Golden Spikes Award goes to Florida C Zunino

Florida Gators catcher Mike Zunino won the 2012 Golden Spikes Award as baseball's top amateur player on Thursday.

Zunino was chosen over pitchers Mark Appel of Stanford and Carlos Rodon of North Carolina State.

Zunino was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the third overall pick in June's MLB draft. Zunino, a consensus first-team All-American, is the first Florida player to win the award, and the Gators' first finalist since Matt LaPorta in 2007. Zunino also won the Dick Howser Trophy as the top collegiate player and was Baseball America's College Player of the Year.

He led the Gators with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs and hit .322. He led the nation in sacrifice flies and was third in doubles and fourth in home runs.

The only other catchers to win the Golden Spikes, presented since 1978, are Bryce Harper in 2010, Buster Posey in 2008 and Jason Varitek in 1994.