Michael Accorsi Zunino is a catcher for the Cleveland Guardians. He previously played for the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays. He was the top college player selected in the 2012 amateur draft, with the third overall pick, following the selections of high schoolers Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton. The day after his selection in the draft, he was named as one of three finalists for the 2012 Golden Spikes Award. He won the Dick Howser Trophy as well and then took home the Golden Spikes Award. He signed with the Mariners in early July for a $4 million bonus. He made his MLB debut in 2013.

Born and raised in Cape Coral, Florida, Mike is the son of Greg and Paola Zunino. He is of Italian descent. His parents met in Italy while Greg played professional baseball in Italy for Fortitudo Baseball Bologna and Paola was a catcher for the Italian national softball team. His father was drafted in the 31st round of the 1981 MLB June Amateur Draft, and Mike’s uncle, Gary Zunino, was a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system.

His homers for the Tampa Bay Rays in game 2, and long home run in game 7 of the 2020 ALCS were cheered by millions. In 2021, Mike hit 33 homers in 109 games for the Rays, and along the way he was named to the 2021 AL All-Star team. As a free agent, Mike signed with the Cleveland Guardians for the 2023 season.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)