Monthly Archives: June 2010

When Freddy Garcia went seven innings to beat Washington on Sunday, the former Jackson Generals right-hander improved to a remarkable 21-8 in interleague games, one of the best such records since the leagues began battling each other. Not to be overlooked is the fact that Garcia is 8-3 with five straight wins this year for a suddenly resurgent Chicago White Sox club. Garcia, famously traded along with fellow Gens Carlos Guillen and John Halama from Houston to Seattle in 1998 for Randy Johnson, looked to be finished in April of 2009 when he was released by the New York Mets. But the White Sox picked him up last summer, and his surgically repaired shoulder seems to be functioning fine now. Garcia, one of the many Venezuelans recruited by Houston in ’90s, ranks as one of the best pitchers the Astros produced during their Jackson years. And he’s adding on to his resume.

Former Delta State standout Brent Leach, who is being converted back into a starting pitcher by the Los Angeles Dodgers, made his first start for Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday. Not one to remember. In 2 2/3 innings, the 27-year-old left-hander gave up six hits, two walks and six earned runs. He took the loss in an 8-5 defeat at West Tenn. Leach’s first start for the Lookouts had originally been scheduled for Trustmark Park against the Mississippi Braves on Monday, but the Flowood native was scratched. Actually, he was serving out a suspension, reportedly for hitting a batter while at Triple-A Albuquerque. He was shipped to Chattanooga on June 10. Leach, who posted a 5.75 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen for Los Angeles in 2009, began this season in Triple-A and had made three starts there after 18 relief appearances. His ERA was 6.62. Leach was primarily a reliever at DSU and at Southern Miss before that. The Dodgers made him a starter after picking him in the sixth round in 2005. He converted to the pen in mid-2006 and had been used exclusively in that role until this year. Can Leach, still on L.A.’s 40-man roster, get back to the big leagues as a starter? Well, clearly it’s a long-term project.

Desmond Jennings is getting close, without a doubt. The former Itawamba Community College star, now with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, was named the International League player of the week on Monday after hitting .538 with 4 doubles, 3 triples and 11 RBIs over a seven-day span. For the year, in 42 games, Jennings is at .290 and has stolen 14 bases in 15 tries. The Tampa Bay Rays’ No. 1 prospect seems to be over the wrist injury that put him down in spring training and delayed the start of his 2010 season. The issue now … where does he fit in with the Rays, who, along with the New York Yankees, have the best record in the big leagues? Tampa Bay has Carl Crawford in left field, B.J. Upton in center and Ben Zobrist in right. Jennings profiles best in center, though he can and has played all three spots. The Rays might consider moving Upton to right and using the versatile Zobrist at DH or somewhere in the infield. With Jennings in center flanked by Crawford and Upton, Tampa Bay might have the fastest outfield of all time.
P.S. On this date in 1992, Jeff Reardon, a former Jackson Met, broke the career saves mark while with the Boston Red Sox. Reardon is currently seventh on the career list, which, interestingly enough, includes five former Jackson pitchers among the top 15: Billy Wagner, Reardon, Randy Myers, Todd Jones and Rick Aguilera. Wagner, the ex-General now closing for Atlanta, is fast approaching No. 400.

The Mississippi Braves are doing a slow fade in the first half of the Southern League season. They’ve lost 10 of 12, several in agonizing fashion, and were formally eliminated from the South Division race on Saturday. With six games left, including a home game tonight and then five on the road, it’s time to start thinking about the second half and the club’s prospects for improvement in the standings. Three key players are currently on the disabled list: starting pitcher Kyle Cofield, standout reliever Brett Butts and infielder Eric Duncan, the team’s best hitter. They need to get them back on the field, though with Cofield and Butts, that might be a while. The M-Braves also need more consistency from their starting pitchers; they fall behind early in too many games. They need to pick it up on defense, which seemingly has slipped in recent weeks. And they need Cody Johnson, the slugging left fielder, to pull out of his funk. He can provide needed thump, but only if he’s making consistent contact, which he is not. Johnson got a hit off a left-hander on Sunday, so maybe that’s a good sign. He’s a key to the attack. The second half starts at Trustmark Park with a six-game series against Mobile beginning June 22.

Atlanta, as expected, drafted a bunch of college/junior college position players early in this week’s draft. The system needed hitters, to be sure, and the Braves appear to have landed a nice haul. Of course, it’s unlikely we’ll see any of these players in Pearl before 2012. But their presence in the lower minors might enable the Braves to push some of last year’s draftees at a brisker pace. Among those who could make the Double-A Mississippi Braves by next year are shortstop Mycal Jones (fourth round), outfielder Robert Hefflinger (seventh), outfielder Cory Harrilchak (14th) and first baseman Riann Spanjer-Furstenburg (16th). Harrilchak already has reached high Class A Myrtle Beach; he’s a speed player, not a power guy. Jones, a potential third baseman of the future, is hitting .261 with six homers at low-A Rome, and Hefflinger, who goes 6 feet 5, 225 pounds, is at .264 with two homers and 30 RBIs there. Spanjer-Furstenburg, a South African, has played only five games at Rome, having broken his hand in April. The wealth of pitching talent in the Braves’ system will be in Pearl soon enough: Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado and Zeke Spruill, all top 10-rated prospects, are now at Myrtle Beach, and Arodys Vizcaino, acquired in the Javier Vazquez trade with the New York Yankees, is 9-3 with a 2.34 ERA at Rome.
P.S. Former Hillcrest Christian star Justin Reed, whose once-promising career seemed to have hit a ceiling in A-ball this season (see previous post), may be done in affiliated ball after a second positive drug test and 50-game suspension was announced today by Major League Baseball. What a shame.

