Monthly Archives: August 2021

14 Aug

prospect watch

It has taken some time, but Joe Gray, Jr., the highly touted Hattiesburg High product, has started to shine in the Milwaukee system. MLB Pipeline recently identified a “surging prospect” for each big league team, and Gray was pegged among the Brewers’ farmhands. “Gray’s speed, outfield arm and power potential always made him a prospect, but it was an open question whether he would hit enough. He seems to have found a good blend of power and flexibility at the plate, leading to more impactful contact,” they wrote. Gray, a second-round pick in 2018 and Milwaukee’s No. 30 prospect, is now in High-A ball. The right-handed hitting outfielder went 4-for-5 for Wisconsin on Friday night and smacked his fifth home run. On the year, at two levels, he has 17 homers and 18 stolen bases. Look for him to reach Double-A Biloxi in 2022. … Ex-Mississippi State and Jackson Prep star Jake Mangum, the New York Mets’ No. 30 prospect, is batting .479 this month at Double-A Binghamton. For the season with the Rumble Ponies, Mangum is hitting .287 with five homers, four triples, 19 doubles and nine steals. … Southern Miss alum Matt Wallner, the No. 13 prospect in Minnesota’s organization, hit his 10th homer Friday and is batting .274 at High-A Cedar Rapids. P.S. Mississippians in the majors got a little homer happy on Friday. DeSoto Central product Austin Riley hit No. 24 for Atlanta; he ought to be getting consideration for MVP. (Two other former Mississippi Braves went deep in Atlanta’s comeback win at Washington: Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson each hit his 21st bomb of the season.) MSU alum Hunter Renfroe hit his 20th for Boston and also made a homer-robbing catch; he ought to be getting consideration for comeback player of the year. Ex-State standout Brent Rooker hit his fifth homer as part of a 4-for-5 night for Minnesota; he’s got his average up to .187.

13 Aug

gotta have a plan

When Mitch Moreland signed with Oakland as a free agent this past off-season, it was with the understanding that he’d be primarily a designated hitter in 2021. It was a role the ex-Mississippi State standout had never filled before in a big league career that began in 2010 and has been spent mostly in the American League. “It’s definitely going to be different,” he said in a published interview before the season, “so I’m kind of looking forward to (spring) camp to figure out how to transition into that a little bit better. Get a game plan together for that job. I can’t answer it yet.” It’s August, and the game plan is still a work in progress. Moreland, 35, is hitting just .230 with nine homers and 27 RBIs over 71 games — 54 of those as a DH, six as a first baseman. Maybe something clicked on Thursday, when Moreland blasted two homers in a 17-0 win over Cleveland. The homers were his first since July 16. He is batting .200 since the All-Star break. The lefty-hitting Moreland, who has always hit right-handers well, isn’t even starting every game against them. He has a career .251 average and 185 homers, the kind of power the A’s were seeking when they signed him. Oakland, which has won seven in a row and 11 of 13, is a serious playoff contender. Perhaps Moreland, who has been a productive postseason hitter (.259, four homers, 19 RBIs in 52 games), can figure something out down the stretch. There’s still time to be a contributor in meaningful games ahead. P.S. MSU alum Jacob Robson made his big league debut Thursday for Detroit, going 0-for-2 in a win over Baltimore. Robson, a lefty-hitting outfielder, was batting .275 at Triple-A Toledo after hitting .424 in 18 games at Double-A Erie to start 2021. He joins Justin Steele, Nick Sandlin and Jack Kruger as Mississippians who debuted in the majors this year.

13 Aug

center stage

“Baseball, among many other things, is theater, a definition that mandates that a very small number of players will be strikingly distinctive because of productivity and ‘presence.’” – Donald Honig, Baseball America.
There has never been a stage quite like the one MLB created for Thursday night’s Field of Dreams Game. A cornfield in Iowa. So, of course, leave it to Tim Anderson, the former East Central Community College star who relishes the spotlight as much as any player in the game, to bring down the curtain with a game-ending home run into the corn stalks beyond right field. You might call it a Roy Hobbs moment, though that’s from a different movie than the one that inspired this game. Anderson’s second career walk-off bomb gave the Chicago White Sox a 9-8 win against the New York Yankees. “These are the moments you want to be in,” Anderson, the effervescent leader of these Sox, said in a postgame interview. “These big games like this, this is the time to show up.” The game actually lived up to the hype, which was not easy to do. There were five lead changes. Though 17 runs crossed the plate, pitchers also enjoyed some moments with 23 strikeouts. Anderson’s game-winner was the last of eight balls that left the park and crash-landed in the cornfield. Dramatic doesn’t quite get it. As Ray Kinsella might have said, “It’s more than that. It’s perfect.”

