Tag Archives: Arizona Fall League

25 Oct

also starring

While so much of the attention was on Kyle Schwarber, former Petal High standout Anthony Alford tried to steal a little thunder in the Arizona Fall League on Monday. Alford — in the Mesa lineup with the World Series-bound Schwarber – went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs in a 7-2 win against Surprise. It was the second homer of the fall for Alford, one of Toronto’s top prospects. “I have some power and I’m starting to tap into that power,” the 6-foot-1, 215-pound outfielder told mlb.com. He has just 16 homers in 224 minor league games but is still developing as a hitter. Alford is batting .290 in eight games in the AFL. … Former Richton High star JaCoby Jones, another Mr. Baseball, boosted his AFL average to .429 with a pair of hits for Salt River on Monday. The Detroit prospect has a homer, seven RBIs and four steals for the Mississippi-flavored Rafters. Dylan Moore, who made a splash with the Mississippi Braves in the Southern League playoffs this season, is batting .467 with two homers in four games for Salt River. Shortstop Moore, acquired in August from Texas, went 4-for-9 in the playoffs for the M-Braves after batting .343 with Class A Carolina. He looks like a strong candidate for the M-Braves’ 2017 roster. Also shining for Salt River are M-Braves alums Dustin Peterson (.364) and Kade Scivicque (.273), Biloxi Shuckers star Jacob Nottingham (.258) and Ole Miss alum Chris Ellis (1-0, 3.00 ERA). Former Southern Miss standout Bradley Roney is on the Rafters’ roster but has yet to pitch. … Ex-Mississippi State star Chris Stratton is 1-0, 1.00 in two starts for Scottsdale; he is expected to work again on Wednesday. P.S. Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan (0-for-4 in the postseason) kept his spot today when Schwarber, coming back from a knee injury suffered in April, was added to the Chicago Cubs’ active roster; pitcher Rob Zastryzny was removed. UM fans also have a rooting interest on the other side in the World Series: Former Rebels pitcher Mickey Callaway is Cleveland’s pitching coach.

21 Oct

out in arizona …

Chris Stratton, who could be vying a job in San Francisco’s rotation next spring, was razor sharp in his second Arizona Fall League start on Thursday. The ex-Mississippi State standout from Tupelo threw five shutout innings, yielding just three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He has allowed just one run in nine innings over two starts for Scottsdale. A first-round pick by the Giants in 2012, Stratton got a look in the big leagues back in May, posting a 3.60 ERA in seven relief appearances. He has been a starter in his minor league career, going 12-6, 3.87 at Triple-A Sacramento in 2016 and 34-29, 3.92 for his career. Stratton’s stuff isn’t as overwhelming as it often was at State, but he is making it work. … Stratton’s mound opponent on Thursday was former Madison Central High star Spencer Turnbull, a Detroit prospect pitching for Salt River. He allowed four hits, three walks and three runs in three innings in a 4-1 loss. Turnbull’s 2016 season was curtailed by injuries; he went 1-1, 3.00 in six games at Class A Lakeland after going 11-3, 3.01 in low-A ball in 2015.

17 Oct

familiar territory

JaCoby Jones is off to a good start – again – in the Arizona Fall League. The former Mr. Baseball from Richton High is 4-for-10 with a home run, five RBIs and three runs through five games for Salt River. Jones, a highly rated Detroit prospect, played in the high caliber AFL last year, too, and was doing quite well before being slapped with a drug suspension that lasted into his 2016 minor league season. Having spent some time in the majors this year, Jones is back for more seasoning in the AFL, older and presumably a bit wiser. “I think the biggest thing I learned in the big leagues was how to prepare myself before games,” Jones, 24, told mlb.com. A third-round pick (by Pittsburgh) out of LSU in 2013, Jones batted .257 with seven homers in Double-A and Triple-A in 2016 and got an August call-up from the Tigers. He hit .214 in 28 at-bats. Jones, 6 feet 2, 205 pounds, is a career .269 hitter in the minors with 47 homers and 58 steals and can play virtually anywhere in the field. P.S. Ex-Mississippi State standout Tyler Moore, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alum Joey Butler, Ole Miss product Alex Presley and Starkville native Julio Borbon have become minor league free agents. Moore spent all of this past season at Triple-A Gwinnett in Atlanta’s system but played in only 25 games (.229, three homers) because of injuries. Butler also spent all of the season in Triple-A for Cleveland, while Presley (Detroit) and Borbon (Baltimore) did see some big league duty. … Hawtin Buchanan, the 6-8 former Ole Miss pitcher from Biloxi, has signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati. He pitched in the independent United Shore League this year after being released in spring training by Seattle.

