Zunino's struggles amplified as Astros steal 5 bases on catcher

CLEVELAND -- The crowd of 35,087 people -- the most fans in attendance at Progressive Field this season -- couldn’t help but express its collective frustration.

For the second time in the fourth inning, backstop Mike Zunino airmailed his attempt to catch a runner stealing well into center field. Boos echoed through Progressive Field, and they only grew louder as Zunino’s bat failed to make up for his defense in Cleveland’s 6-4 loss to Houston on Saturday night.

Zunino has endured his fair share of criticism this season. The Guardians have had trouble getting offensive production out of their catchers for the last few years. It was an obvious need heading into the offseason, and the front office was hopeful that signing Zunino, who missed most of last year due to thoracic outlet syndrome, would bring some pop to the lineup.

The Guardians were hopeful that the catcher who was selected to the 2021 All-Star Game would show up in Cleveland. Instead, he’s gotten off to as rocky of a start as one could imagine. Of the 36 catchers in the Majors who had at least 100 plate appearances entering Saturday’s game, Zunino ranked 36th in strikeout rate (43.3%), 32nd in average (.186, which dropped to .182 after an 0-for-3 night), 31st in RBIs (11), 28th in slugging percentage (.322), 28th in homers (3) and 27th in wRC+ (72).

Even though the club’s goal was to improve offensively at the position, this team has proven that it can overcome this hurdle. Cleveland’s catchers had the worst average (.178) and slugging percentage (.265) in the Majors last season, and the team still had a magical year that ended in the American League Division Series. As long as the catching is elite defensively, the Guardians have always been able to overlook offensive woes.

Here’s where this year’s squad runs into some trouble.

As recently as ‘21, some of Zunino’s defensive metrics were among the best in the game, ranking in the 94th percentile in framing, according to Statcast, and tying for the eighth-most defensive runs saved (seven). But this year, it’s been the opposite.

Zunino’s framing is down to the 48th percentile, and his pop time to second base ranks in just the seventh percentile, according to Statcast. Stolen bases are up around the league after the bigger bases were implemented, so catchers were expected to see a dip in their numbers. But Zunino has struggled more than anticipated.

Saturday was the epitome of his season thus far. In the top of the second inning, Corey Julks got a good jump on Triston McKenzie. Zunino, trying to rush, was unable to get a grip on the ball and did not make a throw. In the top of the third inning, McKenzie’s 77 mph pitch did not help Zunino have enough time to get Jose Altuve out at second. But in the fourth, Zunino didn’t help himself.

It was Julks again who broke for second base. This time, Zunino made the throw, but it soared too far to the second base side of the bag and into center field. Julks was able to advance to third. A few batters later, Mauricio Dubón took his turn at stealing second. Zunino let it fly, and the ball soared even higher above second into center field than the first time. That’s when the crowd voiced its frustration.

“I think the fact that they were having such good jumps, he was trying to rush,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “And then trying to be too quick.”

In the sixth, Zunino was charged with a passed ball. In the eighth, another runner stole second. It marked just the fifth time since 2010 that a Cleveland catcher allowed at least five steals in a nine-inning game, joining Kevin Plawecki (five, Sept. 29, 2019), Lou Marson (five, July 29, 2012 and April 19, 2011) and Carlos Santana (five, June 10, 2011).

Zunino wasn’t in the Guardians’ clubhouse postgame to comment on his performance, but it’s safe to assume this isn’t the way he imagined starting his Cleveland career. And with Cleveland’s No. 3 prospect Bo Naylor (as ranked by MLB Pipeline) waiting in Triple-A Columbus with an .897 OPS and an active eight-game hitting streak, it’s growing harder for the organization to justify why he hasn’t received a promotion just yet.

But as long as the Guardians are sticking with Zunino, he’ll need to find a way to settle in both in the box and behind the dish in order to get the crowd back on his side.