St. Louis native Pete Zimmermann, who played collegiately at SLU and Mizzou, has signed a contract to play for the Gateway Grizzlies in 2022. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

The Gateway Grizzlies announced a set of player transactions on Sunday.

Among them was the signing of former Saint Louis University and University of Missouri slugger Pete Zimmermann to a one-year contract to play for the Grizzlies in 2022.

Zimmermann, a native St. Louisan, who went to Chaminade High School, before playing at San Jacinto Community College, played one season at SLU, which he missed most of because of an injury.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound right-handed first baseman, third baseman, rightfielder, and designated hitter, then transferred to Mizzou, where he played two seasons before graduating.

In his first year at Mizzou, which was 2019, Zimmermann was one of the Tigers’ top offensive players. He hit .287, and was second on the team in both home runs (seven) and RBIs (36), while also leading Missouri in both OPS (.872) and total bases (76).

In 2020, Zimmermann was off to a fantastic start, as he hit .333, and had four homers, five doubles, and 17 RBIs, in Mizzou’s first 16 games. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic cut the season short and forced Zimmermann to sit the rest of that year and a possible summer league season.

Zimmermann went undrafted in 2021, but he did sign a free agent contract with the Houston Astros, and he began 2022 with that club in spring training. When the Astros had to trim their roster, Zimmermann was one of the players they let go.

He’d been working out individually since and landed a new chance when he signed with the Grizzlies over the weekend. Gateway will begin its spring training next week, as it prepares for Opening Day on May 13 at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.

Other weekend transactions for the Grizzlies included the signing of free agent pitcher Alex Smith, a left-hander who played collegiately at Memphis. Gateway also traded pitchers Blake Garrett and Brandon Sherman to the Glacier Ridge Riders of the Pioneer League for future considerations.

The next big transaction day will come on Tuesday, April 26, when the Frontier League will conduct its annual Free Agent Draft. Last season, Gateway drafted three players and all three made the team, including shortstop Abdiel Diaz, who was one of the Grizzlies’ top players last season and made the Frontier League All-Rookie Team.

Diaz re-signed with Gateway in late March and is expected to be one of the club’s top players again this season.