mike zunino being called up

[SeattleCoug]

From the sound of it on the TV broadcast, Zunino is going to be the #1 catcher from now on, or did I misinterpret that?

Yea I would think that would have to be a given now mainly due to lack of depth at the position.

I think two huge mistakes this organization made was relyin on Montero to be the everyday catcher and Guti to be the everyday centerfield fielder. Their inabilities to stay healthy/produce as caused a lot of depth problems and caused people to get hurt or play more then their used to which makes are current major league roster kinda of a mess.

 

[wazzu31]

From the sound of it on the TV broadcast, Zunino is going to be the #1 catcher from now on, or did I misinterpret that?

I just don't understand that philosophy. Just a week and half ago he wasn't ready to come fill in as the backup catcher, yet now after nothing special in that span in Tacoma and a couple or games where he holds his own they think he is "ready". Not saying he isn't it just is rather confusing as a fan on what the brass is actually thinking.

 

[dude82]

Well so far it kinda looks like they're going to alternate Zunino and Blanco. I got the impression the other day that Zunino was going to see a lot of action and that Blanco was brought in to be the Yoda to Zunino's Luke Skywalker, teaching him the ins and outs of being a major league catcher and leading by example on the field. If Blanco is the catcher is game 1 of the Angels series, there could be some merit to the alternating catcher thing. If Zunino starts that game, I don't know what the plan is.

 

[dude82]

I just don't understand that philosophy. Just a week and half ago he wasn't ready to come fill in as the backup catcher, yet now after nothing special in that span in Tacoma and a couple or games where he holds his own they think he is "ready". Not saying he isn't it just is rather confusing as a fan on what the brass is actually thinking.

I'd like to think that the reason that they brought up Bantz first was that they didn't want to bring up Zunino if they didn't have to... but Bantz showed so little up at this level that they decided that, whether they wanted to or not, it was time to bring up Zunino. Or it could have been a desperate PR move. Who knows. I know that the sample size is almost as small as you can get with Zunino, but so far his play hasn't made the move look that bad. He's struck out 3 times in 3 starts, which isn't bad given how eager most young hitters are to impress with their bat when they first get called up and given that the main reason people thought he wasn't ready was that he strikes out too much; he's hitting .300 (again, very small sample size) and he has a homer. His defense hasn't been half bad either. If this was a desperation move, I can think of a bunch of different ways it could have gone worse than it has so far. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now.

 

[octagondd]

I think it was a "had to" move. Montero flailing, I think Shoppach was being run on and not much at the plate, all the injuries. They hoped Bantz could fill in for a bit to get past the deadline for Zunino, but he was pretty bad.

I think it is a decent move at this point. You are telling the kid, "we had to, do your best, and let the cards fall where they may." This is different than bringing him up with the idea that he thinks the organization thinks he's ready, and then there is pressure on him to perform. I am rooting for him, but don't really expect a whole lot. Kinda like Franklin. Sometimes young guys do well for a few weeks or even a month or so, but once the book is out there on them, then that is where the head games begin. Adjustments, staying confident in your current approach, trying to out think the pitcher, doing your job in a situation, or trying to do more then you are capable of, etc.

 

[wazzu31]

I'd like to think that the reason that they brought up Bantz first was that they didn't want to bring up Zunino if they didn't have to... but Bantz showed so little up at this level that they decided that, whether they wanted to or not, it was time to bring up Zunino. Or it could have been a desperate PR move. Who knows. I know that the sample size is almost as small as you can get with Zunino, but so far his play hasn't made the move look that bad. He's struck out 3 times in 3 starts, which isn't bad given how eager most young hitters are to impress with their bat when they first get called up and given that the main reason people thought he wasn't ready was that he strikes out too much; he's hitting .300 (again, very small sample size) and he has a homer. His defense hasn't been half bad either. If this was a desperation move, I can think of a bunch of different ways it could have gone worse than it has so far. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now.

I agree with the sample size and think he deserves to be up, just doesn't make sense how they would've rather had Bantz come up because of the injury but then call him up and get rid of Shoppach. Shoppach was a backup at best who had chemistry with the staff, somewhat knew Zunino. To rid him because he struggled as the only catcher just another in a long list of head scratcjers for me. A PR move would've made sense had they called him up instantly, not after Zunino still struggled in Tacoma and only had 1 home game.

 

[unlvmariners]

I agree with the sample size and think he deserves to be up, just doesn't make sense how they would've rather had Bantz come up because of the injury but then call him up and get rid of Shoppach. Shoppach was a backup at best who had chemistry with the staff, somewhat knew Zunino. To rid him because he struggled as the only catcher just another in a long list of head scratcjers for me. A PR move would've made sense had they called him up instantly, not after Zunino still struggled in Tacoma and only had 1 home game.

