Zunino Signs, Seattle Overspends On Draft

As predicted, the Mariners cup hath runneth over. The $4 million administered to Zunino pushed Seattle over the reccomended pool for the top ten picks. The Zunino signing pushes Seattle’s budget into the red by $36,600, which is just the numerical value for now. 8th round selection, Nick Halamandaris, still remains unsigned and while there has been no inclination to his desire to sign a contract, a signing will likley push Seattle even further into debt and further elevating the 75% tax penalties.

All things considered, $27,450 can be found underneath the proverbial couch cushion that is the Seattle Mariners bank funds, so even though they will inccur a pentalty next season, in the grand scheme of things this will have little to no effect on the 2013 draft. This tax is chump change.

Zunino will start the season in Everett for the Aquasox, which is a little lower than most expected. If he proves capable with the bat, he won’t stay long and figures to move up to Clinton and High Desert if not this season, next.

As previously stated, Zunino will move as quickly as his bat will carry him, his defense isn’t going to need much work, though I suppose he’ll be receiving a whole new plethora of talent behind the plate. Zunino will be exposed to a new level of talent and there will be a learning curve when it comes to catching what will be a whole new breed of breaking pitches for him. Regardless, there has been nothing but rave reviews regarding his leadership and defense, so it shouldn’t take too long for the organizations newest catcher to get a handle on things. How well Zunino will handle pro pitching has yet to be seen, but we shouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out.

Whether you liked the pick or not, Zunino is now a Mariner, and now we all have to wish him the best. Seattle is now the proud owner of a defensive first catcher, who isn’t worthless at the plate and that has become a rare breed these days. The Mariners may have overspend on the class this year, but they have found a system that nearly works. The fund system for the top 10 picks has now had a flaw exposed. If Seattle can work out the kinks of their system on future draft classes, this new CBA won’t have such a massive effect on a teams ability to acquire talent in the draft, though the overall talent of future drafts is still likely to suffer.