July 18, 2018 - All Mississippi Baseball

might be time

Gotta wonder if the St. Louis Cardinals are beginning to ponder a change – from hitter to pitcher — for Walker Robbins, their fifth-round draft pick in 2016. Currently playing in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League, the former George County High star is batting .123 with three extra-base hits in 19 games. He hit .174 last year in the rookie Appalachian League and .185 in the Gulf Coast League in 2016. He has a grand total of two home runs in 305 pro at-bats. Robbins, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound left-hander, was a two-way star in high school. He hit .477 as a senior and posted a 0.67 ERA with two no-hitters. A Mississippi State signee, he planned to hit and pitch for the Bulldogs. Robbins was generally considered the top prep prospect in Mississippi heading into the 2016 draft, with some speculation he’d go in the first round. St. Louis signed him as a hitter and moved him from first base to the outfield. That transition seems to have gone fairly smoothly, but his bat just has not taken off. Robbins, still only 20 years old, said in an off-season interview with the Biloxi Sun-Herald that he wants to hit but would be fine with a move to the mound. Stay tuned.

tales of cape

Mississippi State’s Riley Self and Keegan James teamed up for a stifling pitching performance in the Cape Cod League on Tuesday. Self entered in the third inning and went four, allowing one hit and no runs with five strikeouts. James pitched the last three innings, giving up a run on two hits. Self got the win and James the save in Hyannis’ 8-4 victory over Bourne. Self is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in nine innings in the CCBL, while James is 1-0 with a save and a 1.68 in 10 2/3. They were key pieces in the Bulldogs’ bullpen during the run to the College World Series. … One of Self’s punchout victims on Tuesday was Ole Miss’ Cooper Johnson, the Bourne catcher who is batting .200 in 15 games this summer. UM’s Greer Holston is also with Bourne and is 1-2 with a save and a 3.14 ERA in eight appearances. … Thomas Dillard, who hit 13 homers for the Rebels this past season, has three in the Cape. He is batting .261 with 13 RBIs for Cotuit. … Southern Miss’ Matt Wallner is batting .250 with a homer in nine games for Falmouth. … Ole Miss’ Houston Roth has made five starts for Hyannis and posted a 3.98 ERA but has no decisions on his ledger. P.S. UM’s Parker Caracci made six appearances for the Collegiate National Team and did not allow an earned run over 9 2/3 innings. The Jackson Prep alumnus notched a win and two saves as Team USA went 12-3 on its summer tour.