Monthly Archives: February 2012

Much of the focus will be on the starting pitchers returning from injury when the Atlanta Braves launch spring training later this month. But the situation at shortstop is equally compelling. Raw rookie Tyler Pastornicky, who spent much of the 2010 and ’11 seasons with the Mississippi Braves, is going to get first crack at the job. “I’m definitely ready,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently. “I’ve still got a lot of hard work to do. … I think I’m ready to do this.” He looked ready last year with the M-Braves, batting .299 with six home runs, 36 RBIs, five triples and 20 stolen bases. Then he hit .365 in 104 at-bats at Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta called him up at season’s end — he is No. 58 on the M-Braves-to-the-majors list — but he didn’t get into that painful final game. He’s not an imposing figure, and he may not blow you away with his talent. But Pastornicky has all the tools. Plus, his father played in the majors. That never hurts. One Braves official said Pastornicky plays “with a little bit of urgency.” That doesn’t hurt, either. Braves fans will like him. The fall-back plan apparently is veteran Jack Wilson, but still around is Brandon Hicks, another ex-M-Braves standout. Hicks hit 18 homers at Gwinnett last year and is good with the glove. He might yet figure into the shortstop battle.
P.S. There are 21 ex-M-Braves on Atlanta’s current 40-man roster. … Pitcher Zeke Spruill, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, catcher Christian Bethancourt, first baseman Joe Terdoslavich and outfielder Todd Cunningham — likely 2012 M-Braves — are going to big league camp as non-roster invitees. So is first baseman Ernesto Mejia, who hit 26 homers and drove in 99 runs for the M-Braves in 2011, and lefty reliever Dusty Hughes, the former Delta State star who signed as a free agent in the off-season.

Mississippi College and William Carey are scheduled to open their 2012 seasons today, though the weather may not cooperate. MC, coming off a rather disappointing 24-18 campaign, travels to Montgomery, Ala., to face Huntingdon. The NCAA Division III Choctaws’ top returning player is third baseman Spencer Brunson, a senior from Starkville who hit .417 with 10 homers a year ago. (He should be a Ferriss Trophy candidate this spring.) Carey is slated to start at longtime rival LSU-Shreveport. The Crusaders are coming off a 30-24 season that saw them finish second (to Belhaven) in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament and make the NAIA national tourney field. Carey’s top hitter is catcher Quin Stokes, a senior from Walnut Grove who blasted 11 homers in 2011.

Speculation about Roy Oswalt’s next home is still a hot topic in the blogosphere. The right-hander from Weir is keeping us waiting. The latest is, the Boston Red Sox are out of the running. Well, maybe. Texas has met with him. This is fact. We think. St. Louis, which had a deal with him last week according to one (erroneous) report, is still interested. We assume. The Cardinals were trying to make a trade to clear a spot. Reportedly. Heck, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Oswalt just decided to hang them up. He hinted that he was about ready to do that last season when his back problems were flaring up. He’s already had a great career, one of the best all-time by a Mississippi pitcher; anything else really is just gravy.
P.S. Carlos Guillen, the onetime Jackson Generals standout, will get a chance to finish his big league career where it began. He has signed with Seattle, but he’s not guaranteed a job. Guillen, an infielder/outfielder who turns 37 this year, is breaking down at the end of a long career. He played for the Gens as a Houston prospect back in 1997, went to the Mariners in the Randy Johnson trade in 1998 and debuted with Seattle that year. He’s a .285 career hitter, but does he have enough left for another big league tour? … Right-hander Tim Corcoran, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alumnus who last played in the majors in 2007, recently re-signed as a minor leaguer with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He missed all of 2011 with an injury.