Tag Archives: allmississippibaseball

13 Jun

speed demon

The highest grade scouts give prospects for a specific tool is 80. Emaarion Boyd got a 70 for his “run” tool, and the ex-South Panola High standout is showing it off in his first full pro season. An 11th-round draft pick last summer by Philadelphia, Boyd leads the Low-Class A Florida State League in stolen bases with 33. He swiped six in one game last week. The 5-foot-11, 177-pound center fielder also has produced with his bat, hitting .268 with five extra-base hits and 14 RBIs for Clearwater. Boyd has scored 31 runs in 40 games for the Threshers, who stand 40-16 and already have clinched a first-half division title. Boyd is rated as the Phillies’ No. 12 prospect. The mlb.com scouting report highlights his ability to put the ball in play — he hit .345 in rookie ball in 2022 — and projects that he’ll get stronger and add power to his game. The speed will always be there. P.S. Magee’s Brennon McNair, an 11th-round pick in 2021 by Kansas City, also has flashed eye-catching speed this season. Playing at Low-A Columbia in the Carolina League, McNair has 15 steals in 16 attempts. The third baseman is batting just .209 but has a homer, four doubles and four triples. … James Beard, considered one of the fastest players in the 2019 draft coming out of Loyd Star, has been stalled by injuries in the Chicago White Sox’s system. He swiped 28 bags in A-ball in 2022 but hasn’t played yet this season. … Billy Hamilton, probably the fastest player to come out of the Magnolia State, is on a rehab assignment for the White Sox at Triple-A Charlotte. The former Taylorsville High star, 32, is Mississippi’s all-time MLB steals leader with 326, two this year. He has 405 in the minors, three this year.

13 Jun

cheers

Southern Miss turned the page Monday night on a glorious era. Scott Berry’s storied tenure started at Pete Taylor Park on Feb. 19, 2010, with an 11-0 win over Northwestern State. It ended on the same field with a 5-0 loss to Tennessee in Game 3 of the Super Regional — not the ending USM faithful had dreamed of for their retiring coach but not a terrible way to go out. The school’s all-time winningest coach doffed his hard hat and took a final curtain call as a gold-clad crowd of some 6,000 gave him a standing O. Berry won 528 games, made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, won five C-USA regular season titles and four tournament titles. In its first year in the Sun Belt Conference, USM finished second in the regular season, won the tourney title and then went off and won a regional on the road. Berry coached dozens of award-winning players and sent a bunch to pro ball. On top of all that, Berry is just a great guy, easy to root for. A trip to the College World Series would have been a more fitting finish, but for the second straight year, with Omaha in their sights, the Golden Eagles ran into some white-hot pitching. In 2022, it was Ole Miss, which went on to win the national title. This time, Vols pitchers blanked USM’s powerful lineup over the last 15 innings of the last two games. UT’s Chase Burns allowed one baserunner in the final 2 2/3 Monday. He got Dustin Dickerson on a line drive to end the game and the era. Christian Ostrander, the former pitching coach, is now the man in charge, and he has a lot to live up to. He follows Berry, who followed the legendary Corky Palmer, who took the Eagles to their one CWS appearance in 2009. Palmer succeeded Hill Denson, whose wins record Berry surpassed and whose name is on the field. Denson followed Pete Taylor, for whom the ballpark is named.

12 Jun

stars come out

The Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference, which had four teams in the top 13 of the final NJCAA Division II poll in mid-May, placed six players on the D-II All-America teams announced today. Meridian CC’s Cole Boswell made the first team. The Southern Miss signee, the MACCC pitcher of the year, went 11-1 with a 2.49 ERA and averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings for the Eagles, who finished 38-12 and were ranked No. 3 in the final poll issued before the postseason. Four state juco products made second-team A-A, led by Itawamba infielder Will Verdung, the state’s position player of the year and another USM signee. Verdung hit .389 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. Also on the second team: Pearl River’s Cooper Cooksey, who led the nation with a 1.32 ERA; Hinds infielder Dylan Coleman; and Mo Little, DH for East Central, which won the state and Region 23 titles and played in the juco World Series. Gulf Coast outfielder Sean Smith made the third team. P.S. In case you missed it: Cooper Pratt, shortstop/pitcher for Magnolia Heights Academy, won Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year award for 2023, joining an impressive list. An Ole Miss signee and highly rated MLB draft prospect, Pratt hit .469 with 38 steals and went 10-0, 0.14, on the mound for the MAIS 5A champions. Dakota Jordan, a Jackson Academy alum now at Mississippi State, won the 2022 award, preceeded in recent years by Braden Montgomery of Madison Central, Blaze Jordan of DeSoto Central, Colt Keith of Biloxi and J.T. Ginn of Brandon. Montgomery is now at Stanford, while Blaze Jordan, Keith and Ginn are in pro ball.

