One thing the Chicago Cubs seem to have plenty of is catchers. For some reason they just won’t stop drafting them. When the Cubs drafted Mark Zagunis in the third round of the 2014 draft, they’d already taken Kyle Schwarber in the first round. Chicago added five more catchers before that draft was over.
So just like Schwarber had to do in the majors, Zagunis converted to the outfield in the minors where he currently holds down a starting job with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies.
“It’s awesome, but I still have a lot of work to do,” Zagunis said. “I need to learn from the older guys. Learn from some of the big league players I’ve been around and coaches that have played in the game. You have to realize why you’re here, stay focused every day and compete out there.”
Mark Zagunis rips a two-out double, but Tennessee cannot score.
M1: TNS 0 – CHA 0
— Smokies on Radio (@SmokiesOnRadio) May 26, 2016
Unlike most of his Smokies teammates, Zagunis didn’t have a difficult choice coming out of high school. Looking into the background of highly touted prospects will usually show they’ve been drafted twice, once out of high school at a low round, then again after a stint in college. Zagunis, as a high school player, somehow slipped through the cracks.
“I had a little bit of interest, but nothing like a lot of the top high school guys, Zagunis said. “I was pretty excited an focused on going to school. I didn’t look into it as a high school player. I just started my career at Virginia Tech.”
What the scouts missed coming out of high school would not be ignored in college. Zagunis was a freshman All-American for the Hokies and was a semifinalist his junior year for the Johnny Bench award for the best catcher in college baseball. The pro teams wouldn’t miss out on Zagunis again and the Cubs called his name early in the 2014 MLB draft.
Zagunis’ path to professional baseball was set and his bank account was full with a $650,000 signing bonus. The sudden influx of attention and cash didn’t change his perspective on what he needed to do.
RECAP: Mark Zagunis ties career high with four hits in losing effort to Barons: https://t.co/LC84ZfjUAI pic.twitter.com/jEdazFoNZs
— Tennessee Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) May 19, 2016
“It’s exciting and a life-changer in a lot of ways,” Zagunis said. “But you aren’t a big-league player yet. It’s not an infinite amount of money. You can spoil yourself a little bit but you still have to have your eyes on the prize.”
Zagunis and Smokies Manager Mark Johnson have been together for the last three seasons. While Zagunis was one of the best catchers in his draft group, the Cubs already have plenty of good catchers on the roster. So last season Johnson and his staff in Myrtle Beach helped Zagunis transition to the outfield.
“He (Zagunis) is still learning out there,” Johnson said. “It’s a tough position on this team to get in. He’s played up to his capability and done well so far. He’s an absolute gamer when he steps between the white lines. You can’t get enough of those guys in the line up.”
SO LONG! Mark Zagunis crushes one to straight away center for his 2nd homer of the year!
T5: MTG 3 – TNS 1 pic.twitter.com/fNSh7vduaN
— Smokies on Radio (@SmokiesOnRadio) May 13, 2016
It’s a position made tougher because the Smokies brought back their entire outfield from last season that was one of the best in the Southern League. Jacob Hannemann, Billy McKinney and Bijan Rademacher are all vying for playing time along with new Smokies addition Kelly Dugan.
“All our outfielders are really talented,” Zagunis said. “Every day I’m in the line up I have to keep working hard.”
What helps Zagunis stay in the line up is his ability at the plate. He’s batting .268 this season and has only three hitless games over his last 10 starts. In his first season in Double-A, the upgrade in pitching hasn’t been a problem. He has 13 RBIs and his four home runs are tied for the second-best mark on the team.
“In Double-A you’ve got a lot of talent everywhere, defensively, pitching and hitting,” Zagunis said. “I’m just trying to be aggressive early in the count with a good pitch to hit. Last year most pitchers couldn’t command their off-speed pitches as well as they can here. I look at the pitch, look at the location and try to hop on it early in the count.”
It’s working. Coming into Thursday night Zagunis is batting .285 with nine doubles and two home runs.
