PCL notes: It is a good time to Panik

The conventional wisdom is that all the good baseball players come from the Sun Belt states, from California to Florida.

Joe Panik, then, is a bit of an anomaly. The Yonkers, New York, native was a standout at St. John's, not a traditional baseball power. Still, he did more than enough to become the San Francisco Giants' first-round pick in 2011.

Since being drafted, Panik has continued to excel, reaching Triple-A in his third full season. He is currently ranked as San Francisco's No. 14 prospect.

"So far it's been good, everything's going well," Panik said. "The pitching here is definitely a step up from Double-A. I've made the adjustments. Travel has been good. It's been a lot of fun so far."

Panik has hit .344 with one home run and 18 RBIs through 31 games with the Fresno Grizzlies. He has played 19 games at second base and 10 at shortstop this year. (He also has made two pinch-hitting appearances.) The Giants have the slick-fielding Brandon Crawford locked in at shortstop, while their second-base situation has been unsettled.

"I'm comfortable at second right now," Panik said. "I feel good at both short and second. That makes me versatile going forward [and] hopefully that benefits me being comfortable at both."

The Giants have been without second baseman Marco Scutaro all season due to injury, but they have plugged the hole with veterans Brandon Hicks and Joaquin Arias. Panik said he is not bothered by still being in the Minors.

"I'm just worrying about what I can control," he said. "Right now that's just getting better at the plate, in the field and everything else will take care of itself. I'm not really worried about what's going on up there."

Panik only hit .257 with four homers and 57 RBIs last year at Double-A Richmond, a well-known hitters' graveyard. He has managed to benefit from the PCL's more hitter-friendly ballparks.

"Right now, I think I'm locked in," he said. "I've got a good approach going right now. I'm in a good place, I've really quieted things down, simplified things and I think that's what's helping me so far. Right now I'm in a good spot mentally."

Panik said he has enjoyed visiting the western half of the country, with plenty of first-time visits to the other PCL cities.

"We were just in El Paso, Texas, and I had never been there," Panik said. "Albuquerque, the same thing. I've never been to this part of the country. It's good to get to experience all the different parts [of America]."

In brief

Not easy in Big Easy: New Orleans center fielder Jake Marisnick has been fighting to get on track with the bat all season, and he's showing some signs of finding his swing. Marisnick went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs on Thursday and then went 2-for-4 with a run and a double Friday.

Whistling Wisler: El Paso's rotation is about to get a big boost in the form of right-hander Matt Wisler, the Padres' No. 3 prospect. Wisler has gone 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA in six starts at Double-A San Antonio and is scheduled to make his Triple-A debut tonight.

Rain, rain, go away: The Tacoma Rainiers have not been fans of Mother Nature so far this season. They have had seven games postponed by rain, all at home, including Saturday's game against Las Vegas. Sunday's makeup game was suspended and then the regularly scheduled game was postponed as well.