12 Jun

here and there

Southern Miss, which plays Tennessee today in Hattiesburg for a trip to the College World Series, isn’t just a Mississippi-based team. It’s a Mississippi-fueled team. Twenty Magnolia State natives dot the roster, including regulars Dustin Dickerson, Slade Wilks, Nick Monistere, Carson Paetow and Tate Parker. Today’s probable starter, Niko Mazza, is also a state product. Incidentally, USM’s 2009 team, the only one to make it to Omaha, also featured 20 Mississippi natives, most notably Brian Dozier, future big league star. … Also vying for a CWS trip today is Stanford, playing a Game 3 at home against Texas. Former Madison Central standout Braden Montgomery, an All–Pac-12 selection this year, is 4-for-9 with a walk and pair of runs in that Super Regional. … Former USM pitcher Hurston Waldrep, now at Florida, already has booked a trip to the CWS; he was brilliant (eight shutout innings, 13 strikeouts) in the Gators’ clincher vs. South Carolina on Saturday. … Twice on their just-completed homestand the Mississippi Braves took the field with a chance to reach .500 for the first time since mid-April. Twice they lost. Biloxi, which got five shutout innings from rehabbing big leaguer Wade Miley, beat the M-Braves 5-4 Sunday at Trustmark Park, dropping the home team to 27-29. The M-Braves started the season 3-2 but then went on an eight-game skid and have been fighting their way back ever since. … Mississippi native — and former M-Braves radio voice — Ben Ingram will do the TV play-by-play on Bally Sports South for Atlanta’s three-game series at Detroit. Ingram is moving over from the radio booth for this short road trip. … Congrats to Crystal Springs native Hunter Renfroe, who became a first-time father last week. The veteran outfielder out of Mississippi State returned to the Los Angeles Angels’ lineup on Saturday. … Tim Anderson, the East Central Community College product, got a (needed?) day off Sunday as the Chicago White Sox lost to Miami 6-5. Anderson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and made a critical ninth-inning error that led to three unearned runs in the White Sox’s 5-1 loss to the Marlins on Saturday. Anderson, a 2022 All-Star, is hitting .263 with no home runs and has five errors in 46 games at shortstop with a minus-4 Defensive Runs Saved stat (per FanGraphs). BTW, former MSU star Kendall Graveman blew the save for the White Sox in Sunday’s loss; they are reeling again at 29-38. … MSU alum Brent Rooker hit his 13th homer for Oakland on Sunday as the woeful A’s (17-50) completed a three-game sweep at Milwaukee. After a prolonged cold spell, Rooker has six hits (two homers) in his last 19 at-bats.

11 Jun

good to see

Bobby Bradley will hit bombs. That we know. The former Harrison Central High star hit 180 home runs in eight seasons in affiliated ball, and he has 14 — tied for the league lead — in his first season in the independent Atlantic League. What is a little different this year for the 27-year-old Bradley has been his ability to put the ball in play. He went 3-for-4 (with a homer) in a 9-8 win by the Charleston Dirty Birds on Saturday and raised his average to .288. He has a .362 on-base average, a .667 slug. High strikeout totals (and defensive limitations) were Bradley’s big issue in affiliated ball. He punched out more than a thousand times in 820 games. In his last MLB stint with Cleveland in 2022, he hit .118 with nine strikeouts in 17 at-bats before being shipped to the minors and ultimately released. He has fanned 36 times in 37 games (132 at-bats) for Charleston. Atlantic League pitching isn’t bad; there are a lot of veteran arms around the circuit. Bradley, primarily a first baseman, has shown defensive versatility by playing some left field this year. Whether he has a path back to affiliated ball, who knows? But it’s good to see the once-highly rated prospect having some success again. P.S. Lance Berkman, the former Jackson Generals standout, was somehow bypassed for inclusion in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but he has been named to the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame, no minor honor. The star-studded college summer league, which began its centennial season on Saturday, named its 2023 class on Friday. Berkman hit a league-best .352 for Wareham in 1996. Two years later, after being drafted in the first round out of Rice by Houston, Berkman had a big year for the Double-A Gens, hitting .306 with 24 homers and 89 RBIs. He was a six-time All-Star and a World Series champ in the majors, finishing with a .293 career average over 15 seasons.

10 Jun

what are the odds?

