down under achieving

Big day today at the plate for Anthony Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal who is tuning up his game in Australia this winter. Alford, batting leadoff for Canberra, went 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs in the Cavalry’s 10-3 win. In 30 games Down Under, Alford, a center fielder, is batting .216 (with a .346 on-base percentage) and has three homers, eight RBIs, 29 runs and nine steals in 11 attempts. The former Southern Miss and Ole Miss football player will head to spring training next month with Toronto and likely start the 2015 campaign in A-ball. Alford, a third-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2012, hasn’t played a lot of baseball since leaving Petal, but he’s only 20. He’s got time to develop. … Toronto also has former Stone County High star D.J. Davis in its system. Davis, also 20 and an outfielder, was the Jays’ top pick in 2012 and spent last season at Class A Lansing, where Alford played five games last summer. Davis is listed as the No. 9 prospect in the organization.