, it was too too big a challenge for the Giants to fill that role. If Panik can get healthy this offseason, hopefully we can expect another solid performance for the full 162 games next year.

Final Statistics:

100 Games, 381 at-bats, .312/.378/.455/.833, 119 hits, 8 home runs, 37 RBIs, 27 doubles, 59 runs, 3.3 WAR, and 2015 NL All Star

#37 Kelby Tomlinson (A-)

Perhaps second to only Matt Duffy for being the biggest surprise was Kelby Tomlinson. Tomlinson quickly became a fan favorite with his nerdy glasses look and his play on the field. What I thought was the turning point for him this season was his walk-off base-hit against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 28th. Sure, he was already showing he could handle big league pitching, but this moment instilled true belief and confidence among the teammates and coaches for Tomlinson.

Amazing to think that Tomlinson began this year down in Double-AA Richmond and now is considered a huge producer in the Giants lineup. As mentioned before, Tomlinson may be getting his work in the outfield next year to possibly challenge Pagan for the starting centerfield job next year.

Final Statistics:

54 Games, 178 at-bats, .303/.358/.404/.762, 2 home runs (1 inside-the-park), 20 RBIs, 6 doubles, 54 hits, 5 stolen bases, 23 runs, 1.0 WAR.

Next: Third Base