Florida Gators in MLB: Mike Zunino Shines in his First Trip to the Bronx

May 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) hits a home run during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a weird week for Florida Gators in MLB. Three of the nine are currently on their team’s 40-man roster and are playing at their organization’s Triple-A affiliate. But Paco Rodriguez did come up for two games and then promptly got sent back down. The Mariners Mike Zunino proved he won’t be getting sent back down after hitting .316, including a 4-for-5 night in his first trip to Yankee Stadium. Here’s how all nine of the Gators on MLB’s 40-man rosters fared this week.

LHP Kevin Chapman (2007, 2009-2010), Houston Astros
Chapman hasn’t pitched since April 16th because he was optioned to Houston’s Triple-A Oklahoma City Redhawks affiliate. On the season in the majors, he has a 12.27 ERA in 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. In Triple-A, Chapman has pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up six hits, two runs, and four walks for a 2.45 ERA. He’s also struck out 12 in five games.

OF Matt den Dekker (2007-2010), New York Mets
The Mets currently have den Dekker on their 40-man roster, but has yet to see action on the 25-man active roster. With the Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A), den Dekker has hit .270 with one home run, 18 RBI, and 22 runs scored.

INF Mark Ellis (1996-1999), St. Louis Cardinals
Ellis went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Cubs. For the week, he hit .222 with four hits, three runs, and an RBI in 18 at-bats.

LHP Nick Maronde (2009-2011), Los Angeles Angels
Maronde continues to be included in the Angels relief pitching rotation. This week, he pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up three hits, four walks, and five runs, all of them unearned. Despite giving up those five runs, Maronde lowered his ERA to 1.42

RHP Darren O’Day (2003-2006), Baltimore Orioles
O’Day continues to pitch his filthy stuff, lowering his ERA under 1.00 this past week. He pitched  2 1/3 innings, only allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two. His ERA now sits at 0.82.

INF Ryan Raburn (2000), Cleveland Indians
Raburn drove in a pair of runs in Friday night’s win over the Chicago White Sox. For the week, Raburn went 1-for-7 for a .143 batting average with those two RBI.

LHP Steven “Paco” Rodriguez (2010-2012), Los Angeles Dodgers
Paco was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque for two games. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk. He managed to strike out three, but it wasn’t enough for the Dodgers. Rodriguez was sent back to the minors on Friday.

C David Ross (1998), Boston Red Sox
Used sparingly, Ross managed to get into two games this past week. He had one hit in five at bats, but it happened to be a solo homer. On the year now, Ross is hitting .182 with two home runs and four RBI.

C Mike Zunino (2010-2012), Seattle Mariners
Zunino made his first trip to iconic Yankee Stadium count with a 4-for-5 night in the Bronx. In fact, his bat is starting to heat up. Zunino batted .316 over the week with six hits, including one home run, and four RBI. He managed to raise his batting average .017 points up to .253 after the solid week.

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