Pair of Mariners Remember Tony Gwynn on 10th Anniversary of His Death
Speaking to MLB.com earlier this week, Seattle Mariners' players Ty France and Seby Zavala remembered their old college coach, Tony Gwynn, as Sunday marks the 10-year anniversary of his passing from cancer.
This includes a lengthy excerpt from the story by Daniel Kramer, Mariners' reporter, which points to how Gwynn was utilizing video before it became mainstream in the sport. France's comments are included below, with Zavala's comments included in the original post above.
“He would burn it off of his computer, give it to us in a little slip and he expected us to watch it,” France said. “He would quiz us on it and ask us questions about it. And by the end of my three years there, I had probably 300 DVDs. So yeah, it was another one of those things you didn't realize how important it was as a 17- or 18-year-old kid, how breaking down the swing can help you out so much.”
France played three years of college baseball, accumulating 189 games. He hit .337 with a .432 on-base percentage while popping 14 home runs. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres and traded to the Mariners in the COVID 2020 season. He's currently on the injured list with a heel fracture but is expected back soon. He's hitting .251. He was an All-Star in 2022.
As for Savala, he spent three years in college as well, playing in 170 games. He hit .288 with 16 homers and 117 RBI. He has played in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Mariners. He was acquired this offseason in a trade for Eugenio Suarez.
As for Gwynn, he is one of the best hitters in baseball history. A 20-year veteran, all with the Padres, he was a .338 lifetime hitter. A 15-time All-Star and an eight-time batting champion, he hit 135 career home runs and stole 319 total bases. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and served as head coach at San Diego State from 2003-2014.
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