Braves Archives - Page 5 of 78 - All Mississippi Baseball

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

update

Atlanta has recalled No. 3 prospect Nacho Alvarez from Triple-A Gwinnett, with Austin Riley going on the 10-day injured list (see previous post). Alvarez is in the lineup at third base for today’s game at St. Louis. The Double-A Mississippi Braves’ shortstop the first half of 2024, Alvarez is batting .361 in 11 games for the Stripers, having spent a chunk of time on the IL himself. He went 3-for-30 in a brief stint with Atlanta last year. A career .286 hitter in the minors, he can play third base, shortstop and second base. The Braves also added former M-Braves lefty Joey Wentz to the active roster; he was recently claimed off waivers from Minnesota. He has a 5.75 ERA over 103 MLB games. He pitched in Mississippi in 2019 before being traded.

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.

11 Jul

whatever happened to …

Dylan DeLucia, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2022 CWS with Ole Miss, is 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA at Double-A Akron in the Cleveland chain. He took a loss against Richmond on Thursday night, allowing four runs in three innings. The right-hander, drafted in 2022, didn’t make his pro debut until last summer. He began 2025 in A-ball.
Tanner Hall, the 2022 Ferriss Trophy winner at Southern Miss, is 3-3 with a 5.26 in 15 starts for High-Class A Cedar Rapids (Minnesota). A fourth-round pick by the Twins in 2023, Hall has been limited by injuries to 34 games in pro ball.
Dakota Hudson, the erstwhile big leaguer and ex-Mississippi State star, is 4-6 with a 7.87 ERA at Triple-A Salt Lake (Los Angeles Angels). ERAs tend to be a little inflated in the Pacific Coast League, but Hudson was banged around for nine runs in five innings on Wednesday. He went 2-12, 6.17, for Colorado in 2024 but has a career ERA of 4.21 (with 40 wins) in the big leagues.
Taylor Broadway, the closer for the 2021 Ole Miss team, has 4.30 ERA and a 3-1 mark over 20 games for Cleburne in the independent American Association. He pitched three seasons in affiliated ball (Chicago White Sox and Boston systems) but sat out 2024.
Ethan Small, the former first-rounder out of MSU, has been on the injured list (oblique) all season at Triple-A Sacramento (San Francisco). The left-hander, who has four MLB appearances on his ledger, made just 14 minor league appearances in 2024. He has a career 3.22 ERA in the minors.
James McArthur, the former Ole Miss standout, has been on the IL all season (elbow) with Kansas City. The seven-year pro, 28, was the Royals’ closer late in 2023 and early last season before losing that role. He has a 4.84 ERA and 22 saves in 75 career MLB games.
P.S. MSU alum Jordan Westburg reached double-digits in home runs on Thursday with his 10th for Baltimore. He has three homers in his last five games. … Ex-Bulldogs star Brent Rooker, announced Thursday as a participant in next week’s Home Run Derby, banged out two doubles (Nos. 20 and 21) and scored twice, including the game-winner as the A’s beat Atlanta 5-4 in 11 innings.

10 Jul

land of giants

Fueled by a pair of former Mississippi prep stars, the San Jose Giants are the behemoth of the California League. Niko Mazza, former Madison-Ridgeland Academy star, allowed one run over six innings and Dakota Jordan, ex-Jackson Academy standout, hit his ninth home run to power San Jose to a 3-1 win over Fresno on Wednesday night. The Low-Class A Giants are 13-4 in the second half, the best record in the loop, and won the first-half title in the CL North with a 42-24 mark, also a league-best. Mazza, an eighth-round draft pick in 2024 out of Southern Miss, is 3-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 14 starts this season. The right-hander, the MAIS 5A player of the year in 2021 at MRA, won nine games, including a regional complete game, for the Sun Belt champion Golden Eagles in 2024. Jordan is on a real tear. He is riding a nine-game hit streak during which he has blasted four homers and on the year is batting .302 with a league-leading 67 RBIs plus 60 runs and 27 steals. He was the state’s Gatorade player of the year at JA in 2022 and was the Ferriss Trophy winner at Mississippi State in 2024. San Francisco got him in the fourth round of last summer’s draft, potentially a major steal. P.S. Tim Elko was recalled by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday and went 0-for-3 (three strikeouts) in a 2-1 win against Toronto. The Ole Miss alum is just 9-for-61 with four homers in his big league time but is batting .315 with 16 homers in Triple-A. … Austin Riley, Nathaniel Lowe and Matt Wallner all homered in MLB games on Wednesday, closing in a bit on all-Mississippi home run derby leader Brent Rooker, who hit his 19th for the A’s on Tuesday. Riley has 14 clouts for Atlanta, Lowe 14 for Washington and Wallner nine (in just 51 games) for Minnesota. … On this date in 1979, ex-MSU star Del Unser tied a major league record with a home run in a third straight pinch-hit appearance. Unser, playing for Philadelphia, connected for a three-run walk-off bomb against San Diego’s Rollie Fingers to tie the record set by Lee Lacy in 1978. A noted pinch hitter, Unser posted a .356 career OBP in that role over 15 major league seasons.

