Tag Archives: Biloxi Shuckers

30 Mar

just a wild guess

Purely speculating on the Mississippi Braves’ 2016 Opening Day lineup:

Ozzie Albies, ss
Connor Lien, cf
Dustin Peterson, rf
Jacob Schrader, 1b
Dian Toscano, lf
Rio Ruiz, 3b
Joseph Odom, c
Levi Hyams, 2b
Zack Bird, p

That would be a nice mix of old and new, with hot prospect Albies and Cuban curiosity Toscano rating particular attention. Bird, a former Jackson Murrah High star, would be a cool choice to start Game 1. New M-Braves manager Luis Salazar will pencil in the actual lineup on April 7, when the M-Braves host Pensacola to begin their 12th season at Trustmark Park in Pearl. … Former Mississippi State standout Brandon Woodruff looks like a candidate for the Biloxi Shuckers’ rotation this year. The right-hander from Wheeler pitched at Class A Brevard County in the Milwaukee system last season and went 4-7, 3.45 ERA in 21 games, 19 starts. Biloxi opens at MGM Park on April 7 against Chattanooga. P.S. Good to see that Atlanta added Jeff Francoeur of the original M-Braves (2005) to the big league roster. “For me, it’s going to be really cool on Monday running out there back at Turner Field,” he told mlb.com. Now if the Braves could find a way to bring back Brian McCann, Gregor Blanco, Martin Prado, Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis, Jason Heyward, Yunel Escobar, Kris Medlen, Tommy LaStella, Phil Gosselin, Jose Peraza … . Longtime M-Braves outfielder Mycal Jones has signed with Somerset of the independent Atlantic League, and Luis Hernandez, another original M-Brave, signed with Bridgeport of that same league.

07 Mar

more spring things

It would appear that Seth Smith is ready for the season to start. The Ole Miss alumnus from Jackson went 2-for-3 on Sunday and is now 6-for-7 this spring for Seattle. The veteran Smith, likely the Mariners’ regular right fielder, didn’t have a great 2015 (.248, 12 homers) in his first year in Seattle. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler, battling for a starting job in Cleveland’s outfield, hit his first homer on Sunday and threw out a baserunner from left field. He is 2-for-8 this spring. … Ex-Itawamba Community College star Desmond Jennings, battling for a spot in Tampa Bay’s outfield, is 3-for-5 with three doubles. Jennings is coming off an injury-wrecked 2015. “We only saw him briefly, but when we did, he can really impact our club in a lot of positive ways,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in a recent mlb.com article. … Meridian CC product Corey Dickerson, who homered in his first game with the Rays last week, has just one hit since. … Former Meridian CC and Mississippi State standout Tyler Moore may need a good spring to stay with Washington. He went 0-for-2 Sunday and is just 1-for-8 in four games. … Ex-State star Adam Frazier, in Pittsburgh’s camp as a non-roster invitee, is 3-for-8 in five games, playing some infield and outfield. His future may be as a utility type. … Ole Miss alum Cody Satterwhite, signed as a minor leaguer by the Los Angeles Angels a few weeks back, made his first spring appearance Sunday and worked a scoreless inning. Satterwhite had a 4.38 ERA at Triple-A Las Vegas in the New York Mets’ system last year. … Ex-Rebels standout Auston Bousfield, called over from the minor league camp, got into a San Diego split-squad game on Sunday and went 0-for-1. … Hunter Renfroe, the State product and a top-rated Padres prospect, is 3-for-8 while getting a long look as a non-roster outfielder. “Hunter’s going to get at-bats, he’s going to get an opportunity to show who he is,” Padres manager Andy Green told mlb.com. … In Cincinnati’s camp, Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, coming off shoulder surgery, has played in just one game (as a DH) and is reported to be day-to-day. The Reds are also holding back UM product Zack Cozart, coming off knee surgery. “There’s no rush. I’m going to get my at-bats,” Cozart told mlb.com. … In Milwaukee’s camp, ex-Rebels standout Alex Presley, on a minor league contract, is 1-for-5 with a homer in three games. Fellow UM alum David Goforth, trying to stick in the bullpen, has a 3.00 ERA in three innings. Worth watching there, too, is the progress of former Biloxi Shuckers star Orlando Arcia, considered the Brewers’ shortstop of the near future. He is 2-for-8 in four games. He hit .307 with eight homers and 25 steals for the Shuckers in 2015.

