Tag Archives: Brewers

15 Apr

just stuff

As Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, here’s a tip of the cap to Luke Easter, the first black Mississippi native to play in an MLB game. The Jonestown native broke in with Cleveland on Aug. 11, 1949, at the age of 34. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-handed hitter belted 93 homers for the Indians over parts of six seasons. He also played in the Negro Leagues and in the minors for many years, hitting 351 homers all told, per baseball-reference.com. … The Columbus Clingstones, Atlanta’s Double-A team that previously played in Pearl, will make their home debut tonight at Synovus Park in Columbus, Ga. Quite a few familiar names populate the roster, including former Southern Miss and Mississippi Braves standout Landon Harper and M-Braves alum Craig Kimbrel, the erstwhile big league star who is launching his 2025 season in Double-A. … After a weak start this season, former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley is coming on strong for Atlanta. The M-Braves alum hit two homers in Monday’s win at Toronto and is batting .452 with eight RBIs and seven runs over his last seven games. … Jake Mangum, the rookie out of Jackson Prep and Mississippi State, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs Monday for Tampa Bay, which saw every starter get at least one RBI and score at least one run in a 16-1 win against Boston. Mangum has cooled after his sizzling start but is still batting .311 over 13 games and making great plays in the outfield. … Hunter Renfroe, MSU alum from Crystal Springs, needs to step it up for Kansas City. He is batting .128 with no homers in 39 at-bats and is no longer playing regularly. A .236 career hitter with 192 bombs, the 33-year-old outfielder is coming off a poor year. … Ole Miss product Kemp Alderman, who had a two-homer game last week for Double-A Pensacola (Miami system), and ex-MSU star Khal Stephen, who had a nine-strikeout game for Low-Class A Dunedin (Toronto), were named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week. … Konnor Griffin got his first pro homer and triple in a game last week and continues to fill out the stat sheet for Low-A Bradenton (Pittsburgh). The ninth overall pick last summer from Jackson Prep, Griffin is batting .258 with six RBIs, seven runs and five steals. … Sad to see Justin Steele, the lefty from Lucedale, lost for the season to elbow surgery; he was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four starts. That’s a blow for the first-place Chicago Cubs. Also going on the IL last week was Ole Miss alum Nick Fortes (oblique), who was batting .300 in 20 at-bats as Miami’s starting catcher. … Kudos to Will Warren, the Jackson Prep grad who notched his first MLB win in his eighth career start for the New York Yankees last week. The 25-year-old right-hander went five innings Saturday to beat red-hot San Francisco. … Ex-MSU star J.T. Ginn got his second MLB win Saturday in his 2025 debut as the A’s beat the Mets; Ginn was recalled from Triple-A that same day. … Former MSU standout Brandon Woodruff threw 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday in his first rehab start as he aims to return to Milwaukee’s rotation. The righty from Wheeler is 46-26 in his MLB career; the Brewers sorely need him. … Ex-Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull, still unsigned for 2025, has been throwing for various teams, per reports. The veteran right-hander put up a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for Philadelphia in 2024.

05 Apr

update …

It probably comes as no real surprise that Konnor Griffin got a hit in his first pro at-bat Friday night. The former Jackson Prep star and Pittsburgh prospect also got a hit in his second at-bat, stole two bases and scored twice in Low-Class A Bradenton’s 6-2 win against Daytona Beach. Leading off and playing shortstop for the Marauders, he was 2-for-4 with a walk and handled three chances flawlessly in the field. … Also debuting Friday was Chicago White Sox prospect Braden Montgomery, a Madison Central High alum and another 2024 first-round draftee, who went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Low-A Kannapolis’ 7-4 loss to Hickory. … Mississippi State product Khal Stephen, a Toronto draft pick in the second round last summer, threw five shutout innings but got a no-decision for Low-A Dunedin. … Ex-Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt, a Milwaukee prospect, got a hit in his first Double-A at-bat and finished 1-for-4 for Biloxi, playing shortstop and batting second in a 4-0 loss at Pensacola. Ex-Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman, also a third-year pro and a Miami prospect, went 3-for-4 and scored twice for the Blue Wahoos in that game.

