SEATTLE — Catcher Mike Zunino played his first game for Class A Everett on July 14, and on Monday he was promoted to Class AA Jackson.
Zunino was the No. 3 overall pick in the June amateur draft, and Seattle manager Eric Wedge said the speed of the promotion did not surprise him.
“He’s a mature young man from a major college,” Wedge said. “I think he’ll make that transition without any problem.”
Zunino certainly had no problem moving from the University of Florida to the rookie Northwest League. In 29 games with the AquaSox, Zunino hit .373 (41-for-110) with 10 home runs, 35 runs batted in, nine doubles, a .474 on-base percentage, .736 slugging percentage and 1.210 OPS.
Last week, he batted .500 (14-for-28) with three home runs, three doubles and 17 RBI and was named Northwest League player of the week for the third time.
Wedge said he couldn’t compare rookie league opposition with what Zunino faced in the Southeastern Conference.
“I’m too far removed from it,” he said. “I think it just depends on who you’re playing, the pitcher you’re facing. I think that has a lot to do with it. But … double-A is an upgrade.”
Smoak makes progress
Mariners manager Eric Wedge said first baseman Justin Smoak seems to be making progress at Class AAA Tacoma.
“He’s just working on his swing,” Wedge said. “Obviously, he played a great first base up here for us. He’s down there working on his swing: shorten up to the baseball a little bit, be a little more consistent with his swing — and in games. We saw it a lot in (batting practice), but he was inconsistent in games. He’s moving in the right direction, (but) no timetable.”
Health updates
As of Monday afternoon, the Mariners hadn’t gotten the results of a magnetic resonance imaging test performed on Mike Carp, who left the Sunday game at Anaheim, Calif., with what was called stiffness in his left hip.
However, Wedge had some generally encouraging news about Franklin Gutierrez, who has been out since June 28, when he suffered a concussion when hit on the head during a pickoff attempt.
“(Doctors) switched up some of his meds,” Wedge said. “They think that’s going to help him. He (was restricted to exercise on Monday, then) back to baseball activity (today), and then keep progressing from there.”
Remembering Pesky
Wedge began his playing career in the Boston Red Sox organization, where he developed a friendship with legendary shortstop Johnny Pesky, who died Monday at age 92.
“It’s a sad day for baseball, a sad day for the Pesky family and all of his friends and fans out there,” Wedge said. “I knew Johnny right up from the time I signed in 1989 and stayed in touch with him over the years. I learned a great deal from him, as have so many. It’s a sad day; but what a wonderful life he had: 92 years. And he did so much in his lifetime, and for so many other people, too. … He just had a lot to offer. Every day was a great day for him: very upbeat guy.”
Don Ruiz, The News Tribune
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