The View From Behind The Plate: Zunino Born To Catch
Friday, April 29, 2011 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Most kids his age back then had Beanie Babies, Furby, Teletubbies, Lego Robot's Revenge or some other popular toy on their Christmas wish list.
Not Mike Zunino.
The Gators' sophomore catcher hoped for a different kind of gift under the Christmas tree when he was 6.
“I wanted a whole set of catching gear,'' Zunino said.
Sounded like a future ballplayer for sure to Zunino's dad, Greg, a longtime area scout for the Reds who also worked for the Marlins and the Expos when they were in Montreal. When Zunino was growing up in Cape Coral, he would sometimes tag along as his dad went to games to scout a potential draft pick.
According to Greg, one day his only son decided that his favorite player was Charles Johnson, a former All-Star catcher and a key piece to the Marlins team that won the 1997 World Series. At least that's the first time Greg Zunino remembers Mike showing a deeper interest in arguably the game's toughest position.
“He's always observed the game a lot,'' Greg said. “I think that's one of his best assets.''
Zunino got a catcher's mitt and a full set of catching gear that Christmas and refused to take it off for a while. When he started playing Little League, Zunino spent a lot of time at shortstop before finally moving back behind the plate in junior high.
“I just loved it,'' he said. “I've always enjoyed playing catcher.''
Zunino hasn't moved since, developing into one of Florida's most important players and a candidate for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation's top college catcher. Zunino leads the Gators with a .587 slugging percentage, is second with a .364 batting average, and he has scored a team-high 43 runs.
Zunino also has seven home runs and 31 RBIs, both good for second on the club. Not bad for a player known more for his defense behind the plate than his prowess at it – Zunino hit .267 as a freshman with nine home runs and 41 RBIs, earning a starting spot in large part due to his high baseball IQ and defensive ability.
While Zunino's offensive production has increased, his defense behind the plate has been better than ever, highlighted by a .997 fielding percentage and just one error in 41 games.
“He has been swinging the bat really well for us,” Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said during Florida's three-game sweep of Alabama last weekend. “His bat is a plus, but he is the player who he is because he can separate his offense from his defense. He has been outstanding since day one defensively.”
A catcher at Virginia in college, O'Sullivan's comfort level with Zunino has grown enough to allow him to call more games than a year ago. Zunino enjoys the added responsibility and working closely with one of the country's top starting rotations in Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson, Karsten Whitson and Alex Panteliodis.
“Being able to work with them and piece together at-bats and how to pitch guys is a lot of fun,'' he said. “It's unbelievable, just the arms we have. Everyone we bring in, there is so much confidence in them.''
The Gators open a three-game home series on Friday against Ole Miss as they try to maintain pace in a tight SEC East race with Vanderbilt and defending national champion South Carolina. To do so, Zunino must play a key role as he did in last weekend's sweep of Alabama.
In the second game of the series – a 9-2 Florida win – Zunino went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. In a 2-1 win over the Crimson Tide on Sunday, Zunino worked diligently behind the plate in 90-degree heat as Whitson and three relievers combined to finish of the sweep in a tightly contested game throughout.
Zunino has many qualities that often shine through in elite catchers, including a thoughtful approach to the game based on his unique view from behind the plate. He and O'Sullivan spent a lot of time talking about pitching and the nuances of the position. With more experience has come more confidence in talking to the pitchers about their different approaches on the mound.
“I've always liked to think about a lot of situations,'' he said. “I just try to take different approaches mentally. I think being a catcher is more about helping the pitcher than anything.''
And when he has time, Zunino and his dad still talk baseball the way they did on those drives home after Mike's games in Little League and high school. Greg played at California in college and was a 31st-round draft pick of the Yankees in 1981. He spent two seasons in the minors as an outfielder – reminding Mike often that in 1982 at Class-A Fort Lauderdale he didn't commit a single error.
Asked to break down his son's game, Greg offered the following scouting report:
“His knowledge of the game is probably his greatest asset. He just observes a lot. He knows what's going on at all times. A lot of people are surprised by his hitting. I don't get it. I've always thought he's had good power at the plate.
“There is no doubt about his receiving ability if he has a chance to go on and play at a higher level. He has the defensive skills and he is catching pitchers with next-level ability, so that obviously helps.”
One of Greg's favorite stories about his son's baseball IQ happened when Mike showed up for his first T-ball practice. By that time, he had been to enough ballparks with Greg to know that teams take infield practice before games to loosen up and get their gloves warmed up.
With practice about to start, Mike asked the coach: “Where do we take infield?'' He also wanted to know if he could catch, but of course, in T-ball there is no catcher or infield practice.
Those came later. What hasn't changed for Zunino is his outlook. He still shows up to each Florida practice with the same mindset he did as a 6-year-old getting ready for his first T-ball practice.
“I still feel like I have a lot to prove,'' he said. “I just come in every day and try to work as hard as I can. You try to take something from every day and just learn from it.''
Spoken like a true ballplayer, the kind scouts love.