What do you guys think about this scenario... If Zunino isn't hitting when Sucre comes back do you send Zunino back to Tacoma until he gets his bat together? I didn't have a problem with Sucre behind the plate I think he is a good catcher he just doesn't have a bat.

 

[Banned 10x]

What do you guys think about this scenario... If Zunino isn't hitting when Sucre comes back do you send Zunino back to Tacoma until he gets his bat together? I didn't have a problem with Sucre behind the plate I think he is a good catcher he just doesn't have a bat.

I don't like the idea, I say leave Zunino and let him finish out the year. He looks very solid behind the plate. All he has to do is hit around .230, which he looks capable of doing, and he'll be fine for the rest of the year. He is one of the reasons I'm watching right now.

 

[dude82]

This whole situation has been very difficult to try to figure out. What wasn't in question was that the Mariners were in desperate need of catching help once Sucre went down and recalling Montero wasn't going to be an option, whether he was healthy or not. When the Mariners brought up Bantz, I looked at it as an unappealing move, especially when compared with bringing up Zunino (this despite the numbers he'd been putting up in Tacoma), but it was a move that was only going to be temporary anyway (at least, that was the thought at the time), so the fact that it was unappealing didn't really matter much.

I thought when they called Bantz up that he'd be used more than he ultimately was, but instead they chose to ride Shoppach into the ground (including playing him all 9 innings the day after using him in all 16 innings against Chicago) and maybe they did it because they didn't want to risk getting Bantz hurt and being down to one catcher again, but that doesn't really explain running Shoppach into the ground.

After having Bantz up with the team for a week, they brought up Zunino. My only guess as to why they didn't just bring up Zunino instead of Bantz to begin with is that they were okay with having Bantz up there for a little while, but when they found out that Sucre was going to be out longer than they originally thought, they ultimately didn't like what Bantz brought to the table for as long as they were going to need him, which explains why he only played in one game and didn't even finish it. If they thought Sucre was going to be back soon, I don't think we'd have seen them call Zunino up this early.

The decision to DFA Shoppach and sign Blanco is where they kinda lost me at first. I guessed when it happened that it might mean more playing time for Zunino, but if they were gonna give Zunino more playing time, they could have kept Shoppach on the roster to mentor him. Ditching Shoppach only to bring in a catcher older than him made no sense until I heard the list of catchers that Blanco had been the backup to and mentor for. I still wasn't sure how much playing time Zunino would get, but I'm more sure that, while they might not have wanted to call him up when they did, now that they have called him up, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. What all this does now, though, is throw into question how long Sucre is really going to be out and whether, when he gets back, the M's are going to carry three catchers or keep Sucre down in Tacoma, with Zunino and Blanco up in Seattle doing the student and teacher thing.

 

[Banned 10x]

The decision to DFA Shoppach and sign Blanco is where they kinda lost me at first. I guessed when it happened that it might mean more playing time for Zunino, but if they were gonna give Zunino more playing time, they could have kept Shoppach on the roster to mentor him. Ditching Shoppach only to bring in a catcher older than him made no sense until I heard the list of catchers that Blanco had been the backup to and mentor for. I still wasn't sure how much playing time Zunino would get, but I'm more sure that, while they might not have wanted to call him up when they did, now that they have called him up, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. What all this does now, though, is throw into question how long Sucre is really going to be out and whether, when he gets back, the M's are going to carry three catchers or keep Sucre down in Tacoma, with Zunino and Blanco up in Seattle doing the student and teacher thing.

I agree with you, the decision to DFA Shoppach is strange and really hasn't been addresed by anyone, almost like Shoppach had said something that pissed off the organization or something... maybe I'm lookin too much into it. Either way, I think Zunino looks good and like a major league catcher... I'm intrigued to watch him the rest of the year.

Now, DFA Harang and bring up one of the big 3

 

[mcnabb7542]

I'd like to think that the reason that they brought up Bantz first was that they didn't want to bring up Zunino if they didn't have to... but Bantz showed so little up at this level that they decided that, whether they wanted to or not, it was time to bring up Zunino.

This makes sense, so what your letting a younger player get his feet wet now and instead of a ten year veteran behind the plate hitting under .200 let the younger guy do it. Zunino has looked good behind the plate so far...

If anything I would get Guti back so you can start shopping him, your not going to get anything good for him but its time to remove him from this roster before he hurts himself again....

