Mariners News: Mike Zunino Hits Rough Patch in Tacoma

After a promising start to the 2016 season, Mike Zunino has gone cold in Tacoma.

Mike Zunino was incredible last month for the Tacoma Rainiers, but the Mariners former everyday catcher has gone off the rails in recent weeks. Overall, Zunino is still having a remarkable season with the Rainiers, but his poor play since the calendar flipped to May is slightly concerning.

Over his last 15 games Zunino has hit just .179 with 1 home run, 1 RBI and 5 runs scored. Compare those numbers to his first 21 games when he hit .397 with 8 home runs, 24 RBI and 20 runs scored for Tacoma.

Despite his recent dry spell, Z remains one of the most productive backstops in the Pacific Coast League. He has hit safely in 26 of his 36 games this season en route to slashing .306/.361/.575 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI. He has doubled 9 times, struck out 26 times and worked 9 free passes in 147 plate appearances. He is essentially a lock to be a PCL All-Star this summer.

Zunino received an extended look with the Mariners this spring in Arizona. The former top prospect struggled with the stick, slashing .158/.227/.263 through 19 Cactus League at bats. Mike Z contributed 1 triple and drove in a pair of runs across 9 games.

The 25-year-old had a horrifying season with the Mariners in 2015. Zunino posted a .174 batting average with 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 28 RBI across 112 games. He improved slightly following the hiring of Edgar Martinez, but the Mariners decided to demote him to Tacoma at the end of August. Zunino excelled in his brief time in the Pacific Coast League, posting a .317 average with 3 home runs and 8 RBI.

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Following the season, the Mariners sent Zunino to the Instructional League in Arizona to overhaul his swing. It is very disappointing that Zunino’s career has essentially been derailed because of Jack Zduriencik’s lack of patience. Through 295 games with the Mariners, Zunino is hitting a modest .193 with 38 home runs and 102 RBI.

Zunino’s offensive production at the big league level has been underwhelming, but his work behind the plate has been very impressive. He is wise beyond his years the it comes to working with the pitching staff and framing pitches. Zunino has gunned down 28% percentage of potential base stealers during his three-year career. There is little doubt that Mike Z has a chance to develop into a gold glove backstop.

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I would not be surprised to see Mike Zunino spend the entire season with the Rainiers. There is obviously a chance that he hits his way back onto the roster or is promoted due to injury. However, I think Dipoto wants to give Zunino as much time as necessary to develop before throwing him to the wolves at Safeco Field.