San Francisco Giants: Best and Worst Hitters and Pitchers of June

Despite being second on the team in June with 90 at-bats, Panik posted a pretty abysmal .671 OPS. He has hit to the tune of a .233 average and only had 8 extra base hits over the month, which led to a measly .344 SLG.

I think it’s fair to assume the second baseman is still dealing with some kinks or shaking off some rust from the left thumb injury he suffered at the end of May. A thumb injury can zap a lot of bat speed and resulting power from the hitter, so there stands to be plenty of room for improvement in that department.

He was basically activated May 31st from the injury and has played in every game but three since, so some growing pains should have been expected.

After notching 6 hits in his first three games of the month, he went on to get just 4 hits in his next ten games. However afterward, he seems to be consistently reaching base at a better clip, and even ended the month with his first home run since his return from the DL.

On another bright note, Panik’s eye seems to be as good as it has ever been. He has an elite 7:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, resulting in a floor that is plenty high for a hitter in his role.

Honorable Mentions: 1B Brandon Belt (.682 OPS, 2 HR, 6 RBI), OF Mac Williamson (.509 OPS, 1 HR, 3 RBI)

I feel bad putting both of these guys up here because they both had to deal with injuries and barely crossed the 50 at bat threshold. Belt did post just a .682 OPS with a .226 AVG and only 2 home runs, but he seems to certainly be rounding into form as we head into July.

Williamson, on the other hand, was so ineffective coming back from his concussion that he now finds himself back in Sacramento trying to find his swing. He was a breath of fresh air earlier in the season though, so I’m hoping he makes his way back at some point to give this lineup some more thump.