12 Oct

boys of fall

In an Arizona Fall League opener on Tuesday that did not involve Tim Tebow, former Richton High star JaCoby Jones went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for Salt River in a 7-7, 11-inning tie against Peoria. Jones got big league time with Detroit this season. Jacob Nottingham, who played for Double-A Biloxi this year, was 1-for-5 with an RBI for Salt River; fellow Shuckers alum Brett Phillips scored twice; and Mississippi Braves pitcher Akeel Morris made a scoreless relief appearance. Salt River’s roster is packed with Mississippi-connected players: Spencer Turnbull (Madison Central), Chris Ellis (Ole Miss), Bradley Roney (Southern Miss), Kade Scivicque (Southwest Mississippi Community College), Dustin Peterson (M-Braves) and Evan Phillips (M-Braves). M-Braves alum Ozzie Albies was originally placed on the Rafters club but was injured in the Southern League playoffs; Travis Demeritte (1-for-6 with a run on Tuesday), who figures to be on the M-Braves’ roster in 2017, took his spot. … Anthony Alford, the former two-sport star from Petal and a top-rated Toronto prospect, went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Mesa. … Mississippi State product Chris Stratton, who made his big league debut with San Francisco this year, is on the Scottsdale roster with Tebow, the former football star who put up an 0-for-3 in his AFL debut. Salt River and Scottsdale meet tonight.

01 Sep

fall preview

The team to watch in the Arizona Fall League is, without a doubt, the Salt River Rafters. Initial rosters for the prospect-packed circuit have been released, and the Rafters’ includes: JaCoby Jones, the Richton High product who is off to a sizzling start in his big league career with Detroit; Ole Miss alum Chris Ellis and ex-Southern Miss standout Bradley Roney, both in Triple-A in Atlanta’s system; former Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull (Detroit); Southwest Mississippi Community College product Kade Scivicque, who recently joined the Mississippi Braves; current M-Braves Ozzie Albies (Atlanta’s No. 3 prospect), Dustin Peterson (Southern League All-Star), Akeel Morris and Evan Phillips; and current Biloxi Shuckers (and Milwaukee prospects) Brett Phillips and Jacob Nottingham. Anthony Alford, the former Petal High standout now playing in Toronto’s system, is on the Mesa roster. The AFL season starts Oct. 11. (Not on an AFL roster, surprisingly perhaps, is ex-Harrison Central star Bobby Bradley, the Class A Carolina League MVP and a top Cleveland prospect.) P.S. Fred Lewis, the ex-big leaguer from Stone County and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, recently was released by Southern Maryland in the independent Atlantic League. He was batting .256 with four homers and 12 RBIs and had spent a chunk of time either inactive or injured. At 35, after 15 years of pro ball, the former second-round pick (by San Francisco out of Southern University in 2002) might be done.

