The Orioles selected left-handed pitcher Rick Zagone in the sixth round of this year’s MLB draft and he was assigned to the Aberdeen IronBirds after signing his contract. He attended the University of Missouri for three years before being drafted.

Zagone was pretty successful during his freshman year for Missouri, but he seemed to digress in his next two seasons with the Tigers. He was 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings pitched in his first year. In his sophomore season, Zagone was 7-2 with two complete games, but his ERA jumped to 5.03. Things got worse for Zagone during his junior season, which was earlier this year. He lost his spot in the Tigers’ starting rotation and was only 2-3 with a 5.25 ERA in 70 1/3 innings pitched.

But the 21-year-old left-hander has shown a lot of promise in his first two months of professional baseball. In 12 games (eight starts) with Aberdeen, Zagone is 6-1 with a 3.23 ERA. He has shown the ability to get a lot more strikeouts than he ever did in college. Through 47 1/3 innings pitched for the IronBirds in 2008, Zagone has 57 strikeouts. He never averaged more than one strikeout per inning during his three years at Missouri.

Zagone’s best start so far this season was against the Vermont Lake Monsters on Aug. 13. He had 11 strikeouts and only allowed one run and two hits in six innings. He also had nine strikeouts in five innings against the Jamestown Jammers on July 17. Both games resulted in victories for Zagone.

It’s not very clear what Zagone’s role will be in the major leagues. Some analysts see him becoming a reliever, but I think Zagone will make it hard for the Orioles to shift him away from being a starter. He deserves to keep starting games as long as he keeps getting strikeouts and logging innings during his climb through the minor leagues.

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General information

Name: Rick Zagone
Age: 21
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 210 lbs.
Hometown: Crystal Lake, Ill.
Nicknames: Zone, Zags, Goney
Position: Left-handed pitcher
High school/college: University of Missouri
Time in professional baseball: First year

Favorites

Current MLB player: Carlos Zambrano
All-time MLB player: Mark Grace
MLB team: Chicago Cubs
Sport (other than baseball): Football
Food: Pasta
Music: Rap
TV show: Seinfeld
Movie: Dumb and Dumber
Hobbies: Golf and cards

Other questions

1. At this point in your career, what has been your favorite moment?

Starting my first professional game for the IronBirds.

2. Who is your role model?

My parents.

3. In the minor leagues, what do you do for fun on a road trip?

Play cards and go to the movies.

4. If you could play any other position, what would it be and why?

First base, because I grew up playing there.

The survey was distributed and returned by Aberdeen’s media relations department. Check out other ‘Surveying the minors’ features about the Orioles' minor leaguers here.