closing arguments

Joey Butler enjoyed what he termed a “pretty cool” finish to his season. Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout, got a curtain call at Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field on Sunday during a two-homer, six-RBI game against Toronto. Among Mississippians who won’t be going to the postseason, Butler’s day was the brightest but not the only highlight. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith hit a game-winning home run, his 12th, for Seattle. Corey Dickerson, the former Meridian CC star, hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot that was part of a seven-run ninth inning for Colorado. UM product David Goforth pitched a scoreless inning for Milwaukee, and ex-Mississippi State star Ed Easley got his first MLB start for St. Louis. He was behind the plate (for Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn’s playoff tuneup) in Game 2 of a pair against Atlanta and went 0-for-3 in the 2-0 loss. Easley was 0-for-6 on the year, still without a big league knock. It seems unlikely he’ll make the postseason roster. Butler, who rarely played down the stretch (see previous post), told mlb.com that he “proved to myself” that he belongs in The Show. We’ll see what the Rays think. He finished at .276 with eight homers. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, who didn’t play for Cincinnati after Sept. 17, lost the stolen base title to Miami’s Dee Gordon, who finished with 58 to Hamilton’s 57. P.S. Northwest Mississippi CC product Cody Reed was ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Class A Carolina League by Baseball America. Left-hander Reed went 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA for Kansas City’s Wilmington team before he was promoted to Double-A and then traded in the Johnny Cueto deal. He finished at Pensacola in the Southern League, going 6-2, 2.17 for the Cincinnati affiliate. … Anthony Alford, Bobby Bradley and Spencer Turnbull cracked the Baseball America top 20 prospects list for the Midwest League. Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal, was rated the No. 2 prospect, ex-Harrison Central High star Bradley was No. 9 and Madison Central product Spencer Turnbull was No. 17. Alford, an outfielder in Toronto’s system, was promoted to the high Class A Florida State League at midseason and was the No. 8 prospect in that loop. He’s got game (see previous posts). Bradley hit a league-best 27 home runs for Cleveland’s Lake County team, and Turnbull, a Detroit farmhand, was an 11-game winner who didn’t allow a home run all year.