07 Jul

arrivals and departures

July 7 is a red-letter date for a large number of players with Mississippi ties. On this date in 2011, former Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart made his MLB debut with Cincinnati. He went 1-for-3 against Milwaukee, launching a nine-year big league career that saw him bat .247 with 85 homers and make the 2017 All-Star Game. Three former Jackson Generals debuted on July 7 (per Baseball Almanac): Todd Jones in 1993, Trent (Trenidad) Hubbard in ’94 and Wade Miller in ’99. Jones and Miller debuted with the Double-A Gens’ parent Houston Astros, Hubbard with Colorado. On July 7, 2005, former Mississippi Braves star Jeff Francoeur crashed The Show with Atlanta, homering in his first game. Two years later, M-Braves alum Jo-Jo Reyes got the call from the big Braves. Also on July 7, in 1990, former Jackson Mets ace Jay Tibbs threw the final pitch of his seven-year MLB career, and in 1996, Jeff Ware — a player/coach for the 2002 Jackson Senators — threw his last MLB pitch, capping an 18-game career. Most notably, July 7, 2012, marked the final game of Tim Dillard’s major league career — but not his pro career. The former Itawamba Community College standout posted a 4.70 ERA over four seasons with Milwaukee. The colorful right-hander, now a Brewers TV analyst, would continue pitching in various leagues until 2020, working 18 pro seasons overall. P.S. Konnor Griffin, the former Jackson Prep star, swiped three bases for High-Class A Greensboro on Sunday, running his season total to 40 over two levels in the Pittsburgh system. He is batting .333 overall with a .532 slugging percentage and 13 homers, but speed might be his best tool. He swiped a jaw-dropping 85 bases at Prep last year, when he won Gatorade national player of the year honors. … Former Southern Miss and Meridian CC star Dalton McIntyre was recently promoted by Atlanta from rookie ball to High-A Rome, where he joins forces with ex-ICC standout Will Verdung. McIntyre hit .388 at USM in 2024 and is batting .259 with 18 steals in his first pro season. Verdung, a 2023 Braves draftee after earning MACCC player of the year honors, is hitting .285 for the Emperors.

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.

06 Jul

watch for it

Brandon Woodruff’s long and winding road back to the big leagues ends today when the former Wheeler High and Mississippi State standout goes to the mound for Milwaukee at Miami’s loanDepot Park. It has been 683 days — since September of 2023 — since the two-time All-Star pitched for the Brewers. He has endured a shoulder injury, then surgery and various other setbacks along the way. “I know if I can (stay heathy), I will figure out how to get guys out at a high level again,” he said in a recent mlb.com story. “It’s just a matter of consistency, and that’s it. But getting here and knowing that I’m going to pitch again in the major leagues is exciting.” Woodruff, 32, is 46-26 with a 3.10 ERA in his MLB career, dating to 2017, all that time with the Brewers. The team is chasing the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, currently sitting 4 games back in second place. Woodruff’s return could be a big lift. He made 10 rehab appearances in the minors, posting 2.79 ERA in 42 innings. He’ll face a Miami team that is 40-47 but has won eight of 10. It’ll be a big test. P.S. In other pitching news: Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz, now with the Cubs, was charged with two earned runs against St. Louis on Saturday, ending a streak of 26 appearances without yielding one. His ERA is now 0.76. … UM product Doug Nikhazy was sent back to Triple-A by Cleveland without making an appearance. He has been up three times, pitching in one game. … At Triple-A Rochester (Washington system), Mississippi State alum Konnor Pilkington registered his second save, getting the last five outs in an 8-5 win Saturday against Buffalo. Pilkington has a 2.84 ERA and a 3-3 record in 32 appearances for the Red Wings. … Houston Roth, ex-Ole Miss standout, tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Norfolk (Baltimore) and trimmed his ERA to 1.93 over 11 games. … Hurston Waldrep, a Southern Miss alum, allowed three unearned runs — two on a home run — in five innings of work for Triple-A Gwinnett (Atlanta) and took a loss to fall to 6-7, 5.25. Waldrep has yet to have a scoreless outing in 16 appearances for the Stripers. … At Double-A Biloxi (Milwaukee), ex-MSU star Tyson Hardin threw 5 2/3 innings (no decision) against Pensacola, allowing two runs and fanning six. He has a 1.99 ERA in four starts for the Shuckers. … MSU product Khal Stephen — the Northwest League’s pitcher of the month for June — worked six shutout innings for Vancouver (Toronto), notching his fifth win and lowering his ERA to 1.49 for the High-Class A club. Stephen beat former Bulldogs teammate Jurrangelo Cijntje, who fell to 4-5, 4.95, for Everett (Seattle). … Brooks Auger, another ex-MSU standout, got a four-inning save for High-A Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers); he has a 5.87 ERA over 12 games.