The oddsmakers don’t like Southern Miss’ chances of beating Tennessee in the best-of-3 Super Regional that starts today (2 p.m., ESPNU). The Vols are heavily favored. Even though: USM beat the odds to win the Auburn Regional through the losers bracket. Even though: USM is 26-5 at Taylor Park. Even though: Tennessee is 5-12 on the road and 7-14 away from home overall. Even though: It has been 31 years since a UT team ventured south to Hattiesburg. Even though: The Pete will be filled to the gills with extremely vocal gold-shirted cranks. Tennessee is favored. Even though: The Golden Eagles scored 40 runs in five games in the regional and had five hitters make the all-tournament team. Even though: USM has put up double-digit runs nine times at home this season. (“The park tends to play a little offensive, so they’ve always had good offenses,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said of USM’s lineup.) Tennessee is favored. Even though: The Eagles’ deep pitching staff features All-America right-hander Tanner Hall (12-3, 2.08 ERA), penciled in for Game 2 on Sunday. (“He takes advantage of hitters who are overzealous. Really preys on hitters who are overzealous,” the high-strung Vitello said of Hall.) Tennessee is favored. Even though: Eagles players desperately want to keep the season alive for their retiring coach, the beloved and respected Scott Berry. Yes, Tennessee has some power bats, five with 12 or more homers. And the Vols have two pitchers ranked by MLB Pipeline among the top 2023 draft prospects, including No. 6 Chase Dollander, expected to go Sunday. But these Eagles have a lot going for them this weekend, despite what the odds might say.

10 Jun

sudden impact

On this date in 2002, Marcus Thames, a New York Yankees rookie, stepped to the plate in Yankee Stadium for his first big league at-bat and, on the first pitch he saw, blasted a home run off Randy Johnson, then pitching for Arizona. It was the first of 115 homers for Thames, a Louisville native and ex-East Central Community College star who had a nice MLB career. It’s a cool memory, for sure, but Thames no doubt has other things on his mind today, namely the five-game win streak by the Los Angeles Angels that has pushed their record to 35-30, within 6.5 games of first place in the American League West. Thames is in his first year as the Angels’ hitting coach, and he has had a positive impact. The Angels’ offense was a mess in 2022, despite the presence of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. They went 73-89 and finished 26th in the majors in on-base percentage, 25th in runs and first (as in worst) in strikeouts. Under Thames’ direction, their OBP (.333) as well as batting average (.256) are up, and they are averaging more runs per game (4.8) and fewer strikeouts (8.7). Thames, widely regarded as a good coach, was the victim of staff purges by the Yankees and Miami the last two years. He quickly found work with Phil Nevin’s Angels and promised an “aggressive in the zone” approach. It appears to be working, much like it did for him on that memorable first AB 21 years ago. … Things are not going so well for Buck Showalter’s New York Mets, who have lost seven in a row and tumbled to 30-34, 9.5 games out in the National League East. They’ve also lost slugger Pete Alonso to the injured list. Showalter, the ex-Mississippi State star in his second season as manager of the Mets, is already rumored to be on the hot seat despite winning manager of the year honors with a playoff team in 2022. He said he remained proud of his current club after they blew late leads and lost three times to the archenemy Atlanta Braves. They then lost to the low-budget Pittsburgh Pirates 14-7 on Friday. (Ke’Bryan Hayes — son of Hattiesburg native Charlie — went 5-for-5 with four RBIs for the Bucs, who are 33-29.) The Mets have the largest payroll in baseball; owner Steve Cohen can’t be happy with what has happened this season.

09 Jun

what’s going on

It ain’t Red Sox-Yankees (also happening on this sports-packed weekend), but Counter Clocks-Blue Crabs is a burgeoning rivalry that should get the attention of Mississippi baseball aficionados. The Lexington Counter Clocks, managed by Biloxi native Barry Lyons, and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, managed by Jackson native Stan Cliburn, are slated for a three-game Atlantic League series at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Md., beginning tonight. It is the first meeting this season of the two former big league catchers. Lyons is in his first year with the Counter Clocks, while Cliburn is a veteran of the independent league. Cliburn’s club leads the APBL North Division with a 21-13 record. Lyons’ team is 16-20, third in the South. The Blue Crabs’ top hitter is former Ole Miss standout Braxton Lee, batting .349. Ex-Rebels star Thomas Dillard is batting .235 with six homers and 17 RBIs for the Counter Clocks. … On the MLB docket, the two best teams record-wise, Tampa Bay and Texas, open a compelling three-game set tonight at Tropicana Field. On the undercard in this series is the first meeting as opposing players for the Brothers Lowe, former Mississippi State star Nathaniel of the Rangers and Josh of the Rays. A bunch of family and friends are expected to attend. … The Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers continue their Southern League series tonight at Pearl’s Trustmark Park. The Milwaukee-affiliated Shuckers have won two of the first three in the six-game set and lead the season series 7-5. … The NCAA Super Regionals begin tonight — Tennessee-Southern Miss starts Saturday — and one of the most interesting matchups is South Carolina-Florida, a longtime SEC rivalry. Both teams feature a Southern Miss transfer: Will McGillis is the Gamecocks’ usual leadoff batter and Hurston Waldrep is one of the Gators’ top starting pitchers. … The Cape Cod League, the best of the college summer loops, begins its centennial season Saturday. There are a handful of Mississippi products on the current rosters, including Mississippi State’s Ross Highfill and K.C. Hunt with Falmouth, State’s Hunter Hines with Yarmouth-Dennis and Ole Miss’ Mason Nichols with Hyannis. There is a lot of roster movement during the season, so there may be more Mississippians arriving later.

