Now the San Francisco Giants have used their first round pick on shortstop Joe Panik, just how will he fit in the farm system? Let's take a closer look at some of the players he'll be playing with as he makes his way through the Giants minor league affiliates.
Panik likely will start with the Rookie League Giants down in Arizona but will move up to the Single-A Augusta Greenjackets or San Jose Giants after that. There are some solid players at short and second base that Panik will be competing against, such as Ehire Adrianza and Carlos Whilouby in Augusta, and Ryan Cavan and Brandon Crawford (currently with the Giants) in San Jose.
The double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels and triple-A Fresno Giants both are pretty deep at both second and shortstop, and it will be a year or two that Panik makes it to either of those clubs unless he excels rapidly. Nevertheless, It will take a little time before Panik will get his shot with San Francisco, and his tenure in the Giants minor league organization will definitely make him a better player.
We'll be here for the next three days covering the 2011 MLB Draft. For more in-depth discussion about the Giants head to McCovey Chronicles. For more general minor league and draft discussion, check out Minor League Ball and Baseball Nation.