With the MLB in the heart of its regular season, here’s a look at how several former Gators are faring in the professional ranks.
Darren O’Day
The Baltimore Orioles right-hander struggled coming out of the All-Star Break last week. Over his last three appearances, the Jacksonville native has surrendered five earned runs and two homers in 2.2 innings of work out of the bullpen. O’Day also blew a save and took a loss against Houston in his last outing. O’Day and several other Baltimore relievers have been tied to trade rumors in recent days after the front office was reportedly given permission by owner Peter Angelos to explore the trade market.
Ryan Raburn
After being called up by the Washington Nationals from Triple-A Syracuse on June 5, Raburn made the most of his opportunity for the rest of the month. The left fielder from Tampa hit .297 in his first 14 games with the Nationals and attempted to carry his hot streak into July. However, after peaking with a .314 average on July 4, Raburn has since fallen into a downwards slump and is now just batting .262 for the year. To make matters worse, Raburn was placed on bereavement leave on Saturday after learning about the death of his grandfather.
Mike Zunino
The 26-year-old catcher from Cape Coral is enjoying a career season with the Seattle Mariners. Zunino may only be batting .218, but he’s also tagged 14 home runs and 13 doubles in 71 games and is on pace to have his best year since 2014. While Zunino only has nine hits in the month of July, three of those have been homers and two have gone for doubles.
Tim Tebow
Perhaps Tim Tebow’s struggles with the Single-A Columbia Fireflies were overstated. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery. Whatever the troubles were, they seem to be over now. The legend has been on a tear since his call-up to the Single-A Advanced St. Lucie Mets on June 28. Tebow already has more homers (4) in his time with St. Lucie than he did in Columbia (3). He’s reached base in 22 of his 25 games played and has knocked in 15 RBIs so far. Compare that to just 23 RBIs in 64 games with the Fireflies and it’s easy to see the improvement. The only question that remains unanswered is if Tebow can continue his hot streak with improved competition.
Contact Morgan McMullen at mmcmullen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @MorganMcMuffin.
Ryan Raburn tosses his helmet during the sixth inning of Washington’s 7-0 loss against the Los Angeles Angels on July 19, 2017, at Angel Stadium.