12 Aug

cornfield connections

Three Mississippi products are on the Chicago White Sox’s active roster for tonight’s Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa. Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn is slated to be the ChiSox’s starting pitcher, ex-East Central Community College star Tim Anderson is the shortstop and probable leadoff batter and Ocean Springs native Garrett Crochet works out of the bullpen. (Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton is currently on the injured list.) For the record, there also was a Mississippian on the infamous 1919 White Sox team that is central to the story in the “Field of Dreams” movie, though he is not one of the eight who come out of the cornfield. Ewell Albert “Reb” Russell was a Jackson native who pitched for the White Sox for seven years, winning 80 games from 1913-19, including a 23-win rookie season. The left-hander was on the 1917 club that won the World Series. Russell injured his arm in 1918 and made just one appearance for the 1919 team; he was released long before the World Series that the Black Sox were accused of throwing. Russell would return to the majors in 1922 as an outfielder with Pittsburgh and earn a dignified place in the history books. He hit 11 homers that season. Only two other players have ever posted both a double-digit win season and a double-digit homer season: Babe Ruth and Rick Ankiel. Shohei Ohtani could be the next to do it. P.S. Cleveland has placed former Southern Miss standout Nick Sandlin on the injured list, where he joins teammate Bobby Bradley, the Harrison Central High product. Ole Miss alum Drew Pomeranz was put on the IL for the third time this season by San Diego.

10 Aug

something new

At Wrigley Field today, Justin Steele, the former George County High star, makes his first major league start for Chicago against Milwaukee. At Trustmark Park in Pearl tonight, Thomas Dillard, the ex-Ole Miss standout, is expected to make his Double-A debut for Biloxi when the Shuckers play the Mississippi Braves. Steele, a 26-year-old left-hander from Lucedale, debuted with the Cubs earlier this season, posting a 2.03 ERA over 11 relief appearances. After he was shut down by an injury, the Cubs decided to make him a starter again. He made five starts for Triple-A Iowa, going 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA. He also drove in two runs in his last game for the I-Cubs. So, he appears to be ready for the new challenge. Dillard, a catcher/first baseman from Greenwood in his second pro season, smacked 16 homers for Low-A Wisconsin in Milwaukee’s system, earning the promotion to Double-A. Known for his power, the switch-hitting Dillard has 23 homers in 132 minor league games. He joins a Shuckers team that stunned the M-Braves by beating them six straight the last time they played in Pearl. P.S. Tanner Allen, a fourth-round pick this summer out of Mississippi State, is still seeking his first hit for Low-A Jupiter in the Miami chain. The SEC player of the year and Ferriss Trophy winner is 0-for-17 for the Hammerheads. He was 1-for-9 in the Florida Complex League to begin his pro career. … Reed Trimble, the 65th overall pick in July out of Southern Miss, is 3-for-9 in three games for Baltimore’s FCL club.

07 Aug

coming attractions

Ryan Rolison, the former Ole Miss standout, remains the highest-rated Mississippi product in the minors in MLB Pipeline’s post-trade deadline prospect rankings. Rolison, a 2018 first-round pick, is still No. 2 in Colorado’s system. The left-hander is currently on the injured list at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA in three starts. He was 2-1, 3.07 in Double-A. Two of the ranked prospects, Mississippi State alum Brent Rooker (12, Minnesota) and George County High alum Justin Steele (29, Chicago Cubs), already have played in the big leagues. Who’ll be next up? Maybe Rolison, or maybe Ethan Small, the ex-MSU star who is rated No. 4 in Milwaukee’s system. He also is currently on the IL at Triple-A Nashville. Two more state products appear in the Brewers’ Top 30: catcher/first baseman Thomas Dillard, a UM alum (21), and outfielder Joe Gray (30) from Hattiesburg. MSU product J.T. Ginn is the New York Mets’ No. 5 prospect, but the righty pitcher is in A-ball in his first pro season. Justin Foscue, the former Bulldogs second baseman, is Texas’ No. 5 but is also in A-ball (and flourishing) as a first-year pro. Other ranked Magnolia Staters: Jared Johnson (27, Atlanta); Jordan Westburg (6, Baltimore); Anthony Servideo (23, Baltimore); Blaze Jordan (10, Boston); James Beard (20, Chicago White Sox); Colt Keith (16, Detroit); Grae Kessinger (13, Houston); Kendall Williams (18, Los Angeles Dodgers); Matt Wallner (13, Minnesota); Jake Mangum (30, Mets); Brady Feigl (28, Oakland); James McArthur (28, Philadelphia); and Tyler Keenan (23, Seattle). … None of the 2021 draft picks – and there were 12 from the state, including first-rounders Will Bednar and Gunnar Hoglund – have been slotted into the rankings yet.

05 Aug

on this date

On this date in 1988, Jeff Brantley made his debut for San Francisco, throwing two scoreless innings in an 8-5 loss at Atlanta. It was the start of something good for Brantley, one of the “core four” stars of the 1985 Mississippi State team that finished third in the College World Series. Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Thigpen might have had more celebrated pro careers, but Brantley’s resume is pretty dang good. The Alabama native pitched for 14 years in the big leagues and appeared in 615 games, most as a reliever. He won 43, saved 172 (44 in 1996 with Cincinnati) and posted a 3.39 ERA. He made an All-Star Game and helped the Giants reach the 1989 World Series. Nicknamed “The Cowboy,” he is currently a broadcaster for the Reds.

