The Cleveland Guardians have agreed to terms with veteran catcher Mike Zunino. The news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal is for one year and $6 million. This gives the Guardians an experienced backstop. He has the ability to be a valuable asset both on the field and in the clubhouse. The Guardians were in need of help behind the plate. They also needed someone who can put the ball in play, which is something that Mike Zunino is known to do.
Mike Zunino’s Disappointing 2022 Season
The former No. 3 overall draft pick (Seattle Mariners, 2012) has batted under .200 in five of his ten major league seasons, though he’s partially offset his penchant for strikeouts with strong glove work and enormous power. For a catcher in his early thirties, this comes as no surprise. Catching is one of the most demanding jobs in the game of baseball. To be as good at the plate as one is behind it is incredibly difficult.
As far as defense goes, Mike Zunino is slightly above average. Behind the plate, Zunino holds a career caught-stealing mark of 28%. It sits narrowly ahead of the 27% league average during his time as a major league catcher. As refreshing as this new start will be for him, Zunino does have some big shoes to fill. He’ll be replacing free agent Austin Hedges, who is among the best defensive catchers in Major League Baseball. Zunino, however, gets on base more than Hedges.
Mike Zunino’s Resume
Mike Zunino has four 20-homer seasons on his resume. He is consistently among the leaders in max exit velocity. Conversely, he has been near or at the top in strikeout rate in multiple seasons. He has an 85 OPS+ since joining the Tampa Bay Rays prior to 2019. Zunino played in 263 of a possible 546 regular-season games during that four-season span and struck out in nearly 40 percent of his 789 at-bats.
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