Six former Gators were featured on Opening Day rosters with another five on 40-man rosters, giving Florida a conference-best 11 major leaguers.
Now that we’re two weeks into the 2016 season, let’s take a look at how a few of them are doing:
Mike Zunino, Tacoma Rainiers
While the Colorado Rockies’ Trevor Story was the talk of the town during the first week of the season after hitting seven home runs in his first six games, Zunino has been on a similar tear in the minor leagues.
Playing for Triple-A Tacoma, the Seattle Mariners' 2012 first-round pick homered twice on Monday, giving him five-straight games with a home run. Zunino, who picked up Pacific Coast League Player of the Week honors, is hitting .447 with six homers and 15 RBIs through nine games, both of which lead the PCL.
Zunino’s hot start is a welcomed sign for Mariners fans. After hitting an abysmal .174 through 112 games last year, the catcher was demoted to Tacoma in August to figure things outs at the plate.
As long as Zunino keeps tearing the cover off the ball, Seattle will have no choice but to call him back up to help the club’s offense.
Matt den Dekker, Washington Nationals
Nobody’s season began more hectically than den Dekker’s.
The 28-year-old outfielder began the season in Triple-A Syracuse, but was called up after one of the Nationals’ outfielders landed on the disabled list.
Den Dekker hopped on a plane from New York to Atlanta and arrived in the fifth inning of a 1-1 game against the Braves on April 6. In the seventh inning, the pinch-hitting outfielder hit a go-ahead two-run double that led to a 3-1 win.
But since then, den Dekker’s bat has gone cold.
Used mostly as a late-game defensive substitution or pinch hitter, den Dekker is 0-for-7 since his game-winning hit, leaving him just 1-for-8 on the season.
Preston Tucker, Houston Astros
The Houston Astros need to give Preston Tucker more at-bats.
In his team’s first week, the 25-year-old outfielder recorded a hit in each of his first five games. In those five games, Tucker hit .385 with two home runs and three RBIs.
But when teammate Evan Gattis returned from the disabled list last week, Tucker’s playing time was cut in half. As a result, his production dipped, too.
Over his last five games, Tucker has totaled just two hits in 13 at-bats, dropping his season average to .269. Meanwhile, Gattis is just 1-for-11 in three starts.
Tucker, who hit .243 with 13 homers last year for the Astros as a rookie, might just need an everyday role to find his rhythm.
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Pinakk12
Washington Nationals pinch hitter Matt den Dekker (21) follows through on a two-run double as Atlanta Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski (15) looks on in the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia.
