Zagunis catching on in switch to outfield with Myrtle Beach Pelicans

For most of his life, Mark Zagunis has been a catcher.

However, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans slugger has recently made a move to outfield after being told he wasn’t going to catch this year during spring training. The transition has gone well, but Zagunis will always have catching in his repertoire.

“In spring training they pulled me aside and some of the coordinators and the front office guys ran it by me and made sure I felt comfortable doing that and they were really cool about it,” said Zagunis, who was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. “I still haven’t given up on catching and I worked pretty hard during the offseason to be a pretty good defensive catcher and I still have that in my back pocket if a team ever needed an emergency catcher. Or who knows, if they want me to catch next year I’d go back to doing that.”

Being an everyday catcher can take its toll on a player’s knees and now that he’s playing the outfield Zagunis has noticed the positives right away. He has started 71 games with the Pelicans this season with 59 in the outfield and 12 as the team’s designated hitter.

“It’s gone pretty well,” Zagunis said of the defensive adjustment. “I still have things to work on [in the outfield], but it’s definitely better for my legs and I definitely feel fresher than I would if I was catching everyday.”

Early on, though, Zagunis knew he may not be a catcher forever and has prepared for the situation. He was recruited at Virginia Tech as an athlete who could catch and play outfield or designated hitter, but was still predominantly a catcher.

In his three-year career (2012-14) at Virginia Tech, Zagunis played 164 games and made 156 starts (98 at catcher, 33 as designated hitter, 23 in right field and one in each center and left field).

“When I got recruited to go to Virginia Tech it was more of as an athlete kind of the same thing getting drafted as catcher/outfield,” Zagunis said. “So it’s been a little bit like that since college and like I said, I worked hard at both and wherever they want to throw me, you know, if I have the best chance to succeed there I definitely want to be out there.”

Amidst the change, Zagunis has found tremendous success at the plate as Myrtle Beach’s primary leadoff hitter. The 22-year-old just snagged the Cubs’ Player of the Month for June as he led Cubs farmhands in runs (23), on-base percentage (.448), and slugging (.538). He also batted .326 (31-for-95) during the month in 26 games, scoring 23 runs with six doubles, a triple, and four home runs.

For the season, Zagunis leads the team in runs scored (51) and walks (53), and is second on the team in batting average (.316), second in RBIs (36) and tied for second in home runs with five. Pelicans manager Mark Johnson has noticed Zagunis’ strong strike zone discipline.

“He always puts together good at-bats. He’s not up there to walk, he’s up there to get pitches to hit and when he gets it, he puts a good, aggressive swing on it,” said Johnson, who also managed Zagunis at Kane County (Ill.) last season. “He doesn’t really chase pitches out of the zone. He’s just a true professional at the plate and he has a professional at-bat nearly every time he comes to the plate. Those are hitters you dream of; he does a good job for us at the top of the lineup. While he’s not your prototypical lead-off hitter, he always puts together a great at-bat.”

Zagunis says his approach is simple.

“I just try to get ahead in counts,” he said. “I know I can succeed if I get into good hitters’ counts and that’s what I try to do. I continue to tell myself it’s the same game I’ve been playing since I was 4 or 5 years old and try not to over-think it. Everyone’s good out there so you’re not going to do good if you’re not having fun so I’m just trying to have fun and stay confident.”

Fellow Pelican Chesny Young noted the advantage of having Zagunis first to the plate.

“Mark is a hard working guy. Whenever he’s in the lineup, our chances definitely get a lot better,” Young said. “With him leading off, a lot of times he’ll put us up early and when we get off to a good start it really builds confidence. Also, he makes a lot of plays in the field; I know he’s more of a catcher but he’s been impressive.”

Said third baseman Jeimer Candelario: “[Zagunis is] the man. He always comes through it seems like.”

Last season, Zagunis split time between Boise (Idaho) (41 games) and Kane County (14 games). But that short time he spent in Kane County he’ll carry with him as he helped the team win the Midwest League championship.

“I thought I did pretty well. In the postseason I showed a little power and had good numbers so I was excited about that,” Zagunis said of last season. “I was happy to get there and be on a winning team and win a championship. Going from Boise to there was definitely a lot of fun.”

Zagunis credits the organization’s staff and the upbeat clubhouse in Myrtle Beach for his continued development.

“I think all of the coordinators and everyone that’s involved with the Cubs has helped me,” he said. “All the players [too]; you know, just having a great locker room in there and having a great group of guys and then our coaching staff starting from [Johnson] all the way down. They’re all great guys and a lot of fun to play for so everyone has helped me out along the way so far.”

With everything going well for Zagunis, a call-up to Double-A Tennessee could be imminent, but he’s not thinking too far ahead. He’ll be ready if it happens, though.

“I try not to think much about that,” Zagunis said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, enjoying my time here in Myrtle Beach; it’s definitely a great spot. If I just go out there and get a couple of hits every night and play good defense, good things will follow.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Zagunis catching on in switch to outfield with Myrtle Beach Pelicans."