11 year veteran Mike Zunino announced his retirement from baseball yesterday on Instagram. Well loved in Seattle, the now 32 year old catcher, was drafted by the Mariners as the 3rd overall pick in the 2012 draft.
Zunino had a quick rise to the majors. After he got drafted in 2012, he was able to reach AA in that same year. He made his MLB debut a year after on June 12th as a 22 year old. He went 1-4, collecting a single in the 4th against Jordan Lyles.
In his first full season in 2014, Zunino showed his power. Over 131 games, Zunino hit 22 homeruns and drove in 60.
He followed it up with his worst year as a Mariner, hitting just .174 with a .530 OPS. However, Zunino did show his value as a defensive catcher, collecting 8 Defensive runs saved in 112 big league games.
From his bad 2015, Zunino showed his capabilities in the 3 years after with the Mariners. Good defense with low batting average and on base percentage, with power. In 2016 and 2017, Zunino was an above average major league hitter. In a time where catchers were more valued on defense, being an above average hitter as a catcher was good. Zunino had his best year in 2017, hitting 25 homeruns with a .840 OPS.
In his last season with the Mariners, he couldn’t duplicate his 2017 production. However, still providing power and defense.
Over his Mariners career, Zunino hit .207/.276/.406 with 95 homeruns and 241 runs batted in. But, mainly his value came with defense. In his tenure with the Mariners, Zunino provided 40 DRS, with being an elite framer. Zunino collected 13.6 fWAR in Seattle, so while he probably wasn’t the hitter the Mariners hoped when drafted, he still provided a lot of value for the Mariners in his tenure.
Zunino got traded to the Rays after the 2018 season, where he played for 3 years. He made one all star game in 2021, arguably his best season with a .860 OPS. He ended his major league career in Cleveland in 2023.
Enjoy your retirement Zunino! Forever a Mariner!
