Guillermo Zuñiga

Guillermo Enrique Zuñiga (; born October 10, 1998) is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves
Zuñiga signed with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent on July 2, 2016. He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Braves, posting a 2.61 ERA in 5 games. In 2017, Zuñiga pitched in 8 games (starting 6) for the rookie-level Gulf Coast Braves, registering an 0–3 record and 5.59 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work.

On October 2, 2017, Braves general manager John Coppolella and international scouting director Gordon Blakely resigned after an MLB investigation into their activities discovered several rules violations regarding international signings. On November 21, MLB ordered that Zuñiga and several other players were released from their contracts and declared to be free agents.

Los Angeles Dodgers
On December 6, 2017, Zuñiga signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He spent the 2018 season with the rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers, logging a 3–1 record and 3.86 ERA with 41 strikeouts across 12 games (2 starts). In 2019, Zuñiga split time between the Single-A Great Lakes Loons and High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, pitching in 33 games and posting a cumulative 4–3 record and 4.08 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 5 saves in 68.1 innings of work. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Zuñiga made 25 appearances for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, pitching to a 7–2 record and 3.06 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 2 saves in 35.1 innings of work. He returned to Tulsa the following year, pitching in 48 games and registering a 4–4 record and 4.77 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 11 saves in 54.2 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.

St. Louis Cardinals
On December 6, 2022, Zuñiga signed a major league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals optioned Zuñiga to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds to begin the 2023 season. He made 9 appearances for Memphis, registering a 5.40 ERA with nine strikeouts and three saves in  innings pitched. On May 2, 2023, Zuñiga was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. On May 4, Zuñiga debuted against the Los Angeles Angels, retiring Chad Wallach, Zach Neto, and Mike Trout in order. Additionally, Wallach and Trout served as his first career strikeouts. On August 27, Zuńiga was placed on the injured list with a right forearm strain. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on September 2, ending his season. In only two appearances for St. Louis, he recorded a 4.50 ERA with 4 strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work.

International career
Zuñiga played for the Colombian national baseball team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Over two appearances and 3.0 innings pitched, he did not allow a run and led the team in strikeouts, with six. Zuñiga also earned the win over Mexico, allowing a double to Austin Barnes but striking out Jonathan Aranda and Alex Verdugo.

References

External links

Living people
1998 births
Sportspeople from Cartagena, Colombia
Major League Baseball players from Colombia
Major League Baseball pitchers
St. Louis Cardinals players
Dominican Summer League Braves players
Gulf Coast Braves players
Arizona League Dodgers players
Great Lakes Loons players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Tulsa Drillers players
Memphis Redbirds players
2023 World Baseball Classic players