18 Feb

save the date

New Alcorn State coach Brett Richardson will debut on Friday when the Braves play UNO in the MLB Urban Invitational in New Orleans. Four of the state’s other NCAA Division I schools open at home Friday: Mississippi State against Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss vs. Florida International, Southern Miss vs. Eastern Illinois and Jackson State vs. Tennessee-Martin. Mississippi Valley State is at Nicholls State. Here are some more dates of note on the Mississippi calendar for 2016:
Feb. 23: Belhaven at Millsaps (first Maloney Trophy Series game)
March 1: Jackson State-Southern University at MGM Park in Biloxi
March 2: Southern Miss-South Alabama at MGM Park
March 9: William Carey-Delta State at MGM Park
March 11: Jackson State at Alcorn State (series opener)
March 22: Southern Miss-Tulane at MGM Park
March 29: Southern Miss-Mississippi State at Trustmark Park in Pearl
April 1: Ole Miss at Mississippi State (series opener)
April 2: Milwaukee Brewers-Biloxi Shuckers exhibition at MGM Park
April 4: Jackson State-Biloxi Shuckers exhibition at MGM Park
April 5: Southern Miss-Ole Miss at Trustmark Park
April 7: Pensacola at Mississippi, Chattanooga at Biloxi (Southern League openers)
April 12: Mississippi Valley State at Delta State
April 15: Jackson State-Alcorn State at MGM Park
April 20: Mississippi State–Louisiana-Monroe at MGM Park
April 22: Biloxi at Mississippi (first meeting of season)
April 26: Mississippi State-Ole Miss at Trustmark Park
April 30: Mississippi College at Delta State (series opener)
May 25: Conference USA Tournament starts at Taylor Park in Hattiesburg
June 21: Southern League All-Star Game at Trustmark Park

16 Feb

breaking good

Good story on the Baseball America web site about Mississippians Anthony Alford and Cody Reed, who have emerged on the magazine’s list of the Top 100 prospects in 2016. Alford, an outfielder with Toronto, is No. 25; Reed, a left-hander in the Cincinnati system, is No. 34. Neither was in the Top 100 last year. Alford came out of Petal High with dreams of being, as he tells BA, “the next Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders.” He was the state’s Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball as a senior, but the two-sport thing didn’t quite work out on the next level. Alford devoted himself to baseball full-time in 2015 and mastered two levels of A-ball. He acknowledges that baseball probably always was his better sport. Reed, a non-prospect in high school at Horn Lake, signed with Northwest Mississippi Community College. Rangers assistant and ex-big leaguer Bill Selby apparently saw potential in Reed, who proceeded to gain 50 pounds and add 15 mph to his fastball. Reed tells BA he was genuinely thrilled to be drafted in the second round by Kansas City in 2013. After struggling for a couple of years, he found his form in 2015 and was a standout at Double-A Pensacola after the Reds got him in a trade. Both Alford and Reed will be in big league camp. … Also appearing in BA’s Top 100 are East Central CC alum Tim Anderson (No. 45, Chicago White Sox); Mississippi State product Hunter Renfroe (No. 86, San Diego) and ex-Harrison Central star Bobby Bradley (No. 93). Former Biloxi Shuckers shortstop Orlando Arcia is No. 8, and Dansby Swanson, who could be the Mississippi Braves’ shortstop in 2016, is No. 17.

14 Jan

managerial matters

Phillip Wellman, after a year out of the pro game, is a manager again. The former Mississippi Braves manager has been handed the reins of San Diego’s Double-A San Antonio club in the Texas League. Wellman managed the M-Braves from 2007-10 and won a Southern League pennant with the team in 2008. After leaving the Braves, he served as a hitting coach in the St. Louis system and then managed in Double-A in the Los Angeles Angels’ organization in 2014. … The Double-A Biloxi Shuckers have a new manager: Mike Guerrero, first-base coach in Milwaukee last year. A longtime minor league skipper, Guerrero replaces Carlos Subero, who was promoted to the Brewers’ big league staff. There are some familiar names in the Brewers’ system: Former Jackson Generals manager Rick Sweet will run the Triple-A team, Colorado Springs, and ex-Delta State star Edwin Maysonet is now a coach at Class A Brevard County, along with Ned Yost IV, a Jackson native and the son of the Kansas City manager.

