Monthly Archives: August 2012

There’s always something to watch at the ballpark, even if the local nine isn’t doing so hot. The Mississippi Braves, who return to Trustmark Park tonight to begin a five-game homestand, are still languishing near the bottom of the Southern League South. But Joe Leonard, the big third baseman, returns on a bit of a roll. He hit three home runs and drove in nine runs on the 10-game trip. Chipper Jones will retire at the end of this season — or so they say — which means Atlanta will need a third baseman in 2013. Leonard, who turns 24 on Aug. 26, could be in the mix come spring. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-handed hitter is batting .267 with 20 doubles, nine homers, 56 RBIs and 52 runs in his first Double-A season. Atlanta took him in the third round in the 2010 draft out of Pitt, where he was the Big East Conference player of the year. You want power in a third baseman, and Leonard is starting to show some. He hit four homers in 148 at-bats in his first pro season, then belted eight in 110 games at high-A Lynchburg last season. Leonard didn’t hit his first M-Braves homer until mid-May. He has now hit seven since June 12. His defense (10 errors) has been solid; he doubled as a closer at Pitt and has a strong arm. Leonard is definitely one to keep an eye on over what remains of this season.

This latest Roy Oswalt thing is turning messy. The Weir High and Holmes Community College product allegedly is not happy that he has been sent to the bullpen by the Texas Rangers. He has pitched well in two relief stints, but he declined to throw a third inning in his most recent outing, a stance many see as selfish. He allegedly wants to be traded from the team — this first-place, World Series-caliber team — that handed him a midseason opportunity, plus some big bucks, to be a starter. His ERA in that role is well over 6.00. His last start was awful. So now Ryan Dempster has taken his spot in the rotation. According to reports, the Rangers aren’t going to release Oswalt, nor will they trade him for nothing. Wonder if the second-winningest Mississippi-born pitcher in history will just stomp his foot and walk away?

After missing most of July with a knee injury, Van Pope is back in the lineup for the independent Amarillo Sox. Pope, a former Terry High and Meridian Community College standout who also played for the Mississippi Braves, is in his second tour with the Sox, of the American Association. Pope, a third baseman, is batting .295 with two homers and 21 RBIs in 40 games this season after hitting .299 with 10 and 61 in 2011. Pope was a fifth-round draft pick by Atlanta and was a top 10 prospect at one time. But he struggled in Double-A, hitting just 10 homers in 222 games in 2007 and ’08. His defense was good — his arm amazing — but Atlanta wanted to see more power, among other things. He got a trial at Triple-A Gwinnett (.202, four homers in 2009) and later a look as a pitcher in A-ball. He was released in 2010. Returning to affiliated ball would seem like a longshot. P.S. Former Jackson Generals right-hander Freddy Garcia got his 150th career win on Sunday, pitching for the New York Yankees. He got win No. 1 in 1999 with Seattle. Garcia has had a nice career, going 150-100 with a 4.12 ERA. … Former M-Braves star Jeff Francoeur hit his 10th homer for Kansas City on Sunday. He’s hitting just .238 but still plays a mean right field. He might get interest from a contender down the stretch.

The GB column in the standings should be printed in bold these days. It’s that time of year when Games Behind becomes a focal point. The chase for division championships is on. Nobody wants to be thrown into the wild card playoff this year. It’s a sprint to the finish now, no longer a marathon. The two biggest series of this weekend are Pittsburgh-Cincinnati and Baltimore-Tampa Bay, and Mississippians are front and center in both. Ole Miss product Zack Cozart, who is on a 7-for-17 roll, went 1-for-3 Saturday as the red-hot Reds beat Pittsburgh 5-4 and dropped the Pirates 5½ GB in the National League Central. UM alum Alex Presley, batting leadoff for the Bucs, was 2-for-4 in a losing cause. His manager, former Jackson Mets skipper Clint Hurdle, wasn’t around for the end, having been ejected early for arguing about an HBP warning. Today’s game will be intense. Meanwhile, at Tampa Bay, former Mississippi State standout Buck Showalter’s Orioles shut down the Rays 4-0 to even that series at a game apiece and level the teams’ records at 56-51. They’re tied for second in the American League East, 6½ GB the New York Yankees. Itawamba Community College alum Desmond Jennings went 0-for-4 for the Rays on Saturday; he had a home run in Friday’s 2-0 win. The Rays, whose pitching (under the tutelage of ex-Jackson Generals pitching coach Jim Hickey) has been brilliant, will throw 14-game winner David Price today. … In other Saturday games of note: Ex-MSU star Tyler Moore (.295 as a rookie) had a game-tying pinch hit in a six-run eighth inning that propelled Washington past Miami 10-7. That win, coupled with Atlanta’s 3-2 loss to lowly Houston, moved the first-place Nationals, managed so adroitly by former JaxMets skipper Davey Johnson, 3 games up on the Braves in the NL East. Greenwood native and former MSU star Paul Maholm had a decent debut for the Braves, yielding three runs (all on Justin Maxwell homers) in seven innings with eight strikeouts. … Oakland, which may miss UM product Seth Smith’s left-handed power over the next couple of weeks, fell 5½ GB first-place Texas in the AL West with a 3-1 loss to Toronto. Texas beat Kansas City 4-2 for its fourth straight W. Ex-MSU star Mitch Moreland has returned from the DL with a vengeance (7-for-16 with a homer) for the suddenly resurgent Rangers, who also got a win last week from Holmes CC’s Roy Oswalt in his first relief appearance. … Philadelphia, out of it in the NL East, knocked NL West contender Arizona 2 1/2 GB division leader San Francisco with a 3-0 win. Meridian CC’s Cliff Lee — still a Phillie! — is expected to start today’s game, looking for a second straight win in what’s been an unexpectedly rough year (2-6, 3.73). P.S. Southwest Miss CC product Jarrod Dyson is climbing in the AL stolen base race; he got No. 21 on Saturday for Kansas City. And he’s hitting .271. … First Bobby Abreu gets DFA’d by the L.A. Dodgers, then Lance Berkman goes back on the DL with St. Louis. Sadly, this could be a race to retirement for the two former Jackson Generals stars (see previous post).

Some set the bar really high for Drew Pomeranz this season. Two USA Today reporters predicted the former Ole Miss star would win National League rookie of the year honors. That’s not going to happen. The left-hander might burst into an MLB star someday, but his 2012 season with Colorado is fizzling. Pomeranz endured a fourth straight poor outing on Wednesday night, allowing five hits, a walk and three runs in four innings of a 9-6 loss to St. Louis. He is 1-6 with a 5.13 ERA in 11 starts; he spent a big chunk of the season in the minors. Cleveland drafted Pomeranz in the first round in 2010, and Colorado thought enough of him to swap Ubaldo Jimenez last summer. So, there’s something there, Pomeranz just needs to find it. Maybe he can shoot for comeback player of the year in 2013. P.S. Is it over for Bobby Abreu? The former Jackson Generals standout was designated for assignment Wednesday by the Los Angeles Dodgers, even though he’s played fairly well. Will another team claim him? Would he accept an assignment to Triple-A? Stay tuned.