24 Nov

from the stove

Pascagoula native Tony Sipp, a free agent coming off a strong 2015 season, “could wind up being a real shrewd pickup this winter,” a CBS Sports article notes. Sipp, a 32-year-old left-hander, posted a 1.99 ERA for playoff-participant Houston last season and has a 3.50 over seven MLB campaigns. But he isn’t being mentioned with the top relievers on the market; the CBS Sports piece makes the case that he should be. The New York Mets are among the teams projected to be a good fit. … Washington reportedly wants to deal troublesome closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had a 2.13 ERA and 24 saves between the Nationals and Philadelphia in 2015. But Mississippi State product Papelbon is 35, will make $11 million next season and has a broad no-trade clause. So, good luck with that. … There are also rumors that Texas might be open to dealing Mitch Moreland, the former State star from Amory. The Rangers are seeking a right-handed hitter. Lefty Moreland hit .278 with 23 homers and 85 RBIs in 2015 and earned AMB’s Cool Papa Bell Award (see previous post). … Right-hander Lucas Sims, a standout for the Mississippi Braves last summer, was rated the No. 19 prospect in the Arizona Fall League by mlb.com, which raved about his curveball. Sims, Atlanta’s top pick in 2012, was 0-0 with a 2.12 ERA in six games (five starts) in the AFL, fanning 17 in 17 innings for Peoria. He made nine starts for the M-Braves after a mid-season promotion and looked sharp (4-2, 3.21). He could start 2016 in Pearl, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to seem him open at Triple-A Gwinnett. … MSU product Adam Frazier was selected as the second baseman on the All-Premier 12 team. Frazier, who plays in the Pittsburgh system, batted over .300 for Team USA, which finished runner-up to South Korea in the international tournament played in Taiwan and Japan. … Bobby Bradley, a lefty-hitting first baseman, smacked 27 homers in 110 games in A-ball in 2015, but Cleveland officials believe he can get stronger. Still only 19, the ex-Harrison Central High star is listed at 6 feet 1, 225 pounds. “One thing he’s been really focused on, especially last season, was his body from a strength and conditioning standpoint,” Cleveland director of player development Carter Hawkins told mlb.com. Bradley is a consensus top 10 prospect in the Indians’ system.

20 Nov

fall guys

Ex-Mississippi State standout Chad Girodo made a good impression in the Arizona Fall League, which concluded its regular season slate on Thursday. Left-hander Girodo, a ninth-round pick by Toronto in 2013, didn’t give up an earned run until his sixth appearance and finished with a 1.80 ERA in seven games (10 innings) for Salt River. Girodo moved from A-ball to Triple-A in the Blue Jays’ system this past season. He posted a 1.32 ERA at Class A Dunedin and an 0.62 at Double-A New Hampshire before getting knocked around a bit in four appearances at Triple-A Buffalo. He has 163 strikeouts in 160 2/3 minor league innings. … Adam Frazier, another State alum and a Pittsburgh farmhand, hit .321 with three triples, four RBIs and six runs for Glendale before heading off to Asia for the Premier 12 tournament. … Before he was hit with a 50-game suspension (see previous post), Richton’s JaCoby Jones (Detroit) batted .280 with two homers, four RBIs and nine runs in 12 games for Scottsdale. Ole Miss product Stuart Turner, a catcher in Minnesota’s system, scuffled on that same Scottsdale club, hitting .171 in 12 games. Rehabbing big leaguer T.J. House (Cleveland) from Picayune pitched for Scottsdale and threw three scoreless innings. … Scottsdale plays Surprise in the AFL championship game on Saturday. Several Biloxi Shuckers alums are on the Surprise roster, including infielder Yadiel Rivera (.315) and starting pitcher Adrian Houser (2-2, 3.51 ERA). P.S. Atlanta added center fielder Mallex Smith and right-hander John Gant, both 2015 Mississippi Braves, to its 40-man roster on Thursday.

06 Nov

a wrong turn

Scratch JaCoby Jones from Saturday’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game. The former Richton High standout has been suspended for 50 games for a “drug of abuse” violation. Rated the No. 10 prospect in Detroit’s system by Baseball America, Jones, a 23-year-old shortstop, just finished his third pro season and is batting .274 with 40 homers overall. He was originally drafted in the third round out of LSU by Pittsburgh in 2013 and traded to the Tigers this summer for big league pitcher Joakim Soria. The suspension reportedly is for a recreational drug, not a performance enhancing drug, if that makes any difference. The suspension starts with the remaining 12 games on Scottsdale’s AFL schedule and will continue through the first 38 games of the 2016 season, wherever Jones is assigned, which will probably be Double-A.

