Monthly Archives: August 2019

04 Aug

taking some lumps

Dakota Hudson pitched Saturday and got knocked around. So did fellow Mississippi products Mike Mayers, Chris Stratton and Brian Dozier. Wait a second … Brian Dozier? Yes, the former Southern Miss star, the Washington Nationals’ second baseman, took the bump for the first time in his big league career in a blowout loss at Arizona. He got three outs but also surrendered a three-run homer to Eduardo Escobar, an ex-teammate — and still good friend — from their Minnesota days. The Diamondbacks won 18-7. For what it’s worth, nine of Dozier’s 16 pitches were strikes, but he may be saddled with an 18.00 ERA for the rest of his days. In other pitching news: Mississippi State alum Hudson, in a recent funk for St. Louis, lasted just 3 2/3 innings against Oakland, allowing three earned runs on five hits and five walks in an 8-3 defeat. His record fell to 10-6, his ERA rose to 3.99. Former Ole Miss standout Mayers worked in relief for the Cardinals but didn’t provide much: two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Stratton, another ex-State star, yielded three runs in 2/3 of an inning for Pittsburgh in a loss to Ole Miss alum Mickey Callaway’s resurgent New York Mets. MSU product Jonathan Holder had a good day for the New York Yankees, throwing two clean innings in relief in the Bombers’ 9-2 Game 1 win over Boston. P.S. The Houston Astros threw a four-man no-hitter against Seattle, the club’s 12th no-no and second combo. The other came in 2003, when six pitchers no-hit the Yankees. Weir native and Holmes Community College alum Roy Oswalt started that game but left after one inning with an injury. By odd coincidence, Oswalt was formally inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

03 Aug

collateral damage

The Washington Nationals traded for three relief pitchers this week, which meant some of the current bullpen crop had to go. Tony Sipp was one. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout, who recently turned 36, was designated for assignment on Friday. Though he had given up three runs in his last two outings for the Nats, the situational left-hander had pitched well of late, posting a 3.60 ERA over his last 15 games (see previous post). For the season, Sipp has a 4.71 ERA and nine holds in 36 games. What’s next for Sipp? He could be claimed off waivers by another club. He could clear waivers and accept a Triple-A assignment. Or he could become a free agent. Of course, he might be done. P.S. In happier news, Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn notched his 14th win — matching the MLB lead — for Texas, throwing seven strong innings with 10 strikeouts against Detroit. One of the four hits Lynn allowed was a triple by Travis Demeritte, the former Mississippi Braves standout who was making his big league debut. … Ex-DeSoto Central High star Austin Riley homered for Atlanta, his 17th of the year but first since July 6. The rookie slugger has been fighting a slump that has cut into his playing time. … Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson made his Philadelphia debut two days after being acquired from Pittsburgh. Dickerson struck out as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 15-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox.

02 Aug

the ratings game

Former Ole Miss standout Ryan Rolison jumped up to No. 2 in Colorado’s farm system rankings after MLB Pipeline reshuffled the lists of top prospects in every organization following Wednesday’s trade deadline. Left-hander Rolison, a first-round pick in 2018, is currently pitching at high Class A Lancaster, where he is 4-6 with a 4.85 ERA. He had dominated hitters at the low-A level this season. Also ranked as pitchers in the Rockies’ system are State product Reid Humphreys (19) and UM alum Will Ethridge (24), a fifth-round pick this year. … Former Southern Miss standout Nick Sandlin, a second-round pick last year by Cleveland, saw his ranking drop from No. 17 to No. 30. Sandlin had reached Triple-A but reportedly is done for the season with a forearm strain. … Also tumbling (again) was ex-Petal High star Anthony Alford, down to No. 21 (from 11) in Toronto’s system. The injury-plagued Alford, who has some big league time, is on the Triple-A roster but is currently on a rehab assignment in rookie ball. … MSU alum Ethan Small, a first-round draft pick in June by Milwaukee, jumped into the Brewers’ prospect rankings at No. 5. The SEC pitcher of the year has made two appearances in rookie ball. Hattiesburg’s Joe Gray, a second-round pick in 2018 currently in short season Class A, is the Brewers’ No. 10 (down from 7), and Ole Miss alum Thomas Dillard, a 2019 fifth-rounder, is No. 25. … Grae Kessinger, Houston’s second-round pick from Ole Miss, is No. 13 on the Astros’ chart; he is playing in low A. … Former USM star Matt Wallner, the 39th overall pick who is off to a good start in rookie ball, checks in at No. 15 in Minnesota’s system. MSU product Brent Rooker, currently on the injured list in Triple-A, is the Twins’ No. 8 (down from 6). … Loyd Star High alum James Beard, the first high school player picked (fourth round) from the state this year, is No. 22 in the Chicago White Sox’s system. Rated by some as the fastest player in the 2019 draft, Beard is batting .192 with six steals in rookie ball. … Ex-MSU standout Jake Mangum, the SEC’s career hits leader, is rated No. 24 in the New York Mets’ organization; the fourth-round draftee is hitting .230 in short season A-ball. … Former George County High star Trevor McDonald, an 11th-round pick by San Francisco, jumped in at No. 26 in the Giants’ system. The right-hander has yet to make his pro debut.