05 Jul

four for the 4th

Four Mississippians in the majors made notable contributions to winning efforts on July 4, always a star-spangled day in baseball. Jordan Westburg provided plenty of fireworks for Baltimore, going 3-for-4 with a homer — his eighth — in the Orioles’ 3-2 win at Atlanta. Mississippi State alum Westburg was back in the lineup at third base for the first time since June 27 because of a nagging injury. (Ex-Braves star Charlie Morton got the win for the O’s, his fifth of the season and the 143rd of his MLB career; he is the all-time leader in wins among former Mississippi Braves hurlers, of which there are many who’ve made The Show.) … Ex-MSU star Brent Rooker, a potential All-Star pick, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the A’s routed San Francisco 11-2. Rooker is batting .273 with 18 homers and 48 RBIs. … Matt Wallner, former Southern Miss standout, went 1-for-3 with a walk in Minnesota’s 4-3 win against surging Tampa Bay. The Twins (42-46 overall) are 23-17 at Target Field. Wallner is batting just .201 but 19 of his 31 hits have been for extra bases, including eight home runs. … Colt Keith, the Biloxi High product, went 1-for-4 batting leadoff as Detroit beat Cleveland 2-1. Keith is hitting .258 (.338 OBP) for the Tigers, the best team in MLB at 53-34. P.S. Mississippi State’s Ace Reese — who made several All-America teams this year — and Ryan McPherson made the 26-man roster for the Collegiate National Team that will play a team from Japan in a series starting July 8. Reese hit .267 in the Stars vs. Stripes Series and McPherson posted a 0.00 ERA in two appearances. Jackson State coach Omar Johnson is on the Team USA coaching staff. … The Biloxi Shuckers drew an announced crowd of 6,098 Friday night at Keesler Federal Park, and the Southern League South first-half champs beat Pensacola 10-4. Former Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run for the Double-A Shuckers. … The independent Mississippi Mud Monsters drew an announced crowd of 5,230 for their Friday night game against Washington at Pearl’s Trustmark Park, and the home boys rewarded the fans with a 2-1 victory, their fourth in a row in the Frontier League. Kasten Furr drove in both runs in the seventh inning.

30 Jun

future (and current) stars

When the stars come out on July 12 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Konnor Griffin, Braden Montgomery and Jurrangelo Cijntje will be among them. The three Mississippi products were named to the rosters for the All-Star Futures Game, a showcase event for some of the game’s top prospects. Griffin, the ex-Jackson Prep star, is Pittsburgh’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 31 overall, per MLB Pipeline. The 19-year-old shortstop, a first-year pro, is batting .343 (.412 OBP) with 12 homers, 48 RBIs and 37 steals over two levels of Class A ball. Montgomery, a Madison Central High alum who played three years of college ball, is also in his first pro season, batting .274 (.352 OBP) with 10 homers and 49 RBIs over two levels of A-ball. The switch-hitting outfielder is the No. 4 prospect (32 overall) in the Chicago White Sox’s chain. Cijntje, the switch-pitcher out of Mississippi State, is 4-4 with a 4.88 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings in his pro debut at High-A in Seattle’s system. He is the Mariners’ No. 8 (84 overall). Former Atlanta Braves players will make up the on-field staff for the two teams. Chipper Jones will manage the National League squad, Marquis Grissom the AL team. Former Jackson State star Marvin Freeman is a coach on the AL staff. The game will be televised by MLB Network at 3 p.m. CDT. P.S. Dakota Jordan, another 2024 draftee from MSU (where he was the Ferriss Trophy winner last year), had a six-RBI game on Sunday for Low-A San Jose in the San Francisco system. Jordan, former Jackson Academy star, is batting .309 with six homers and 50 RBIs, tops in the California League. … Looking ahead to the 2025 MLB draft, set to start July 13, MLB Pipeline recently rated Southern Miss’ Jake Cook as the fastest runner in the 2025 class with an 80 scouting grade. A first-year starter as a redshirt sophomore for USM, the Madison Central alum played a mean center field and batted .350 (with just three steals). He goes 6 feet 3, 185 pounds. Lefty Liam Doyle, who pitched at Ole Miss in 2024 (5.73 ERA, 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings) before transferring to Tennessee, was rated as having the best fastball, a 75 on the 20-80 scale.