 

[dude82]

I agree with you, the decision to DFA Shoppach is strange and really hasn't been addresed by anyone, almost like Shoppach had said something that pissed off the organization or something... maybe I'm lookin too much into it. Either way, I think Zunino looks good and like a major league catcher... I'm intrigued to watch him the rest of the year.

Now, DFA Harang and bring up one of the big 3

You're more likely to see Ramirez back up here than one of the Big 3. At least, in the short-term. If you think about it, the fallout from the Ramirez injury has been an underrated story line this season. He was most likely on his way to earning a spot in the rotation when he got hurt and since none of the Big 3 were deemed ready yet and Maurer already had a spot in the rotation locked up, the M's needed a 5th starter. Enter Harang, a veteran that they probably figured could hold down a spot until either Ramirez or one of the Big 3 was ready to go.

He's had some awful starts, sure (when he came in he hadn't pitched in a while and had to be rusty), but he's also had five quality starts (including a league leading two complete game shutouts) and two starts that you can live with from your 5th starter, where he went 5 innings and gave up either 3 or 4 runs. For that reason, I wouldn't be so quick to DFA him. I'd make him the long man in the pen and send Beavan back down once Ramirez is ready to go. I think it's too easy to jump on the "DFA Harang" bandwagon because of his ERA (cut nearly in half since those first few starts when he was still getting back into a routine after a couple weeks of not pitching in any games), but he's been solid overall in his last 8 starts. That, to me, at least earns him the opportunity to stay on the major league roster as the long man.

 

[dude82]

As far as Guti goes... whether you agree with it or not, they're gonna keep giving him opportunities to play at the major league level and hope for the best. He's too talented not to get opportunities and it hasn't been his performance that has been lacking, it's his health. What they decide to do when his contract is up is one thing, but as long as he's still on the 40 man roster and as long as they think he can contribute on at least a part-time basis, he's going to have that chance. Maybe he gets hurt again and maybe he doesn't, but they're not gonna give up on him while he's still under contract.

 

[unlvmariners]

As far as Guti goes... whether you agree with it or not, they're gonna keep giving him opportunities to play at the major league level and hope for the best. He's too talented not to get opportunities and it hasn't been his performance that has been lacking, it's his health. What they decide to do when his contract is up is one thing, but as long as he's still on the 40 man roster and as long as they think he can contribute on at least a part-time basis, he's going to have that chance. Maybe he gets hurt again and maybe he doesn't, but they're not gonna give up on him while he's still under contract.

I think you are right they are going to keep him but it doesn't make it the right choice. I think he will be on the DL again this season maybe even a few more times. In my opinion keeping him around is actually a negative thing for the team and organization. You cannot rely on him. When he is healthy he is actually a very solid player but he simply isn't healthy very often.

 

[Banned 10x]

Maybe he gets hurt again and maybe he doesn't, but they're not gonna give up on him while he's still under contract.

I'll put lots of money on getting hurt again.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I'll put lots of money on getting hurt again.

It is frustrating because he's a pretty high value player when he is healthy. I think that is what makes the whole Guti situation so difficult.

 

[dude82]

It is frustrating because he's a pretty high value player when he is healthy. I think that is what makes the whole Guti situation so difficult.

Exactly. I heard on the broadcast that they're gonna play him in right field from time-to-time to lessen the strain not only to his hamstring, but to his body in general. Center field is one of the more taxing positions you can play and it has the most potential for injury of any of the outfield positions in my opinion. Who knows... he might even DH occasionally. I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to be the everyday center fielder again, but at this point, I don't see it happening. Besides, with Saunders' batting average falling off a cliff in the past month, it's good timing getting Guti back now, even if he doesn't play everyday. The outfield rotation is stronger with Guti than without.

 

[Banned 10x]

Exactly. I heard on the broadcast that they're gonna play him in right field from time-to-time to lessen the strain not only to his hamstring, but to his body in general. Center field is one of the more taxing positions you can play and it has the most potential for injury of any of the outfield positions in my opinion. Who knows... he might even DH occasionally. I'm sure he's chomping at the bit to be the everyday center fielder again, but at this point, I don't see it happening. Besides, with Saunders' batting average falling off a cliff in the past month, it's good timing getting Guti back now, even if he doesn't play everyday. The outfield rotation is stronger with Guti than without.

LMFAO, Guti is out of the game with some hammy issue. We need to just let him go.

 

[dude82]

LMFAO, Guti is out of the game with some hammy issue. We need to just let him go.

Isn't his contract up at the end of the season?

 

[Banned 10x]

Isn't his contract up at the end of the season?

I'm not sure (hopefully) but he just needs to go get healthy somewhere else. This guy is the most frustrating player I've ever watched... imagine Jack Z and Wedge having to watch this guy.