Tom McNamara never left a Gators game disappointed.
The Seattle Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting has studied players since 1994.
McNamara began evaluating former Gators catcher Mike Zunino since the Cape Coral native was 16.
The Mariners selected the Golden Spikes Award winner with the No. 3 pick in last June’s MLB Draft, during which eight other Florida players found new teams.
“Every time I walked out of the park, I felt good about what I just saw,” McNamara said of Zunino.
“That’s rare. There were games where he hit 0 for 4, but he did a few things behind the plate that stood out. Then there were games where he swung the bat well. I just remembered so many different situations and so many different pitchers.”
Zunino led Florida to its third straight College World Series appearance in 2012. With Zunino behind the plate, the Gators rode a 2.92 ERA to what seemed like a weekly No. 1 ranking.
But with nine Gators gone to chase MLB dreams, the hunted has become the hunter.
They began every game in 2012 with a target on their backs.
A year after earning the No. 1 preseason ranking, Florida starts 2013 ranked 17th.
Florida has 14 new players and replaces seven starters after losing 20 players to the draft during the past two years.
A fourth straight College World Series appearance may hinge on the play of Zunino’s replacement — 19-year-old sophomore Taylor Gushue. The Gators’ new catcher skipped his senior season of high school to enroll early at Florida.
He made an immediate impact.
Boca Raton Calvary Christian Academy’s all-time home run leader went deep on the first college pitch he saw during UF’s season opener against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 17 at McKethan Stadium.
Against Miami on March 3 at Alex Rodriguez Park during his ninth career game, he sent a ball into the third level of a parking garage behind the right field wall.
Consistency and power escaped Gushue once he started Southeastern Conference play. For once, the freshman couldn’t hit.
He batted .143 and drove in seven runs against SEC pitching.
“It was different. It was nothing I have ever experienced before,” Gushue said.
“Coming from high school and always having success, it’s not what I was used to. Coming into this year, I have a whole new perspective on how to deal with it.”
There will be no room for error from run producers like Gushue, senior Vickash Ramjit and sophomore Casey Turgeon with a lineup built on bunts, walks and stolen bases.
“It is definitely a different feel than last year. With all the power we had in our lineup, it was unmatched,” Gushue said. “We have so much more speed than we had last year.”
There was no need to steal last season. UF led the nation with 75 home runs. Florida’s star power at the plate and on the mound was a rarity.
Staff ace Hudson Randall is playing with the Detroit Tigers organization. Gone with Randall are the Atlanta native’s country twang and calm demeanor.
Lumbering Brian Johnson gave Florida a towering lefty starter and a power bat.
Closer Austin Maddox and his knee-buckling slider are with the Boston Red Sox.
Right fielder Preston Tucker and his record-setting bat are facing professional pitching. Tucker’s legacy survives in a newly added protective netting behind the right-field wall at McKethan Stadium. Tucker regularly hit batting practice pitches to Keys Complex, the school dormitory located across the street — more than 400 feet away from home plate.
The characters from the most successful three-year run in Florida history are gone.
Left behind is unproven talent and gaping holes all over the field — none bigger than at catcher.
“We’re getting some very good players, but we are losing some as well. That’s the nature of the world we live in,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “When you dissect our team and what their strengths are, we can run, we are athletic and we are going to do that. You can certainly win.”
Gushue showed he could hit last season. But now he has to do it while catching a young and depleted pitching staff.
With junior right-hander Karsten Whitson reportedly out for the year due to shoulder issues, the Gators begin 2013 with two first-time college starting pitchers in the weekend rotation.
Freshman right-hander Tucker Simpson will assume Whitson’s spot, and sophomore right-hander Justin Shafer will pitch on Sundays.
During his UF career, Zunino handled 12 future MLB draft picks with ease reminiscent of another former catcher — his coach.
O’Sullivan caught at Virginia from 1990-1991. Zunino labeled O’Sullivan an invaluable resource.
Watching Zunino control the pitching staff last year prepared Gushue for this season.
Kendall Rogers, managing editor of baseball scouting service Perfect Game, likened Zunino to 2012 National League MVP Buster Posey when Posey left Florida State in 2008.
While Gushue is no Zunino, Rogers sees similar potential in the Gators’ sophomore catcher.
“The few times I was able to interview him after games, the guy didn’t act like he was a 17 or 18-year-old,” Rogers said of Gushue. “That is a kind of a consistent trait they look for in catchers.”
Fifteen scouts showed up to watch Florida’s first official practice on Jan. 26.
More scouts showed up last season for a glimpse of the Murderer’s Row of hitters.
One departing player in particular leaves the most glaring void.
“You walk into the (Minor League) clubhouse and he’s right in the middle of the clubhouse basically days after he gets there, and acts like he’s been there for three months,” McNamara said of Zunino.
The trouble is, the nine Gators now playing professional baseball left behind a clubhouse at McKethan Stadium full of youth and inexperience.
They’ll get their first opportunity in Friday’s home opener against Duke at 7 p.m.
“Would I love to have Zunino back? Yeah, absolutely. But I’m very proud of who we have right now and what we’ve been able to do,” O’Sullivan said.
“This team has got a chance to be very successful. It is just going to be in a different way.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Senior Vickash Ramjit bats during Florida’s 8-2 win against Georgia Southern on Apr. 17, 2012, at McKethan Stadium. Ramjit, who has played both first base and outfield during his college career, will serve as a team captain for the Gators in 2013.
Sophomore second baseman Casey Turgeon throws the ball to first base during Florida’s 4-2 win against Florida Gulf Coast on Mar. 9, 2012, at McKethan Stadium. Turgeon had four hits and three RBI during a 6-4 victory against Indiana on Saturday.
