2025 All-Star Game Archives - All Mississippi Baseball

16 Jul

have a blast

Mississippi State has sent a boatload of players to the major leagues, and quite a few of them have played in the MLB All-Star Game. Only two have ever hit a home run. Will Clark in 1992 and Brent Rooker on Tuesday night in a highly entertaining Midsummer Classic at Atlanta’s Truist Park. Rooker’s seventh-inning homer — a three-run shot off Randy Rodriguez, he of the 0.87 ERA — started the American League’s comeback from six runs down. The AL stars ultimately tied it at 6-6 before losing in the first-ever swing-off that decided the outcome, which goes in the books as 7-6. It was quite the All-Star experience for Rooker. He hit 17 bombs in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, narrowly missing a berth in the semifinals. He also participated in the swing-off and, as the leadoff batter in the six-man competition, hit two home runs; the National League would win that showdown 4-3 thanks to Kyle Schwarber’s three bombs. Home runs are kind of a thing for Rooker, who was making his second ASG appearance; he has 20 homers this season for the A’s and 89 over his last three seasons with the club. On Tuesday night, San Francisco’s Rodriguez came in with two runners on and none out to face Rooker, who took two sliders off the plate. “I was swinging no matter what at that 2-0 pitch,” Rooker said in an in-game TV interview. The 407-foot drive to left field put the AL on the board and gave the team some needed juice. They tied it with two runs in a crazy ninth inning, setting the stage for the swing-off. Rooker again gave the AL some mo with his two homers. “I don’t know what the viewing experience was like,” Rooker said in an mlb.com story, “but on the field, it was electric.” … Clark’s 1992 homer, also a three-run shot, came against Rick Aguilera, a former Jackson Mets star then with Minnesota, at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The AL beat Clark’s NL squad — he was with the Giants at the time — 13-6.

15 Jul

starry, starry nights

On the occasion of the 95th MLB All-Star Game, here’s a look at some anniversaries of significance:
Ten years ago, Brian Dozier made his only appearance in the Midsummer Classic — and made an indelible mark. The former Southern Miss star from Fulton, then with the Minnesota Twins, hit a home run in his lone at-bat, taking Mark Melancon deep in the eighth inning at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. The American League stars won the game 6-3. Dozier became just the fourth Mississippi native to homer in an All-Star Game, following George Scott (1977), Dave Parker (1981) and Frank White (1986). (Mississippi State alum Will Clark also hit an ASG bomb in 1992.) Dozier would hit 28 homers in that 2015 season, helping the Twins to their first winning season in five years. … Twenty years ago, Roy Oswalt made the first of his three All-Star Game appearances. The 2005 season was a banner one for the former Holmes Community College star from Weir. He won 20 games for Houston, went 3-0 in the postseason, took National League Championship Series MVP honors while leading the Astros to the World Series and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting. But his memories of the All-Star Game that July might not be so pleasant. He allowed two hits, a walk and two runs in an inning of work as the NL lost 7-5 at Detroit’s Comerica Park. In the 2006 ASG, Oswalt threw a scoreless inning. … Tonight’s game will be the third All-Star Game played in Atlanta, each in a different ballpark. In the first, at Fulton County Stadium in 1972, ex-Ole Miss star Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs started at shortstop and went 0-for-2 for the Nationals in a 4-3 win. Kessinger made six All-Star teams in his 16-year career. In the 2000 game, at Turner Field, Gulfport native Matt Lawton of Minnesota subbed in for the Americans and went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run in a 6-3 victory. Lawton made two All-Star teams in his 12-year MLB tour. … The Braves’ Hank Aaron homered in the ’72 game and Chipper Jones went yard in the 2000 game. That might bode well for former Mississippi Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., who’ll bat second for the NL tonight at Truist Park. P.S. Brent Rooker, former Mississippi State standout and an All-Star reserve, missed by an inch — literally — of eliminating eventual champ Cal Raleigh in the first round of Monday night’s Home Run Derby. Both hit 17 homers, but Raleigh advanced to the semifinals on a tiebreaker. His longest homer — a 471-footer — was .08 of an inch longer than Rooker’s 471. (Rooker also inadvertently ran out of balls before his time expired in the first round.) Despite the letdown, Rooker said the experience was “super fun.” Tonight will be Rooker’s second All-Star appearance; the A’s slugger went 1-for-2 as a sub in the 2023 game. … Ocean Springs’ Garrett Crochet, now pitching for Boston, was chosen for the ASG for a second time but elected not to participate.

