Mike Zagurski
| IP | 76 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 7.816 |
| WHIP | 1.816 |
| BB/9 | 5.684 |
| SO/9 | 9.118 |
- Full name Michael Justin Zagurski
- Born 01/27/1983 in Omaha, NE
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: L / Throws: L
- School Kansas
- Debut 05/25/2007
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Drafted in the 12th round (367th overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005.
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Mike Zagurski made himself even more attractive as a senior sign when he beat Texas in front of several scouts in early May. He's a southpaw with solid-average velocity (88-92 mph) and a slurvy slider, and he throws strikes and misses bats. His 6-foot, 225-pound frame is a little chunky, but his arm works well. The Longhorns got revenge against him in the Big 12 tournament, shelling him for eight runs on 11 hits over 3 2/3 innings.
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Assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle and the Phillies' staff refer to Zagurski as "Mini-Me" because his thick, barrel-chested body resembles Arbuckle's. That frame didn't create much pro interest in Zagurski until he shut down Texas in front of several scouts in May of his senior year at Kansas. Philadelphia still has lingering concerns about his body, but his arm works well, pumping out fastballs from 89-92 mph with good life. He also throws a plus slider with sharp, late-breaking action. After throwing shutout ball in 11 of his 12 outings in high Class A to open the 2007 season, he jumped three levels and made his major league debut on May 25. He doesn't have much of a changeup, a weakness big league righthanders exploited by tattooing him for a .340 average and a 1.051 OPS, but he was effective against lefties (.216, .502 OPS). Though he could nibble a little less at the higher levels, Zagurski is pretty much all that he's going to be. However, he has enough stuff to carve out a role as a lefty specialist. Shut down in mid-August with a severe hamstring injury, he's expected to be ready to compete for a big league job in spring training.