03 Dec

eye on …

He pitched only 16 2/3 innings last season, but Dakota Hudson looms as a player to watch at Mississippi State in 2016. The junior right-hander has been ranked No. 33 on what mlb.com calls its “early Draft Top 50” chart. He is described as having a lively fastball and a “nasty cutter/slider” among his four pitches. Hudson had a 4.32 ERA for the Bulldogs last season but did strike out 26. His work in the Cape Cod League over the summer no doubt boosted his draft stock. Pitching for Hyannis, Hudson went 2-3 with a 1.68, fanning 41 in 42 2/3 innings. In the postseason, he was even better: 2-0, 0.64 in two starts. P.S. Former Bulldogs star Tyler Moore has signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with Washington, avoiding arbitration. Moore, who also played at Northwest Rankin High and Meridian Community College, is primarily a pinch hitter for the Nationals, providing right-handed power. He hit six homers in 187 at-bats in 2015, hitting just .203. He has 24 career MLB bombs in 601 ABs. … The Biloxi Shuckers were named Baseball America’s minor league team of the year. The new Southern League club, a Milwaukee affiliate packed with prospects, won the South Division first-half title despite playing the first two months of the season on the road. The Shuckers reached the SL Championship Series, losing in five games.

20 Nov

over there

Key at-bats by Adam Frazier and Tyler Pastornicky and a strong start from Zeke Spruill, familiar names all, helped Team USA beat Mexico 6-1 in the semifinals of the Premier 12 tournament in Tokyo, Baseball America reports. The American squad will play South Korea on Saturday for the championship of the international event. Ex-Mississippi State star Frazier, a Pittsburgh farmhand, was named the game’s MVP; he drove in the game-tying run with a hit in a five-run fourth inning. Pastornicky, a former Mississippi Braves standout, contributed a sac fly, and Spruill, another M-Braves alum now in the Boston system, threw five strong innings for the win. Brett Phillips, who played for the Biloxi Shuckers this season, also is on the Team USA roster.

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.

11 Nov

looking ahead

Can’t feel too bad for Lance Lynn, who had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. He will make a reported $7.5 million in 2016 while not pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. The crucial year for the former Ole Miss standout will be 2017, the final year of his current $22M contract. Lynn, who just finished his eighth pro season, has been a durable starter for the Cardinals the last four years, topping 200 innings twice and going at least 175 in the other two. And he has been a winner (61-39 career mark) on some very good teams. Many pitchers bounce back strong from Tommy John surgery. But some don’t. And Lynn will turn 30 in May of 2017. P.S. The Milwaukee Brewers’ new chart of top 10 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, is flush with 2015 Biloxi Shuckers stars. Included: Shortstop Orlando Arcia (No. 1), right-hander Jorge Lopez (No. 2) and outfielders Brett Phillips and Tyrone Taylor.

05 Nov

down on the farm

With Alexei Ramirez becoming a free agent, the heir apparent to the Chicago White Sox’s shortstop job in 2016 looks like Tyler Saladino. But lurking on the depth chart, not too far behind, is Tim Anderson, the former East Central Community College star. Anderson, 22, is rated the White Sox’s No. 1 prospect on mlb.com’s list. His defense may still need some work, but Anderson’s offensive skills are impressive. He batted .312 with five homers, 12 triples, 49 steals, 46 RBIs and 79 runs for Double-A Birmingham this past season, just his third in pro ball. The ChiSox, a disappointing team in 2015, declined to pick up an option for Ramirez, 34, who hit a career-worst .249 with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs. Saladino, 26, batted .225 in 68 games as a rookie last season, playing mostly third base. P.S. The Biloxi Shuckers’ walk-off win in their June 6 home debut was named the MiLBY Game of the Year by milb.com. After playing the first two months of the season on the road, the Shuckers beat Mobile in the 14th inning before a standing room only crowd at MGM Park. Nick Shaw got the game-winning knock.