Former All-Star Catcher Retires From Baseball at Age 32

Scratch one free agent catcher off the board, as ex-All-Star backstop, and former 33 home run slugger Mike Zunino has called it quits, retiring from the game.

Mike Zunino has officially retired 🥹 pic.twitter.com/piuydr7GC4

— Seattle Mariners ON Tap (@MarinersONTap) March 6, 2024

After 11 MLB seasons, Zunino finishes with a .199 career average, a .676 OPS and an OPS+ of 87. He was the ultimate all-or-nothing batter, with 149 career homers (four seasons with 20+) and 1,088 strikeouts in 2,798 at-bats. 

The former No. 3 overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, Zunino spent the first six years of his career in the Pacific Northwest before moving onto the Tampa Bay Rays where he secured his first All-Star birth with a 33 home run season in 2021. He had a 136 OPS+ that year, despite hitting just .216. 

 The Cleveland guardians let him go after just 42 games last season and he failed to hook up with another team even on a minor league deal.He had the same problems this off-season trying to land a job.

“While my time on the field has concluded," he wrote in his retirement post, "my passion for baseball remains as strong as ever, and I eagerly anticipate exploring new avenues to contribute to the sport. I am excited to bring what I have learned in the game to the next generation of MLB players, and to give back to the game that has given so much to me.”

His prodigious power allowed Zunino to have a commendable 11-year career. 

Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports