Guillermo Zuniga is a 6’5 mountain of a relief pitcher whose stock is quickly rising in the organization. Zuniga was originally drafted by the Braves in 2016, but, after a year in their organization, was allowed to become a free agent after John Coppolella, the former GM of the Braves was banned from baseball for violating the rules of the international free-agent market. Zuniga hails from Colombia and grew up playing baseball on the weekends and is very proud of his South American Heritage.
When asked about his experiences as a kid, this is what the 6’5 reliever had to say:
Growing up in Colombia was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me because it has a lot of great traditions, beautiful islands, and the people there are very kind and loving to each other. I grew up playing baseball on the weekends for my school and I enjoyed playing to the fullest especially when my parents got to watch me play because now that I’m grown up they have only been able to watch me on TV.
The transition to coming to America was difficult for the big Colombia native but has allowed him to follow his dream of playing in the MLB.
I signed with Atlanta in 2016 and came to the United States that next year in 2017 and it was a challenge because I didn’t know the language and the baseball stateside was very advanced. I was just an 18 year old boy who was simply living the dream I always had as a boy and that was to be like the players I grew up watching on TV in the MLB.
After being allowed to become a free agent, Zuniga chose the Dodgers because they had always been a family favorite.
When I arrived with the Dodgers I knew a lot about them because they are my mothers favorite team. People call the Dodgers the “Latino” organization. So when I decided to sign with the Dodgers we were all very happy because we knew it was a very good organization that had a lot of great prospects and they always play to win, and I dare say that the Dodgers have the best fans in the MLB.
Zuniga signed with the Dodgers in the Winter of 2017, then spent 2018 in the AZL and did very well posting a ERA of 3.86 over 37.1 innings. He then split 2019 between Rancho and Great Lakes and threw a total of 64.1 innings combined between the two locations. He had an ERA over 4.00 in both locations but registered a 2.6 K:BB ratio. Zuniga was in the process of increasing his velocity and mastering his command as a Dodger in 2019, but then was forced to spend all of 2020 back home in Colombia due to Covid.
I had to travel back to Colombia due to the death of my grandfather in 2020, and then I couldn’t leave because of Covid so it was difficult. I couldn’t go to a field due to the quarantine rules, so I had to improvise with my father to stay at the level of the Dodgers players because that is such a high level.
Feature Cut
Zuniga is an imposing pitcher with a big 6’5 230 pound frame. He has a pitch mix of a fastball that has reached as high as 101 during spring training this year, a slider and a changeup. Here are some examples of his big fastball being used in the 4 slot, then up in the zone to maximize the pitches “riding” effect”.
Zuniga’s slider is a ++ pitch for a couple different reasons. It is a power pitch to begin with which makes it effective, but it also tunnels off of his fastball very, very well. Here is a picture that shows how the fastball and slider comes out of the same tunnel. The picture on the left is the slider whereas the picture on the right is the fastball, and as you can see, both pitches start in the same tunnel.
Zuniga tunnels the slider very well off of his fastball, but it also has a tremendous amount of 1 to 7 shaped break, and sometimes just straight tumble.
Zuniga also features a changeup that he throws mainly to lefties that he can throw with fade to “hop” back over the plate or can create tumble with the pitch to induce swing and miss.
Wrapping Up
Zuniga hit 98 consistently last year and hit 101 during Spring Training this year, so, at 6’5, he has a pretty high ceiling as a high leverage reliever. He has settled in nicely as a Dodger as has continued to increase his velocity and strike throwing ability through the great instruction he has gotten during his 2 years in the organization. He is extremely happy to be a Dodger and feels right at home with the organization, so he is going to maximize his ability and his potential is to be a guy that sits in the upper 90’s hitting the 100 mph mark or above on occasion with a tunneled slider and an out pitch changeup to lefties. So pay attention to this name because he has all the stuff, is improving by the day, and is ready to make a splash onto the scene in 2022.
