in the system

After a fairly dominant tour of the Double-A Southern League, former Ole Miss standout Chris Ellis has found the going a little tougher at the Triple-A level. Ellis, slated to start tonight for the Gwinnett Braves, is 1-3 with a 6.05 ERA in five starts, though he did post five scoreless innings in his previous outing. The tall right-hander was 8-2, 2.75 for the Mississippi Braves before a June promotion. Ellis was acquired by Atlanta from the Los Angeles Angels in the Andrelton Simmons trade in the off-season; he is rated the Braves’ No. 12 prospect by mlb.com. Ellis is among five Mississippi-connected players in Atlanta’s system, though none are currently in Pearl. Also at Gwinnett is Southern Miss alum Bradley Roney, who also has hit some turbulence. Roney has a 4.67 ERA in 12 relief appearances, with two wins and two saves. Roney also started 2016 with the M-Braves and had a 2.82 when he was moved up. The third Mississippian on Gwinnett’s roster is Tyler Moore, the big league veteran out of Mississippi State who has been on the disabled list since May 5. He is batting .242 with one homer in 16 games. At Class A Carolina, former Murrah High star Zack Bird has struggled, putting up a 7.82 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in 22 appearances. He made three starts for the M-Braves last summer after he was acquired from the L.A. Dodgers but finished 2015 on the DL. Bird is currently rated Atlanta’s No. 15 prospect; that’s not going to hold up. This brings us to former DeSoto Central star Austin Riley, who is having a positive experience at low-A Rome. Only 19 and in his first full pro season, Riley is batting .259 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 82 games. The third baseman, drafted 41st overall in 2015, already is rated Atlanta’s No. 6 prospect. His arrival in Pearl, possibly in 2018, is something to look forward to.