12 Jul

clearing the bases

Atlanta won a one-run game Friday night — shocking! — but lost in midgame third baseman Austin Riley to “lower abdominal tightness.” The DeSoto Central High alum was listed as day-to-day, per the latest report on mlb.com/braves. He has played in all of the Braves’ 93 games, and they need him in the lineup. Riley was 1-for-2 with an RBI knock in the 6-5 win at St. Louis, continuing his recent surge: .321 with two homers, six RBIs and five runs in his last seven games. He is at .274 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs on the season. … Former Mississippi Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., who went 3-for-5 on Friday, will not take part in Monday’s Home Run Derby over concerns about his back; Matt Olson takes his spot. … Ex-Ocean Springs High star Garrett Crochet of Boston pulled out of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, replaced on the American roster by Casey Mize. Meanwhile, Biloxi Shuckers alum Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee’s 6-foot-7 rookie sensation (4-1, 2.81 ERA) has been named to the National League squad. … Mississippi products Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep), Braden Montgomery (Madison Central) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (Mississippi State) will get some national exposure today (3 p.m., MLB Network) in the All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. Griffin is the No. 13 prospect in the minors, per MLB Pipeline rankings, with Montgomery at No. 32 and Cijntje No. 79. Each is currently playing in High-Class A. The Futures Game has become a big deal. Former Magnolia Heights standout Cooper Pratt, now in Double-A, played in the 2024 game. In previous years current big leaguers Colt Keith, Matt Wallner and Nathaniel Lowe particpated, along with the likes of Hunter Renfroe, Billy Hamilton, Dakota Hudson, Desmond Jennings and Ethan Small. … Dakota Jordan, the former MSU and Jackson Academy star, isn’t going to the ATL, but certainly has the credentials. He hit his 10th homer on Friday and is batting .304 with 70 RBIs and 63 runs in 79 games at Low-A San Jose (San Francisco). … Jackson State alum Robert Tate Jr. started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Tigers teammate Nkosi Didder struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth inning to get the win as the NL squad beat the AL 7-4 in Friday’s HBCU Swingman Classic. … Arizona activated ex-MSU star Kendall Graveman from the IL; he gave up a run in an inning of work vs. the Los Angeles Angels and now has an 8.68 ERA. … Former Ole Miss slugger Tim Elko was placed on the IL (knee) by the Chicago White Sox; he is batting .145 in 62 MLB at-bats.

10 Jul

here it comes

Strap in, seamheads. An action-packed stretch of star-quality baseball is coming up, and Mississippi connections abound. The rundown:
Friday: The HBCU Swingman Classic at Truist Park in Atlanta features Jackson State’s Robert Tate Jr., Jordan McCladdie, Joseph Eichelberger, Eric Elliott, Nkosi Didder and Erick Gonzalez, Jaylon Burrell of Alcorn State and Kade Wood of Mississippi Valley State. They are among the 50 HBCU players chosen for the third annual all-star game, set for 6 p.m. CDT and televised on MLB Network. Former Alcorn star Corey Wimberly is one of the coaches for the game.
(Also on Friday in Niigata, Japan, are Games 3 (and 4) of the USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series. Mississippi State’s Ace Reese and Ryan McPherson are on the Team USA roster.)
Saturday: The All-Star Futures Game (3 p.m., MLB Network) at Truist Park. Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep), Braden Montgomery (Madison Central) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU) are among the highly rated minor league prospects invited to this annual showcase. Former Jackson State star Marvin Freeman is a coach on the AL staff.
Sunday: The MLB draft begins with Rounds 1-3 (5 p.m., MLB Network). Mississippians JoJo Parker, J.B. Middleton and Landon Harmon, all ranked in the top 48 of MLB Pipeline’s latest draft prospect chart, are potential first-round picks. Former Ole Miss players Liam Doyle and Andrew Fischer, who played at Tennessee in 2025, could also be first-rounders.
(Game 5 of the USA-Japan collegiate series will played in Tokyo.)
Monday: The Home Run Derby at Truist Park (7 p.m., ESPN). Ex-MSU slugger Brent Rooker is in the field, along with former Mississippi Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., who’ll be hitting in his home park in the ATL.
(The MLB draft continues — and if past is prologue, a slew of Mississippi products will be picked on Day 2.)
Tuesday: The 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park (7 p.m., Fox). Rooker and Ocean Springs’ Garrett Crochet are on the American League roster. Acuna and fellow former M-Braves alum Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) were voted in as starters for the National League, and former Biloxi Shuckers Josh Hader (now with Houston) and Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee) and M-Braves alum Max Fried (New York Yankees) will also be there.
Wednesday: The Frontier League All-Star Game at Troy, N.Y. Brian Williams, Victor Diaz and Travis Holt of the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters have been invited.