04 Aug

watch for it

After showing out in the rookie Florida Complex League, ex-DeSoto Central High standout Blaze Jordan will get to test his skills at Low-A Salem, possibly as soon as tonight. Boston promoted the 2020 third-round draft pick on Tuesday. The 18-year-old third baseman hit .362 with four homers and 19 RBIs in the FCL. Long known for his prodigious power, Jordan, 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, reportedly is fitter and quicker than he was in his prep days, though he is still expected to shift to first base at some stage. Concerns about his contact ability didn’t surface in the FCL, where he struck out just 13 times in 69 at-bats. Salem hosts Lynchburg tonight at Haley Toyota Field in Virginia in a Low-A East game.

04 Aug

pennant fever rises

The chase for playoff berths is getting real in MLB, and a bunch of Mississippians are in the thick of things. The most compelling game on Tuesday was Houston-Los Angeles, a “rematch” of the 2017 World Series before 52,692 vocal fans at Dodger Stadium. Former Mississippi State standout Kendall Graveman, in his second appearance for first-place Houston, helped send Dodgers fans home disappointed by throwing a scoreless eighth inning in a 3-0 victory. L.A. is running second in its division. … Tim Anderson, the East Central Community College alum, went 3-for-4 with his 10th homer of the season to spark the first-place Chicago White Sox to a 7-1 win over Kansas City. Ocean Springs’ Garrett Crochet threw a scoreless inning for the ChiSox. McComb’s Jarrod Dyson went 0-for-2 for the Royals, who are not a playoff contender. … Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central High star, had a pair of hits and scored a run in Atlanta’s 6-1 win against St. Louis in a matchup of third-place teams still in the postseason hunt. … MSU product Hunter Renfroe belted his 17th home run for Boston, but the second-place Red Sox lost to resurgent Detroit 4-2. … Ex-Meridian CC standout Corey Dickerson went 0-for-4 in his Toronto debut, but the Blue Jays got a big win, 7-2, against Cleveland in a contest of two clubs fighting to hang on in the wild card race. Gulfport’s Bobby Bradley went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Indians. … San Diego beat Oakland 8-1 in an interleague matchup of wild card chasers, but none of the Mississippi college products on the two rosters – Adam Frazier, Drew Pomeranz and Mitch Moreland – got in the game. Game 2 of the series is today. P.S. If St. Louis is still in the playoff race come September, the Cardinals might get a lift from Dakota Hudson’s return. The State alum, who had Tommy John surgery last September, has been throwing to live batters since mid-July. Right-hander Hudson, a former first-round pick, was 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA last year before he was shut down and is 23-10, 3.17 for his MLB career. If he does in fact return, Hudson likely would pitch out of the bullpen, which he did as a rookie for the Cards in 2018. … Worth noting: Ex-Mississippi College star Blaine Crim homered Tuesday in his Double-A debut for Frisco in the Texas system. He had 20 bombs at High-A Hickory (see previous post). … Also worth noting: Last Sunday, Brandon Parker, the Mississippi Gulf Coast CC alum from Saucier, hit a home run for Low-A Augusta (Atlanta system) that was caught by his little brother on a walkway beyond the left-field wall.

03 Aug

coming and going

On the injured list since June 15, and with a new organization since June 29, Corey Dickerson is expected to be activated by Toronto today and could make his Blue Jays debut against Cleveland. The veteran outfielder from McComb hit .260 with two homers in 62 games for Miami before suffering a foot injury. He was traded a couple weeks later. While rehabbing the injury in Florida, Dickerson was called home to Mississippi, where his father died on July 6. Dickerson also lost his grandfather in 2020. “These two years are probably the toughest two years of my life,” he told Sportsnet in an article published Monday. Dickerson, a .282 career hitter, batted .258 for the Marlins in 2020. Toronto, very much in the playoff chase, will be the sixth team he has played for in nine MLB campaigns. … Southern Miss product Cody Carroll has been released from Baltimore’s Triple-A Norfolk club. The 28-year-old Carroll had a 5.57 ERA in 22 games for the Tides, well above his career minor league number of 2.94. He has appeared in 18 MLB games over seven pro seasons. P.S. On the local front: The Tippah County Tribe, the third-place team in the regular season, won the Cotton States League North championship on Sunday, beating the Woodall Mountain Lookouts 7-4 in New Albany. Peeko Townsend, a Northwest Mississippi Community College alum, went 3-for-3 with a homer for the Tribe, and Josh Paul of New Albany drove in three runs with a pair of hits. Gavin Holloman of Columbus was the winning pitcher. The top two teams in the college summer league, the Tupelo Thunder and North Delta Dealers, were knocked out in earlier rounds of the weekend playoffs. … The Hattiesburg Black Sox semi-pro team won the American Amateur Baseball Congress’ Stan Musial World Series in Pueblo, Colo., last week. Former Hinds CC star Beau Wallace was the tournament MVP for the undefeated Black Sox, coached by Trey Aby. Other team captains included Trey “Doc” Jones, Eric Wilkes, J.T. Hall and Casey Echols.