Tag Archives: Braves

12 May

here and there

Beyond the score — Ole Miss 4, Southern Miss 1 — three numbers jump out of the box from Wednesday night’s game in Hattiesburg: 1 — hits allowed by the Rebels’ bullpen over the last four innings of the game, backing up a strong start by Drew McDaniel; 15 — strikeouts by Golden Eagles batters, most in a game this season; 6,346 — the attendance, a record, at Taylor Park. (Can any other state match Mississippi’s passion for college baseball?) … Congratulations to Millsaps’ Jim Page, named coach of the year in the Southern Athletic Association. The Majors, 10-24 in 2021, went 24-21 and reached the league championship series. Page also won his 800th game in purple-and-white this season. … Christian Yelich hit for the cycle for Milwaukee on Wednesday, his third cycle since 2018. The last Mississippian to accomplish this neat feat was Fred Lewis, a Stone County High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product who did it on May 13 — Mother’s Day — in 2007 for San Francisco. … Orlando Arcia’s first career walk-off home run boosted Atlanta past Boston on Wednesday night. Biloxi Shuckers fans will remember Arcia as one of the stars of the inaugural team back in 2015. He was Milwaukee’s No. 1 prospect at the time and was one of the first Shuckers alums to make the majors. … Left-hander Joey Wentz became the latest former Mississippi Braves standout to make the big leagues; he started and took a loss for Detroit. Wentz joins Bryce Elder and William Woods as M-Braves alums to debut in 2022; the list is approaching 160 all told. … Former Mississippi State standout — and Shuckers alum — Ethan Small, the International League’s pitcher of the month for April when he had an 0.77 ERA in four starts, makes his second May start tonight for Triple-A Nashville. The left-hander, Milwaukee’s No. 7 prospect, took a loss in his first May outing and is 2-1, 1.98 with 37 K’s in 27 1/3 innings. His MLB debut can’t be far off. … Harrison Central High alum Bobby Bradley, reassigned to the minors by Cleveland earlier this month, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his first game with Triple-A Columbus. … Blaze Jordan, the ex-DeSoto Central star, is heating up at Low-Class A Salem in Boston’s system. A nine-game hit streak (13-for-34) has lifted the young slugger’s average to .235; he hit his second homer of the year Wednesday night.

03 May

time to pitch in

The Mississippi Braves, who begin a six-game homestand tonight at Trustmark Park, are 8-13, and one doesn’t have to dig too deep into the numbers to uncover a reason for the poor start. The team ERA is 4.78, which ranks sixth in the eight-team Southern League. The WHIP is 1.46, second-worst in the league. This is highly unusual for the M-Braves, who ranked second, first and second in the league in ERA in the past three seasons. Maybe the ERA will improve as the team plays more games at the TeePee, one of the best pitchers’ parks in the minors. Maybe it starts this week against Pensacola, one of the weakest hitting and lowest scoring teams in the SL. Darius Vines starts tonight’s opener; he is a rated prospect who is better than his numbers: 1-1, 5.50 ERA. Wednesday starter Jared Shuster, Atlanta’s No. 10 prospect, has been outstanding: 2-2, 1.88, 28 strikeouts, five walks in 24 innings. But none of the other scheduled starters in the series has an ERA under 5.17. Closer Justin Maese is 3-for-3 in saves but has an ugly 7.27 ERA. Middle reliever Hayden Deal has a 1.06 and has been a key bullpen piece. The M-Braves have some hitters. Top prospect Michael Harris II has been as good as advertised: .333, four homers, 19 RBIs, 16 runs. Drew Lugbauer has slugged seven homers with 15 RBIs and 18 runs. Riley Delgado (.333), Luke Waddell (.296) and C.J. Alexander (.293) also have swung it well. … The World Series trophy won by the parent Braves last fall will make an appearance at the ballpark on Friday night. P.S. Anthony Alford, the ex-Petal High star, has signed a minor league deal with Cleveland and will report to Triple-A Columbus. Alford, previously with Pittsburgh, recently became a free agent (see previous posts).