06 Jul

star struck

Garrett Crochet, who starred at Ocean Springs High, and Brent Rooker, who did same at Mississippi State, were named Sunday to the American League All-Star team. It’s the second time each has been selected. Left-hander Crochet, who beat Washington on Sunday, is 9-4 with a 2.37 ERA and 151 strikeouts in his first season with Boston. Rooker, picked as a DH, is batting .273 with 18 homers and 48 RBIs for the A’s heading into a Sunday night game against San Francisco. At least one Mississippian (native or school alum) has been on an All-Star Game roster every year since 2014. (There was no game in 2020.) Also going to Atlanta next week are former Biloxi Shuckers Josh Hader, now with Houston, and Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee) and Mississippi Braves alum Max Fried (New York Yankees). The pitchers and reserves were announced on Sunday. Last week, former M-Braves stars Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta) and Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) were voted in as starters for the National League. The Midsummer Classic is July 15 at Truist Park. P.S. Brandon Woodruff, a former All-Star, flashed all-star form in his first appearance since September 2023 (see previous post). Starting for Milwaukee on Sunday, MSU alum Woodruff got the win vs. Miami, throwing six innings (70 pitches) and yielding just two hits and a run with eight strikeouts. He reportedly hit 96 mph.

24 Jun

noteworthy

Justin Foscue made his 2025 debut with Texas on Monday night, becoming the 26th Mississippian (native or school alum) to play in the big leagues this season. Seventeen are currently on active rosters. Three have been released and are free agents, the others are either on the injured list or back in the minors. Ex-Mississippi State star Foscue, called up from Triple-A on Saturday, played first base and went 0-for-3 in the Rangers’ loss to Baltimore. … Brent Rooker moved up to third and Colt Keith to fourth in the latest All-Star Game balloting for American League DH, and Austin Riley rose to sixth in the National League third base race. Rooker, an MSU alum, is hitting .275 with 15 homers and 41 RBIs for the A’s. Keith, a Biloxi High product, is at .243 with six bombs and 24 RBIs for Detroit, which has the best record in MLB. Former DeSoto Central star Riley is hitting .275 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs for Atlanta; he was 2-for-4 with a triple in the 3-2 win vs. the New York Mets on Monday night. The All-Star Game is July 15 in Atlanta. … Connor Hujsak, former MSU standout, was named the Carolina League player of the week on Monday; he was 10-for-29 with two homers and nine RBIs last week for Low-Class A Charleston in the Tampa Bay chain. Hujsak is the 11th Mississippi product to win a minor league player or pitcher of the week award this season, joining Konnor Griffin, Kemp Alderman, Blaze Jordan, Tyson Hardin, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Niko Mazza, Braden Montgomery, Rowdey Jordan, Blaine Crim and J.T. Ginn.

16 Jun

showtime in phoenix

JoJo Parker, the Purvis High star and projected first-round draft pick, is on the list of players from Mississippi schools who have accepted invitations to attend the MLB Draft Combine, which runs Tuesday through Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Tuesday workout will be televised from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT by MLB Network, with former Mississippi State standout and big league manager Buck Showalter among the crew that will provide analysis. Parker, rated the No. 10 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, is among the players slated to participate in on-field events that will include batting practice and bullpen sessions. A game for the prep players is on tap for Tuesday night. Also scheduled to attend the showcase are Southern Miss’ Jake Cook and J.B. Middleton; Mississippi State’s Pico Kohn and Ben Davis; Ole Miss’ Mason Morris and Luke Hill; and high school grads Jacob Parker (JoJo’s twin from Purvis), Landon Harmon (East Union), Talon Haley (Lewisburg) and Griffin Enis (Corinth). Middleton, a first-team All-America pick and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner, and Harmon, the ace of East Union’s MHSAA Class 2A state title club, are top 50 draft prospects. In 2024, per an mlb.com story, 224 of the 305 players who participated in the Combine were drafted, including 75 of the first 100 picks. P.S. Austin Riley, Colt Keith and Brent Rooker are among the top 10 vote-getters at their positions in the MLB All-Star Game ballot standings released today. Ex-DeSoto Central High star Riley is seventh in the National League third base voting, while Biloxi High product Keith is sixth and ex-MSU standout Rooker seventh in the voting for American League DH. The All-Star Game is July 15 in Atlanta.