Mizzou Diaspora: Rash Words, Minor Progress

MU RECRUITS

Phillies phanatics just can't get over losing pitcher Alec Rash to the Missouri Tigers. That Ball's Outta Here has entertaining and snarky take in Draft Pick Alec Rash Wisely Chooses To Slowly Back Away From Phillies

Rash, who doesn’t even know the potential for his banner-holding fan group’s nickname, and his family we extremely adamant in their demand for $800,000, despite the Phillies kind-hearted offer of $500,000, plus 120 grand for schoolin’.

That same piece invokes the J.D. Drew rules, as do quite a number of Philly phans online.

@GregVince: Alec Rash gets the J.D. Drew treatment if he ever stepts into CBP!

@bfudge9: Alec Rash you sir are a ####ing idiot!

And these trash-talking quotes (Philly.com) from Phillies management don't seem to support the idea there is still a great likelihood the Phillies will wind up signing Rash by the Friday afternoon deadline after all:

Phillies assistant general manager Marti Wolever said the team would not have offered Rash anything more than the recommended money for his slot in the draft even if there were no tax.

"Quite frankly, he hasn't performed like a player deserving of more than the slot," Wolever said. "It's probably best for him to go to school."

Rash's father told the Des Moines Register that he had been transparent before the draft about contract demands. But Wolever said that wasn't the case.

"He seemed to have a different price for every team," he said. "It changed depending on the day."

MU IN THE MINORS

♦ Rick Zagone hopes he's on the rise (Columbia Tribune)

Using his familiar high leg kick and a three-quarter arm angle, Zagone's fastball has picked up a tick or two on the radar gun. He regularly throws 87-88 mph, though he's topped 90 on occasion. He'll use a changeup as his secondary pitch and use a slider against left-handed hitters.

"I feel good. I've been putting up decent numbers," Zagone said. "I'm back to where I was when I got drafted, I feel comfortable again. It's been a gradual climb."

♦ Brock Bond (AAA Fresno Grizzlies) has been blazing hot as summer gets going. Since June 28, Bond is hitting at a .395 pace from 6/28 - 7/8. His July OBP is .517. (firstinning.com)

♦ Aaron Senne (Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers) is also on a summer hot streak. From June 23rd through July 8th he has a .367 average, with 3 HR and 5 2B.

♦ Phil McCormick (High-A San Jose Giants) has been having a good year, but his .401 ERA doesn't really tell the whole story. In 37 appearances this season, he has given up runs in only 4 of those games. Unfortunately, in those 4 games he gave up 2, 4, 3, and 3 runs, which has inflated his ERA.

♦ Matt Stites (Class A Fort Wayne Tin Caps), however, has a pretty decent 2012 ERA of 0.70 through July 8th. He has given up a single run in just 2 of his 22 games.

♦ Detroit Tigers Top Pitching Prospects (Baseball Instinct)

Tyler Clark, RHP (High-A Lakeland Flying Tigers) – Age 23 – In the same draft that Detroit chose Nick Castellanos and Drew Smyly near the top, they chose Tyler Clark with the 24th round pick. Clark has become something of a surprise, scoring a .95 ERA in 20 Lakeland game appearances. Striking out 33.6% of hitters is impressive, but one wonders how sustainable his success will be with the 11.2% walk rate. He’s only given up 13 hits in 28.1 innings.