01 May

according to plan

The Milwaukee Brewers were looking for thump in the middle of the lineup when they pulled a surprise trade for Hunter Renfroe last fall. The Crystal Springs native, after a slow start this season, appears to have found his home run stroke. Renfroe mashed his third homer in two games on Saturday, helping the streaking Brewers pound the Chicago Cubs 9-1. The Brewers are 13-7 with five straight wins. Renfroe is batting .310 with four homers in his last seven games. He has five homers and 10 RBIs on the year, and his 3-for-5 effort Saturday boosted his average to .253. Former Mississippi State star Renfroe crushed 31 homers for Boston in 2021, but the Red Sox dealt him to the Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr. and two prospects after the season. Renfroe, also an outstanding right fielder, made mlb.com’s All-Underrated Team before this season. He hasn’t made an All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger or a Gold Glove. He’s due for a breakthrough there. With 133 career homers since 2016, Renfroe is closing in on the top 10 all-time among Mississippi natives. Matt Lawton is No. 11 with 138. Charlie Hayes ranks 10th with 144. P.S. Atlanta fans surely cringe when they see what Shea Langeliers is doing in Triple-A for Oakland. The young catcher has hit five homers in his last six games and has nine on the year to go with a .301 average at Las Vegas. After blasting 22 bombs for the Double-A South champion Mississippi Braves last year, Langeliers was one of the four prospects the Braves sent to the A’s for Matt Olson.

27 Apr

remember him?

There were times a few years back when Travis Demeritte looked like a budding star in the Atlanta system. Those who follow the Mississippi Braves would remember. With the Double-A M-Braves in 2017 and ’18, Demeritte belted 32 home runs, stole 11 bases and made a Southern League All-Star Game appearance. He was versatile enough to play second base, third and the outfield. But he was prone to slumps, struck out a lot and batted just .227 over those two seasons. In 2019, three years after he was acquired in a minor league trade with Texas, Demeritte was traded away to Detroit. In February of 2021, the Braves got him back as a waiver claim. On Tuesday night, in his third game for Atlanta, he finally took a star turn for the Braves. Demeritte homered — his first in the big leagues in three years — and made a great catch in right field, sliding into foul territory, as the Braves beat the visiting Chicago Cubs 3-1. Demeritte didn’t hit much in his 66 games with the Tigers in 2019 and ’20 but batted .282 with 21 homers at Triple-A Gwinnett last year and was swinging it well when Atlanta called him up last week. Once Ronald Acuna returns to the Braves’ active roster, Demeritte’s opportunities likely will diminish. But the former first-round pick — 30th overall by Texas out of Winder-Barrow High in Georgia in 2013 — showed what he is capable of on Tuesday night. It was good to see. P.S. For the current M-Braves, Drew Lugbauer hit his fifth homer — second-most in the SL — and Michael Harris II extended his on-base streak to 16 games (out of 16) in a 6-3 win at Montgomery.

25 Apr

a memorable moment

For Michael Harris II, it was a minor milestone along what’s expected to be his route to the major leagues. For at least some of the smallish crowd at Trustmark Park on this lazy Sunday afternoon, it was one for the memory banks. Harris, Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect, hit his first Double-A home run on Sunday, a towering, pull-side shot that landed in the Farm Bureau Grill behind the right-field wall. Over the 17 years the Mississippi Braves have played in Pearl, fans have been treated to memorable moments from a long list of touted hitting prospects who made The Show: Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna, to name a few. Now there is Harris. The 21-year-old outfielder is batting .317 with 13 RBIs, eight runs and six stolen bases, one of the few bright spots for a scuffling (4-11) M-Braves club. Braves fans be advised: Get out to the TeePee to see him soon. He might not be there very long. P.S. In other long-ball news: Riley, the former DeSoto Central High standout, hit his second homer since becoming a dad in Atlanta’s loss to Miami on Sunday, and East Central Community College alum Tim Anderson hit his 14th career leadoff bomb for the Chicago White Sox in a loss to Minnesota. … Former Southern Miss star Kirk McCarty made his big league debut Sunday for Cleveland, giving up two homers and four runs all told in relief in a loss to the New York Yankees. McCarty, a Hattiesburg native, becomes the 19th USM product to play in the majors. … Ex-George County High standout Justin Steele also had a tough day on the bump, yielding four hits, four walks and three runs in three innings in the Chicago Cubs’ loss to Pittsburgh. Steele is 1-2, 5.40 in three starts. … Faring even worse on Sunday was Ole Miss alum Chris Ellis, who faced five batters, retired none and left with shoulder discomfort in Baltimore’s loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Charged with five runs, Ellis saw his ERA climb to 10.38 in two appearances.