08 Jun

box of chocolates

The crop of players harvested out of Mississippi in the 2013 major league draft, conducted 10 years ago this week, proved quite fruitful. Of the 10 players drafted out of the state in the first 10 rounds that year, nine made the majors and five of those are still playing. That’s pretty impressive. Hunter Renfroe, the 13th overall pick from Mississippi State, now mans right field for the Los Angeles Angels. Tim Anderson, chosen 17th overall from East Central Community College, is an All-Star shortstop for the Chicago White Sox. Mike Mayers (third round, Ole Miss), Adam Frazier (sixth round, MSU) and Kendall Graveman (eighth round, MSU) are currently in The Show. Cody Reed (Northwest CC), Stuart Turner (UM), Bobby Wahl (UM) and Chad Girodo (MSU) also logged big league time. The only one who didn’t get that far was Andrew Pierce, a Southern Miss pitcher drafted in Round 9 by St. Louis. Picked in the third round that year was JaCoby Jones, a Richton High product who was drafted out of LSU and made the big leagues. Quite a few others were picked from Mississippi schools over the 40 rounds, but none made The Show. Overall, that 2013 draft did not produce a bevy of big league stars. Kris Bryant was the second overall pick and Aaron Judge was the 32nd. (Yes, 32nd.) Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger, Jeff McNeil, J.P. Crawford and Jon Gray are among the others from that draft who’ve had some notable MLB success, but that list isn’t very long. The draft is very much like the proverbial box of chocolates. We are about a month out from the 2023 draft, and there are seven current Mississippi players in MLB Pipeline’s latest Top 200 prospects. Ole Miss’ Jacob Gonzalez is No. 15 (down from No. 8 in April), Magnolia Heights’ Cooper Pratt No. 43, MSU’s Colton Ledbetter No. 48, Kemp Alderman — the Ferriss Trophy winner from UM — No. 62, USM’s Tanner Hall No. 92, UM’s Calvin Harris No. 132 and Oxford High’s Campbell Smithwick No. 155. Former USM pitcher Hurston Waldrep, now at Florida, is No. 20. Those rankings are no predictor of where the players might be drafted — or what kind of impact they might have in pro ball. As Billy Beane points out in “Moneyball,” scouts will say they know — but they don’t.

08 Jun

twin peaks

While the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers were going at it in Trustmark Park on Wednesday night, a pair of their alumni were taking star turns in big league stadiums. Michael Harris II, who blew through Double-A Mississippi last year en route to winning rookie of the year honors in Atlanta, hit a game-winning homer for the first-place Braves against the New York Mets. Joey Wiemer, who spent most of his 2022 season with the Shuckers, belted two bombs for first-place Milwaukee in its win against Baltimore. Harris, who has been fighting injuries and a slump in his sophomore campaign, already had two hits on Wednesday when he stepped to the plate at Truist Park in the bottom of the eighth in a tie game. “You sorta feel like right guy, right time,” Braves TV analyst Jeff Francoeur said moments before Harris hit a 443-rocket to center field to put the Braves up 7-5. Harris’ 3-for-4 night lifted his average to .181 with three homers. He hit .297 with 19 bombs last season. He also made a great catch in deep center field in the top of the eighth. “I feel like myself,” Harris told mlb.com. He even flashed his Money Mike sign as he touched home plate after the home run. At Milwaukee’s American Family Field, Wiemer, the Brewers’ rookie center fielder, went 4-for-4 and drove in five runs in a 10-2 romp over the Orioles. This came a day after he delivered a walk-off hit to beat the O’s. He also had been battling a slump but is on a tear now, hitting .478 in his last seven games to boost his average to .231. He has eight homers. “He’s just a very pure competitor,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said in an mlb.com story. Coincidentally, Wiemer recently got a mullet-style haircut that has been labeled the Kentucky Waterfall. “He got a good haircut and now he’s the best hitter on the planet,” Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes said. P.S. Grae Kessinger, the former Ole Miss standout from Oxford, made his MLB debut Wednesday, going 0-for-3 as Houston’s third baseman in a loss at Toronto. Kessinger is the 25th Mississippian (native or school alum) to appear in the big leagues this season.