Getty Image / Scott Taetsch
As we get into late May, the dog days of summer are approaching us, and baseball is heating up. One thing that is not heating up, however, is the bat of Mike Zunino.
The Cleveland Guardians catcher is in the midst of one of the worst cold streaks in recent memory. Now, Mike Zunino has never been one to hit for a high, or even decent, average. But, the stretch he is in right now is truly historic.
Mike Zunino was a star at the University of Florida before being taken with the third pick in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He made his MLB debut in 2013, and is only a career .199 hitter. But, he does hit for a ton of power, and had a 33-homer season in 2021 that helped him make an All-Star Game with the Tampa Bay Rays. Injuries kept him off the field for most of last year, and the Cleveland Guardians signed him this year.
He started the season off in typical Zunino fashion, but right now he is in the midst of a terrible, terrible, streak.
Mike Zunino is 0-for-27 with 21 strikeouts in May.
Cam Gallagher is hitless in his last 32 at-bats..126/.229/.230 slash line: Guardians catchers in 2023
.184/.233/.236 slash line: Hitters vs Bob Gibson in The Year of the Pitcher, when he had a 1.12 ERA— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 18, 2023
0-27! 21 strikeouts in 27 at-bats. You must be asking yourself, “why is he still getting at-bats, he stinks!” Well, the other option at catcher, Cam Callagher, is hitless in his last 32 at-bats! it is truly remarkable.
Me in December: I like the Mike Zunino signing. Low risk high reward potential there.
Me in May:… pic.twitter.com/MHPhfhZCPe
— Always the Jake (@alwaysthejake) May 18, 2023
(Please don’t hate me for this) but at this point I am willing to pencil Zunino in every night to see if he can break Chris Davis’ 0-54 hitless streak. Would easily be the most entertaining thing all season
— CSR (It never ends) (@ValeraSZN) May 18, 2023
It is unreal how awful Mike Zunino has been
I hated the signing, but holy hell, I didn’t even expect it to be THIS bad
— Mel (@mellow_nie91) May 17, 2023
Zunino seems like a standup fellow and all, but this is about as poorly as anyone has ever played.
— Kevin (@kvnbsbl) May 18, 2023
The Guardians play the Mets this weekend, so Mike Zunino is surely going to have a multi-home run game.