catching up
The next Mississippi Braves alumnus to make the majors could be Ernesto Mejia, who was recently added to Atlanta’s 40-man roster. Mejia, a right-handed hitting first baseman, smacked 26 home runs and drove in 99 runs for the M-Braves in 2011, setting club records in both categories. He was an International League All-Star in 2012 after hitting .296 with 24 homers at Triple-A Gwinnett and currently is batting .333 with five homers in 21 games in winter ball. Mejia, 26, won’t beat out Freddie Freeman, obviously, but he could be a good bat off the bench. … Still puzzled over why the Braves claimed ex-M-Braves outfielder Jordan Schafer off waivers from lowly Houston. Schafer is a good center fielder and can steal a bag, but he has hit just .221 for his career, seems injury-prone and has had off-field issues, as well. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton (Cincinnati) went 1-for-3 with two runs and two steals and made a great catch in center field in Saturday night’s Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson (Colorado) went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI in the all-star game. … Former Ole Miss pitcher Mickey Callaway, hired last week as the Cleveland Indians’ pitching coach, has the potential to be “a star,” according to the Tribe’s new manager, Terry Francona. Callaway was the Indians’ minor league pitching coordinator this past season. … On the free agent market: Weir’s Roy Oswalt, Nettleton’s Bill Hall and ex-Jackson Generals Freddy Garcia, Lance Berkman and Bobby Abreu.