04 Nov

odds and ends

JaCoby Jones, the former Mr. Baseball from Richton, heads a group of Mississippi-connected players named to the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game. Jones, a shortstop in Detroit’s system currently batting .304 with two homers for Scottsdale, is on the East roster. The West includes 2015 Mississippi Braves starter Lucas Sims and two Biloxi Shuckers alums, outfielder Michael Reed and closer Damien Magnifico. Magnifico had a magnificent run with Milwaukee’s Double-A team last summer, moving into the bullpen and going 4-1 with 20 saves and a 1.17 ERA in 42 appearances. The Fall Stars Game is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. CST and will be televised by MLB Network. … Connor Lien, expected to contend for an outfield spot with the M-Braves next spring, is scuffling in the AFL. He is hitting .171 with a homer, 18 strikeouts and two walks in 41 at-bats for Peoria. Still, Baseball America’s Bill Ballew calls Lien “one of my top sleepers in the organization.” … Jackson native and Ole Miss alumnus Cody Satterwhite, a veteran minor league pitcher, is on the U.S. roster for the first Premier 12 international tournament set for Nov. 8-21. Pool play is in Taiwan and Japan with the semifinals and finals in Tokyo. According to Baseball America, Premier 12 is the top senior event for the International Baseball Federation, now re-branded as the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Satterwhite, currently a New York Mets farmhand, is joined on the American squad by former M-Braves star Tyler Pastornicky and Biloxi Shuckers alum Brett Phillips. … Tampa Bay released former Jackson State catcher Jovany Felipe, who batted .182 in rookie ball this summer after signing as an undrafted free agent. … The Belhaven-William Carey rivalry apparently is no more. With the Blazers moving to NCAA Division III, their 2016 schedule does not include the NAIA Crusaders, their longtime rivals in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and Southern States Athletic Conference. BU will play Maloney Trophy rivals Millsaps and Mississippi College next season. Carey is playing NCAA D-II’s Delta State and MC in 2016, as well as NAIA Tougaloo.

28 Oct

there and here

Though you won’t find his name on the top prospect charts, former Mississippi State standout Adam Frazier would seem to be a player on the rise. Currently playing in the talent-laded Arizona Fall League, the left-handed hitting shortstop is hitting .333 (8-for-24) for Glendale. Batting leading on Tuesday, he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs and a steal. Frazier, 23, hit .324 at Double-A Altoona in Pittsburgh’s system this season, his third pro campaign, and made the Eastern League’s midseason All-Star Game. He is at .291 for his career with a .353 on-base percentage. … Richton High product JaCoby Jones, a shortstop prospect in Detroit’s system, has been playing some third base in the AFL. “I love short,” Jones told the Detroit Free Press. “I played there all my life … . But if third base is where my future’s at, I’ll start getting better at it.” The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Jones is batting .364 to date for Scottsdale. … Of Atlanta’s top 10 prospects on Baseball America’s recently revealed chart, it’s possible none will be in Pearl to start the 2016 season. No. 1 Hector Olivera already has made the big league club, three of the others were in low Class A in 2015 and three more were just drafted in June. (One of those, Austin Riley, the former DeSoto Central High star, checks in at No. 5 after a strong debut season at the lowest levels of the system.) Max Fried pitched in low A in 2014 and missed all of last season with an injury; it seems unlikely the Braves would start him in Double-A. Mallex Smith opened 2015 in Mississippi but finished at Triple-A Gwinnett, and Lucas Sims went 4-2, 3.21 for the M-Braves and is a candidate to be promoted next spring. However, there could be an influx of talent to Mississippi from just outside the BA top 10: Johan Camargo, Connor Lien, Dustin Peterson and Rob Whalen, to name a few. All played at high A Carolina last season. … Former Jackson Generals pitching coach Jim Hickey has signed an extension with Tampa Bay to remain the Rays’ pitching coach through 2018. He has been with the club since 2007. … Ex-Jackson Mets star Dave Magadan, who “parted ways” with Texas after three years as hitting coach, is expected to land another job in the big leagues sometime soon. In a published report, Magadan said he would like to get closer to his Florida home. … East Central Community College product Marcus Thames has been mentioned as a candidate for hitting coach with the New York Yankees. He was the Triple-A hitting coach in their system in 2015. The Yanks are one of four teams Thames played for in his 10-year MLB career.