15 Apr

tagging up

Brandon Woodruff, described as “angry (and) effective” by an mlb.com writer, got his groove back for Milwaukee on Thursday. The ex-Mississippi State standout threw five shutout innings to beat St. Louis. It was a nice bounce-back effort from the big right-hander, who was whipped by the Chicago Cubs (and George County High alum Justin Steele) in his first start of 2022 last week. One week into the new MLB season, Woodruff’s former State teammate, Hunter Renfroe, new to the Brewers’ roster this year, is scuffling along with a .160 average. Former Bulldogs star Adam Frazier, who also changed teams in the off-season (San Diego to Seattle), is hitting just .133. Corey Dickerson, the ex-Meridian Community College standout, is batting .125 for his new club, St. Louis. He wasn’t in the lineup Thursday against Woodruff. On the flip side, East Central CC product Tim Anderson is off to a sizzling start for the Chicago White Sox, batting .471 with a homer, four RBIs and three runs. He missed the first two games of the campaign while serving a suspension from 2021. His ChiSox teammate Kendall Graveman, an MSU alum new to Chicago this season, has not allowed an earned run in 4 2/3 innings. Nathaniel Lowe, another Bulldogs alum, is hitting .348 for Texas with six RBIs. And while defending World Series champion Atlanta is wobbling along at 3-5, ex-DeSoto Central star Austin Riley has been steady at .286 with two homers and five RBIs. P.S. MSU alum Brent Rooker, traded from Minnesota to San Diego just before the season opened, already has hit two homers for Triple-A El Paso in the Padres’ system. … Former Columbia High standout Ti’Quan Forbes recently signed a minor league deal with Arizona; he was previously in the White Sox’s system.

07 Apr

anniversary time

Sixty years ago, in the summer of 1962, Jake Gibbs made his debut for the New York Yankees. Known more for his football prowess at Ole Miss, the Grenada native was signed by the Yankees and converted into a catcher. He played 538 games in the big leagues, mainly as a backup, and batted .233. He retired after the 1971 season to become the Ole Miss coach. Gibbs’ big league anniversary is one of quite a few we should celebrate this year. To wit: 110 years ago, Meadville native Pat McGehee played in his one and only major league game. Pitching for Detroit, he gave up a hit and a walk and departed the contest. … Ninety years ago, Tomnolen’s Paul Gregory debuted with the Chicago White Sox. He would go on to greater fame as the coach at Mississippi State from 1954-74. Also debuting in 1932 was Skeeter Webb, a Meridian native who played 12 years in the majors. … Seventy years ago, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell, a Leakesville native, made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. He won 90 games over nine seasons and later became a U.S. Congressman in North Carolina. (The nickname came from a community in Alabama where he had played youth baseball.) … Fifty years ago, former Laurel prep star Rod Gilbreath broke in with Atlanta, debuting on June 17, 1972, at the age of 19. He played seven years for the Braves. … Forty years ago, the inimitable Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, from Meridian by way of Jackson State, launched a 10-year MLB career during which he went 78-77. In the movie “Field of Dreams,” Boyd is the Boston pitcher in the scene at Fenway Park. … Thirty years ago, Jeff Branson of Waynesboro, Kevin Rogers of Cleveland, Scooter Tucker of Greenville and Pete Young from McComb broke in. … Twenty years ago, Marcus Thames of Louisville made his debut, famously homering off Randy Johnson in his first at-bat. Also making The Show that year was Nettleton’s Bill Hall, a pretty fair slugger in his own right. … Ten years ago, Fulton’s Brian Dozier got his first taste of the majors en route to a splendid career that included an All-Star Game nod, a Gold Glove and a World Series ring before ending too soon in 2020. Brandon’s Tyler Moore and Hattiesburg’s Robert Carson also debuted in 2012.

