“With profound gratitude, I’m saying my retirement from Main League Baseball after 11 seasons,” Zunino says within the put up. “As I replicate on my profession, I’m appreciative of the assist of the baseball neighborhood and those that have guided me alongside the way in which.” He goes on to thank the Mariners, Rays and Guardians, their followers, the MLBPA, staff employees and teammates, in addition to his advisors, representatives and relations. “Whereas my time on the sphere has concluded, my ardour for baseball stays as sturdy as ever, and I eagerly anticipate exploring new avenues to contribute to the game. I’m excited to carry what I’ve discovered within the sport to the following technology of MLB gamers, and to provide again to the sport that has given a lot to me.”
Zunino was a trumpeted prospect over a decade in the past. He was chosen third general by the Mariners within the 2012 draft, with solely Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton going forward of him. He secured a $4M signing bonus and, only a few months later, Baseball America ranked him the No. 1 Mariners’ prospect and the No. 17 prospect in all of baseball going into 2013. He began that yr at Triple-A however was up within the majors by June. He missed a while as a result of a damaged hand and solely obtained into 52 large league video games, hitting simply .214/.290/.329 in that point.
He obtained his first full season within the majors in 2014 and confirmed among the combined outcomes that might go on to be emblems of his profession. One of many positives was his glovework, as he posted eight Defensive Runs Saved that yr. FanGraphs additionally thought-about his framing to be actually sturdy, one of many prime 5 backstops within the majors for the season. On offense, he launched 22 house runs but in addition had some less-exciting parts. His batting common was simply .199 and his on-base proportion solely .254, due to a 3.6% stroll price. He was additionally struck out in 33.2% of his plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ signifies his offense was subpar general however he nonetheless was thought-about to be value 3.8 wins above substitute by FanGraphs, thanks largely to the protection.
Over the following couple of years, his struggles with strikeouts and low batting averages continued and he was optioned to the minors now and again. He appeared to take a step ahead in 2017 when he walked in 9% of his plate appearances and hit 25 house runs. However he nonetheless struck out at a 36.8% price and his outcomes dipped once more in 2018.
Going into 2019, he had two years of membership management remaining however was traded to the Rays as a part of a five-player swap. His first season in Tampa didn’t go particularly effectively, as a quad pressure and an indirect pressure restricted him to only 90 video games through which he hit .165/.232/.312. Within the shortened 2020 season, he missed time as a result of one other indirect pressure and struck out in 44% of his 84 plate appearances throughout 28 video games.
Regardless of the offensive struggles, the Rays clearly valued his protection and work with a pitching employees because the membership went all the way in which to the World Collection in 2020. Zunino reached free company after that however the membership introduced him again through a one-year, $3M cope with a membership choice for 2022.
He can be in arguably the very best type of his profession in 2021. The Rays restricted his workload to 109 video games however he nonetheless managed to launch 33 house runs and make the American League All-Star staff. His strikeout price was nonetheless excessive at 35.2% however he additionally walked at a 9.1% clip. His .216/.301/.559 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 133 and he tallied 4.5 fWAR. That’s simply behind the 4.6 fWAR he produced in 2017, although that was in a bigger pattern of 124 video games.
The membership choice for 2022 got here with a base worth of $4M however had escalators that might push it to $7M if he obtained into 100 video games, which he did. After that monster marketing campaign, the Rays triggered the $7M choice to preserve him round however 2022 turned out to be a irritating yr for him. He hit simply .148/195/.304 by means of 36 earlier than touchdown on the injured checklist and requiring surgical procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome.
The Guardians took a shot on a bounceback, signing Zunino to a one-year, $6M deal for 2023. However Zunino struck out in 43.6% of his plate appearances and was hitting .177/.271/.306 when he was launched in June. He didn’t signal elsewhere within the ultimate months of the season.
Although he clearly had a lopsided profile, Zunino was extremely expert in sure areas. He retires with a .199 batting common and .271 on-base proportion, however he launched 149 house runs and racked up 18.3 fWAR due to 46 Defensive Runs Saved. He was typically cited for his function as a clubhouse chief and will maybe parlay that ability into future teaching alternatives. Based mostly on his retirement assertion, it seems like he could pursue that line of labor in some unspecified time in the future. We at MLBTR salute Zunino on a effective enjoying profession and need him the very best with no matter comes subsequent.