01 Aug

historically great

Fans of Double-A baseball in the Jackson area have seen some great hitters put up some great numbers over the years. Think Darryl Strawberry in 1982 or Roberto Petagine in 1993 or Ernesto Mejia in 2011. Picking one particular season as THE best is a very subjective exercise, but suffice it to say that current Mississippi Braves star Drew Waters belongs in the conversation. Waters, 20, leads the Southern League in hitting at .324. He also leads in doubles (35), triples (nine) and runs (62). He is third in on-base percentage (.369), fourth in slugging (.490) and has five homers, 41 RBIs and 13 steals in 105 games. Those numbers compare favorably to the luminaries of the past. Strawberry, playing for the Jackson Mets at Smith-Wills Stadium in ’82, put on a show worthy of the hype he was already receiving as the No. 1 overall draft pick of 1980. He hit a modest .283 but slugged .602 with 34 homers, 19 doubles and nine triples. He also stole 45 bases and drove in 97 runs. He was the Texas League’s player of the year. Gregg Jefferies won the TL award in 1987 after a season that topped Strawberry’s in some respects. Jefferies hit a ridiculous .367 with a .598 slug; he added 20 homers, 48 doubles and five triples while also stealing 26 bases and driving in 101 runs. Petagine, playing for the Jackson Generals in ’93, also was a TL POY and won the league batting title with a .334 average. He hit 15 homers and 36 doubles (.529 slug) and drove in 90 runs. A year later, Bobby Abreu put up a .303 average with 16 homers, 73 RBIs, 25 doubles, nine triples and 12 steals. Mejia, playing for the M-Braves at Trustmark Park in 2011, batted .297 with 26 homers, 99 RBIs and 37 doubles. He slugged .531. He did not win Southern League MVP, however. That went to some guy named Paul Goldschmidt. In 2013, Tommy La Stella of the M-Braves hit .343 but didn’t have the other big numbers (21 doubles, four homers, seven steals). In 2016, the M-Braves’ Dustin Peterson enjoyed an MVP-caliber season (Tyler O’Neill won the award) with a .282 average, 12 homers, 88 RBIs and 38 doubles. Waters doesn’t have the big homer and RBI totals, but he should certainly be in the running for league MVP. (The last Atlanta prospect to win it was Javy Lopez in 1992, when the franchise was in Greenville, S.C.) Win it or not, Waters has had an unforgettable season.

01 Aug

on the move — again

Corey Dickerson and Drew Pomeranz have new addresses and new perspectives on their 2019 season. The Mississippi college products were among the slew of players traded on Wednesday, both moving to teams with designs on a division title. Former Meridian Community College standout Dickerson, an outfielder, was traded from last-place Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, which is still in the hunt in the National League East. Ole Miss product Pomeranz, a left-hander who can start or relieve, went from San Francisco, barely an NL wild card contender, to Milwaukee, which is in the thick of the NL Central battle. (Former Biloxi Shuckers shortstop Mauricio Dubon, a top Brewers prospect, went to the Giants as part of the Pomeranz deal.) Dickerson, who figures to play regularly for the Phillies, is a .285 career hitter with 107 homers. Now in his seventh MLB season, the former All-Star and Gold Glove winner is joining a fourth different team. Pomeranz, in his ninth big league season, is now with his seventh different organization. Also a one-time All-Star, he has a 4.09 career ERA, a 46-57 record, 14 holds and three saves. He is expected to work out of the Brewers’ bullpen. … Atlanta, in much-needed moves, added relievers Shane Greene (from Detroit) and Mark Melancon (Giants). In the Greene deal, the Braves parted with Mississippi Braves alums Joey Wentz (5-8, 4.72 for the current club) and Travis Demeritte. Former M-Braves standout Kolby Allard was traded to Texas on Tuesday for reliever Chris Martin. … Other Mississippians who were rumored to be on the block – Jarrod Dyson (Arizona), Billy Hamilton (Kansas City), Lance Lynn (Texas), Hunter Renfroe (San Diego) – stayed put. P.S. Former Mississippi State standout Jonathan Holder is back up with the New York Yankees after a second stint this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Holder has a 6.63 ERA in 32 MLB appearances.