Florida Gators
South Carolina
Zunino locked in on present amidst chatter about his life-is-good future
Friday, May 11, 2012 | Baseball, Women's Swimming & Diving, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's good to be Gators junior catcher Mike Zunino these days.
Zunino is the reigning SEC Player of the Year on a team that many expect to challenge for the national title later this summer in Omaha.
Zunino is also projected as one of the top five picks in June's MLB Draft. And if that is not enough in the life-is-good department, Zunino is getting married this fall.
Asked about his upcoming nuptials on Thursday, Zunino admitted his fiancée is planning most of the wedding as he focuses on baseball.
"I'm into it,'' he said. "I've seen the church and stuff like that. I'm sort of kicking back and enjoying the season. I did have a say-so in the color scheme. We're doing classic black-and-white.”
What is not as black-and-white is Zunino's future. He has a lot of options.
In Baseball America's first mock draft released on Thursday, Zunino is projected to go to Seattle with the third overall pick.
Regardless of where Zunino is picked or which team takes him, he will be a multi-millionaire later this summer if he chooses to sign a professional contract.
Of course, depending on how Florida's season plays out, there is always the chance Zunino returns to school for his final season of eligibility. While the rest of the SEC might try to veto that option, Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan would roll out the red carpet.
“He is the best catcher in the country,'' O'Sullivan said. “I think that will show obviously when the draft comes around. He's a tremendous player, tremendous kid, great work ethic, a great leader. He's the total package.”
For now, Zunino prefers talking more about the Gators than his future. Time will take care of that part of the equation.
While his life might seem complicated to outsiders, Zunino said Thursday that it's actually the opposite.
"It's really easy. Everything is separated enough,'' he said of all the upcoming events. "Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win the SEC and the national championship and we're still focused on that. The draft is an afterthought. That is something that is going to come and however it falls it falls.
"Getting married is a decision I wanted to make. That is nothing I would ever regret. It's the same thing that anyone else is going through. I enjoy every game I play here.”
Zunino is having another strong season, hitting .328 entering this weekend's three-game series against Mississippi State. He also remains a strong defensive presence and game-caller behind the plate.
Zunino leads the Gators with 12 home runs – tied with teammate Preston Tucker – 45 RBIs, 21 doubles, 117 total bases and a .639 slugging percentage.
The only downside is Zunino's .244 average against SEC pitching. If he can improve upon that in the final stretch of the regular season and SEC Tournament, the Gators' lineup will be that much more dangerous.
Zunino is coming off one of his biggest at-bats of the season. His walk-off double in Tuesday's 4-3 win over North Florida gave the Gators three wins in four games. Zunino shredded Mississippi State pitching a year ago, hitting .467 (14-for-30) with three home runs and 10 RBIs in seven games.
O'Sullivan has handled the draft buzz around Zunino the way he does all his players. There is a time and place to address the future, but right now, O'Sullivan said the Gators need to focus on the present to accomplish their goals.
“This is not the time of year to be talking about it a whole lot,'' O'Sullivan said Thursday. "We've got a lot of things on our plate. There are still a lot of things we want to accomplish as a team. There will be a time and place for it.
"Our sport is different because the draft is right there at the end of the year and you're trying to win a regional and trying to win an SEC championship. You've got all this draft stuff going on, too. It's a delicate balance, but we've got a great bunch of kids that have handled it great all year."