08 Mar

save the date

One month from today, the Mississippi Braves, defending champions in the Double-A South, will take the field for the 2022 season opener against visiting Montgomery. The centerpiece of the team is expected to be the center fielder, Michael Harris II, Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect per Baseball America. Braves instructor Greg Walker called Harris “a special talent” in an mlb.com story posted Monday, and 2021 M-Braves catcher Shea Langeliers labeled Harris “an unreal athlete” in the same piece. Harris, 6 feet, 195 pounds, hit .294 with seven home runs and 27 steals at High-A Rome last season. A lefty hitter and thrower, he also won a Gold Glove. He was a two-way prospect at Stockbridge (Ga.) High, but the Braves drafted him as a hitter in the third round in 2019, and he has not disappointed. Pearl has likely seen the last of Langeliers, the Braves’ ’21 minor league player of the year, but several other M-Braves who were on the field for the title-clinching victory last September could be back. Among them: sluggers Drew Lugbauer, Greyson Jenista and C.J. Alexander and speedsters Justin Dean and Trey Harris. Other highly rated prospects who could move up from A-ball include outfielder Jesse Franklin V, a former Michigan star who hit .244 with 21 homers, 61 RBIs and 19 bags at Rome, and 6-3 shortstop Vaughn Grissom, who batted .319 with seven homers and 16 steals in A-ball. He played most of the season at Low-A Augusta. The top-rated pitching prospect who might make it to Pearl is Ryan Cusick, a 6-6, 235 right-hander drafted in the first round last summer out of Wake Forest. Pegged as the Braves’ No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, he pitched in six games at Augusta and struck out more than two batters an inning. Joey Estes, the No. 14 prospect, went 3-6 with a 2.91 ERA at Augusta. … April 8 will be here soon. Regardless of what happens with MLB, the M-Braves and Biscuits will hook up at Trustmark Park. Something to look forward to.

11 Feb

on bright side

Former Southern Miss standout and onetime big leaguer Cody Carroll signed a minor league contract with San Francisco on Thursday, which means the 29-year-old right-hander knows what he’ll be doing later this month. Reporting to the Giants’ minor league spring training camp in Arizona. While major league players — 40-man roster members — remain in limbo during the lockout that threatens to stall the opening of big league camps and possibly even the 2022 season, it’ll be business as usual for minor leaguers, a small chunk of good news for baseball fans. There will be minor league exhibition games in March and regular season games in April. (The Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers both open on April 8.) There are 24 Mississippians on MLB 40-man rosters, including three who made the list for the first time this off-season: Ryan Rolison, Konnor Pilkington and James McArthur. The shutdown, if it drags on, is most unfortunate for them, as well as free agents seeking major league jobs such as Corey Dickerson and Mitch Moreland. Minor league deals might be the way to go for some free agents. Erstwhile big leaguers JaCoby Jones (signed with Kansas City) and Jonathan Holder (Chicago Cubs) have, like Carroll, gone that route. Others such as Billy Hamilton, Jarrod Dyson and Chris Ellis might follow suit, especially if Saturday’s negotiations don’t produce anything substantive. P.S. The Atlanta Braves’ World Champions Trophy Tour will hit Trustmark Park in Pearl on May 6; the M-Braves play that night. The tour will visit Dudy Noble Field in Starkville on May 7.

15 Dec

star watch

They don’t play the game to pick up personal honors such as milb.com Organization All-Star, but the recognition is cool. Jake Mangum, the former Jackson Prep and Mississippi State standout, became the latest Mississippian to make the grade when milb.com released the New York Mets’ list earlier this week. After batting .285 with nine homers, 47 RBIs and 14 steals in 2021, the lefty-hitting Mangum was named one of the Mets’ minor league all-star outfielders. Mangum is 25 and spent most of last season — his second in pro ball — at the Double-A level. He isn’t a highly rated prospect in the system, but the SEC’s all-time hits leader certainly opened eyes with his 2021 production, flashing some much-needed power. Mets farm director Jeremy Barnes hailed Mangum’s “insane bat-to-ball skill.” He’s also fast and plays a pretty good center field. … Not all of the Organization All-Stars have been released. The list of Mississippi products who’ve been named so far includes Jordan Westburg (MSU), Baltimore shortstop; Jacob Robson (MSU), Detroit outfielder; J.P. France (MSU), Houston right-hander; Nick Fortes (Ole Miss), Miami catcher; Thomas Dillard (UM), Milwaukee first baseman; Joe Gray, Jr. (Hattiesburg), Milwaukee outfielder; and Ethan Small (MSU), Milwaukee left-hander. Robson and Fortes made their MLB debuts in 2021. P.S. Atlanta’s all-star team includes several 2021 Mississippi Braves and a player whose arrival in 2022 will be greatly anticipated: Michael Harris II. The lefty-hitting outfielder, 6 feet, 195 pounds, was the Braves’ minor league player of the year and is ranked as their No. 1 prospect by Baseball America. He hit .294 with seven homers, 64 RBIs and 55 runs at High-A Rome last summer.