Read with interest this comment from Madison Central High star Ryan Bolden after he was drafted Monday by the Los Angeles Angels: “I’d like to end up in the big leagues in three years.” If he signs, which he likely will, the young outfielder may be in for a reality check. Not many high school draft picks make it to the major leagues in three years. Jason Heyward, an exceptional talent, made it this year in his fourth pro season. More common might be the case of Justin Reed, a former Hillcrest Christian star who was considered more skilled than Bolden when he was drafted by Cincinnati in the fourth round in 2006. Today, Reed, 22, is still in A-ball. He is hitting .158 for high Class A Lynchburg. He has a .229 average over his five pro seasons. He’s a long way from The Show. The lesson here is, it’s hard enough just to get to Double-A. Bolden might want to lower his sights. Progress in pro baseball requires confidence but also great patience.
P.S. Drew Pomeranz went to Cleveland with the fifth pick, the highest any Ole Miss player has ever been drafted. What’s the highest any Mississippi-connected player has been plucked? Mississippi State’s Will Clark went No. 2 overall to San Francisco in 1985. … A little history note: On this date in 1940, Ellisville native Harry Craft hit for the cycle for Cincinnati in a 23-2 win over Brooklyn.

Joe DiFabio will always hold a special place in Mississippi baseball history. He was the first player from the state picked in the major league draft. The former Delta State right-hander went 20th overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first draft in 1965. Some very familiar names were called that day: Rick Monday, Joe Coleman, Billy Conigliaro, Ray Fosse, Jim Spencer and Bernie Carbo were among the first rounders who made it to the big leagues. DiFabio got as high as Triple-A before hanging ’em up in 1971. His career numbers were good: 45-34, 3.24 ERA. He deserves a shout-out today, 45 years after his big moment.

1. Drew Pomeranz. The major league baseball draft starts Monday and the Ole Miss left-hander will go early. Both Baseball America and Sports Illustrated have him rated the No. 4 prospect in the draft. He’ll surely go top 10. The first Mississippian picked last year was Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High shortstop, who went at No. 57. The only other Mississippi-connected players in Baseball America’s Top 200 are Madison Central outfielder Ryan Bolden (No. 141) and Richton shortstop Jacoby Jones (No. 166).
2. Van Pope. The ex-Terry High and Meridian Community College star, released by Atlanta a couple weeks ago after a failed move from third base to pitcher, will surely get another shot somewhere, perhaps in independent ball. Haven’t seen his name on any transactions list yet. Pope was once a top 10 prospect in the Braves’ system but seemed to hit a ceiling with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, even though he did get some Triple-A time. Never seen a better arm on a third baseman. If he could only hit a little better.
3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The former M-Braves catcher reportedly (see recent mlb.com story) is making progress in conquering his throwing woes at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Texas system. Saltalamacchia had developed a severe case of what might best be called Steve Sax Syndrome (see Phil Taylor’s column in the June 7 Sports Illustrated); he was having great difficulty just tossing the ball back to the pitcher. When he was in Pearl — as Atlanta’s top-rated prospect — Saltalamacchia worked hard on his defense and was pretty good behind the plate. His struggles then were with the bat, though he did pick it up during his short-lived second stint here in 2007. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the Rangers recall him to The Show. Very interesting.
4. Antoan Richardson. The M-Braves’ diminutive new outfielder could make a big difference for this team. He brings speed to center field and to the top of the lineup, something the club has not had. The Bahamas native is off to a great start: .367 with 11 hits in eight games, four runs scored and one steal in two tries. Manager Phillip Wellman loves to play aggressively on the bases and Richardson gives him a weapon to use in that regard. The first half has gotten away from the M-Braves, but they may be better equipped now for a second-half run.

Mississippi Braves left-hander Mike Minor, blending a 91 mph fastball with a nasty changeup, was brilliant on Thursday night, throwing eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts, two walks and just three hits allowed. But Atlanta’s 2009 first-round pick got no decision in a game the punchless M-Braves would lose 3-0 in 10 innings to Montgomery. Minor’s record remains 1-4. One win is all he’s got to show for his 11 starts. He has a 3.68 ERA and a Southern League-best 91 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. But just one W. In fact, Minor’s tough luck extends back to last summer, when he posted a 0.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14 innings over four starts for Class A Rome but finished with an 0-1 record. If you haven’t seen Minor pitch at Trustmark Park yet, go soon. He may not be around Double-A much longer.

Hattiesburg native John Lindsey, the 33-year-old career minor leaguer, is really trying to get the Los Angeles Dodgers’ attention. He was named the Pacific Coast League’s hitter of the week for May 24-30 after batting .407 with five homers at 13 RBIs for Triple-A Albuquerque. Lindsey also had a 17-game hitting streak in May. If the Dodgers have a need anytime soon for a power bat off the bench — and Lindsey can certainly provide that — maybe they’ll reward his recent production and his perseverance (see previous post).