Mariners minor-league update: Mike Zunino cools off in Triple-A
May 17, 2016, 2:12 PM
Mike Zunino was the PCL's player of the month in April but is struggling in May. (AP)
(AP)
After winning PCL player of the month honors for April, Mike Zunino has had a very different May. He’s batting .167/.237/.333 this month, striking out 11 times in 54 at bats. A downward trend, yes, but an opportunity for development.
As much the Mariners enjoyed seeing Zunino’s success, they also felt it was important to see how he works through a struggle. He now has that opportunity, an opportunity that is made better for the player as he can work through his slump in a place where he can focus more on himself and not have his struggles impact the big league team. A necessary step in his continued development.
Related: Zunino’s hot start in Triple-A won’t alter Mariners’ plans
Elsewhere down on the Mariners’ farm, we have seen a good amount of success early. Director of player development Andy McKay has stated that the minors aren’t just a place for individual development, as learning to play as a team and winning are important, as well. We have seen a dramatic shift early in the farm system as Triple-A Tacoma, Double-A Jackson and Single-A Clinton are all currently in first place in their leagues. Last year the best finish for a team in the organization above rookie ball were the fifth-place finishes by Jackson (59-84) and Bakersfield (61-79).
There have been a number of individual standouts, including Jackson outfielder Tyler O’Neill reaching base in 28 straight games. For the season he is batting .316 with eight home runs and 24 RBI. O’Neill is one of the young players the Mariners brought in for their hitters summit in January and it would appear that he is upping his “C the Z” game, walking 12 times while striking out 38 times. Not the greatest ratio but an improvement in what he has put up in past minor-league seasons, and an improvement at a higher level.
On the pitching side, Andrew Moore, selected in the second round of the 2015 draft out of Oregon State, is off to a hot start and could be on the move soon. In eight starts at Bakersfield he has gone 2-1 with a 1.48 ERA, limiting opponents to a .189 average (32×169) while walking 12 and striking out 40. Moore won pitcher of the week honors for the week of April 18-24. The organization has had three pitchers of the week so far this season in Moore, Anthony Misiewicz and Dylan Unsworth, who took the honors last week after taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning for Jackson. Unsworth is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA (five ER, 41.2 IP) in seven starts this season.
