October 6, 2025 - All Mississippi Baseball

afl cranks up

Michael Fowler, who pitched for the Mississippi Mud Monsters this summer, has been pegged as an Arizona Fall League “under-the-radar” prospect by MLB Pipeline. Fowler, now in the Milwaukee system, pitched for Southern Miss last spring and then went 2-1 with a 1.92 ERA in seven games for the independent Mud-sters, striking out 15 in 9 1/3 innings. The Brewers signed him, and he posted a 1.08 ERA in Low-Class A, showing enough stuff to earn an AFL assignment. The prospect-filled AFL starts its season today with Peoria playing Scottsdale. Twelve of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 minor league prospects populate the rosters of the six teams. Fowler, not a rated prospect, is on the Surprise roster; the Saguaros open on Tuesday. Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect (No. 35 overall), is with Glendale, which also opens Tuesday. The switch-hitting outfielder, who reached Double-A in his first pro season, isn’t active yet, still recuperating from a foot injury. Former Mississippi State and DeSoto Central High standout Cade Smith, a New York Yankees prospect who pitched in A-ball in 2025, is on the Mesa roster. Ex-Bulldogs star David Mershon is with Salt River; he played at Double-A and Triple-A in the Los Angeles Angels’ chain this season but had some injury issues and scuffled at the plate. Also on the Salt River club is Ole Miss product Derek Diamond, a Pittsburgh prospect who missed much of the 2025 campaign. He pitched in Double-A at the start of the season. On the Glendale roster is former Mississippi Braves star Nacho Alvarez Jr., who finished the year with Atlanta; the third baseman missed much of the minor league season with injury.

into the frying pan

Will Warren’s postseason debut could not have started much worse. The Jackson Prep product came on for the New York Yankees in a tough spot Sunday, his team trailing by five runs with no outs and two runners on in the fourth inning. Warren walked the first batter he faced, gave up a grand slam to the third, a single to the fourth and a homer to the fifth. Ouch. Toronto was well on its way to a 13-7 win at Rogers Centre and a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series. Yankees starter Max Fried was charged with seven of those runs and took the loss. Warren, to his everlasting credit, battled into the eighth inning, allowing two more homers and six runs all told. During the regular season, over 162 1/3 innings, Warren had a 4.44 ERA and allowed just 1.22 homers per nine innings. He made 33 appearances during the season, all as a starter. “I worked my best to treat it like a start,” he said in a postgame interview. “You get ready the same way. … I got to come in and get us out of that.” With the Yankees heading back to New York one loss from elimination, Warren may not get another opportunity in this series. He’d surely like one.