From the time he was drafted in 2011 to the news of his retirement just this week, Dutchess County native and MLB player Joe Panik had quite the career.  He was named to the All-Star team during his first full season in the MLB, won the NL Gold Glove Award, finished sixth on the ballot for the National League Rookie of the Year, oh, and did we mention he was on the World Championship San Fransisco Giants team during his first season, 2014?  Joe Panik has officially retired from baseball.

Christian Petersen/Getty
Christian Petersen/Getty
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Joe Panik, John Jay High School Graduate, Retires From Baseball

Panik graduated from John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction in 2008, and then went on to play baseball at St. John's University before being drafted by the San Fransisco Giants in 2011 as the 29th overall pick, with his big league debut in 2014 as part of the MLB World Series Championship team.  Yahoo Sports reported that Panik 'was a part of baseball's best infields in the middle of the last decade' and that he confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area that his playing days are over. Several reports indicate that Panik said he's loving spending time with his wife Brittany and his seven-month-old daughter Mikayla in the Hudson Valley where they are reported to currently reside.

I feel very blessed for the career I have had and what I was able to accomplish.  Was literally a dream come true.

 

Christian Petersen/Getty
Christian Petersen/Getty
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Panik's MLB Years

While Panik spent much of his professional baseball career with the Giants (2014-2019), he did generate quite a bit of local buzz when he was signed to the Mets in 2019 and got to play in NY for a short time before signing with the Toronto Blue Jays in early 2020.

New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies
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Panik completed his Major League Baseball career in 2021 with the Miami Marlins, was designated for assignment by Miami on October 1st, 2021, and elected free agency just three days later.  NBC Sports reports that Panik finished his eight year career with 42 home runs, and had the sixth lowest strikeout rate among hitters who have debuted in the MLB since 2014.

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