Mariners Mike Zunino is on a tear at the plate: Fantasy Outlook

By Brad Kelly | Jun 8, 2017

Jun 7, 2017; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) hits a walk-off two-run homer against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated Minnesota. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Zunino got off to a terrible start for the Mariners this season, but now hot and back with the club, is he worth another look off the waiver wire?

The Seattle Mariners are one of the hotter teams in MLB right now. There are multiple reasons why, but one of the key factors is the current play out of Mike Zunino. The enigmatic slugger is known in fantasy owners for his power, yet absolute inconsistency. After making some adjustments in the minors during his demotion, could he be worth another look off the waiver wire?

Mike Zunino’s path to the big leagues is well documented. Just a year after being drafted out of the University of Florida the Mariners promoted him to the big leagues. Zunino was considered a polished product out of college and the flashes of brilliance were there. He has three straight seasons of 10+ HR and a 22 HR campaign under his belt in 2014.

But, with that, comes a lot of ugly. He is a career .198 hitter in the minors and has amazingly amassed 456 K compared to only 84 BB. His swing and miss ways are hard to look past and fantasy owners are well aware of the AVG woes he has had during his career.

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He entered the 2017 season as Seattle’s starting catcher again, but the team did bring in Carlos Ruiz as well. Neither has exactly lit it up this season, but Zunino was downright abysmal to begin the year. He posted a .172/0 HR/25 K/.477 OPS line in April and only made it 11 games into May before the team demoted him.

Once back in the minors, Zunino knew that he had to break down his swing and just about remake his whole approach. He did well at AAA, .293/5 HR/11 RBI, over 11 games. The team brought him back up in mid-May and over the last two weeks, he has been one of the hotter hitters in the league. He has posted a .359/3 HR/14 RBI/1.087 OPS line over 39 at bats.

Zunino is still striking out a ton, he has struck out at least once per game since his return, but the hits are up and his swing has changed.

It does not take a scout to see the difference. Zunino has rid of his toe tap and has gone to a full on a leg kick. The leg kick has improved the power and serves as a better timing mechanism. Now that he has included the leg kick, he is showing a better approach, even going the other way more.

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The catcher position in fantasy baseball is bleak, to say the least. This helps Zunino stay enticing, and there is still a ton of raw talent in his bat. He may never completely get rid of his tremendous swing and miss ways, but there is enough raw power left here. Give him a closer look.

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