04 Apr

raise the curtain

While he got some at-bats in big league camp this spring with Pittsburgh, Konnor Griffin’s official pro debut is expected to come today, when the Low-Class A Bradenton Marauders visit the Daytona Beach Tortugas in a Florida State League opener. Former Jackson Prep star Griffin is one of a bundle of 2024 draftees from Mississippi who’ll make debuts today as the lower levels of the minors get into the 2025 swing. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Griffin was the ninth overall pick by the Pirates, drew rave reviews during his spring invite and is currently listed as their No. 2 prospect. He is expected to play shortstop for the Marauders, through he also works in center field. Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the 12th pick by Boston, is now with the Chicago White Sox and on their Low-A Kannapolis roster; the Cannon Ballers open today against Hickory in a Carolina League game. Mississippi State product and switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, the 15th overall pick by Seattle, is at High-A Everett in the Northwest League; the AquaSox are at Spokane, where Cijntje is expected to start on Saturday. Khal Stephen, picked in Round 2 last year by Toronto, is listed as the probable starter today for Low-A Dunedin in the Florida State League, and fellow ex-MSU standout Nate Dohm, a third-rounder in 2024 by the New York Mets, is slated to start on the mound for Low-A St. Lucie in the FSL. Dakota Jordan, former Jackson Academy and State star, is at Low-A San Jose in the San Francisco system, where he is joined by MRA and Southern Miss product Niko Mazza. Jordan, a fourth-round pick in 2024, went 1-for-7 for San Jose last summer; Mazza, an eighth-rounder, has yet to debut. Brooks Auger, who pitched at MSU and Hinds Community College, is at High-A Great Lakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ chain; he was a sixth-round pick. … Cooper Pratt, former Gatorade player of the year at Magnolia Heights, is with Double-A Biloxi, which opens today at Pensacola in the Southern League. Milwaukee’s No. 3 prospect in his third pro season, Pratt spent most of 2024 in A-ball but played for the Shuckers in the SL postseason last year and was 2-for-8 with a homer. Also with the Shuckers is MSU product K.C. Hunt, who reached Double-A last year and went 1-2 with a 2.20 ERA in six starts.

01 Apr

quite a career

Lance Lynn has called it a career — and quite a career it was for the former Ole Miss star, now 37. An imposing figure — 6 feet 5, 280 pounds in his heyday — with a gruff demeanor on the mound, he went 143-99 with a 3.74 ERA and 2,015 strikeouts, pitching for six different teams in a 13-year big league career. Lynn was 7-4 with a 3.84 for St. Louis in 2024. He played in the Little League World Series, won a prep state title with an undefeated team in Indiana, helped Ole Miss win an SEC crown and reach three NCAA regionals during his time in Oxford, won a World Series as a rookie with St. Louis in 2011, made two All-Star Games and won a World Baseball Classic game. Drafted in the first round out of Ole Miss by St. Louis in 2008, Lynn’s 143 wins are tied for fourth-most (with Meridian Community College product Cliff Lee) among Mississippi natives or school alums who have pitched in the majors. P.S. Cooper Pratt, the former Magnolia Heights standout, has been assigned to Double-A Biloxi by the Milwaukee Brewers. Pratt, the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has a .286 career average in two minor league seasons with eight homers and 31 bags in 105 games. A 6-foot-2, 206-pound shortstop, he hit .381 in spring training with the Brewers this year. The Shuckers open at Pensacola on Friday.

26 Mar

play ball!

A pair of Mississippi high school products will be on the mound as starting pitchers on Thursday, opening day for most of the major league clubs. Garrett Crochet, out of Ocean Springs, will go for Boston — in his Red Sox debut — at Texas and Justin Steele, ex-George County standout, gets the ball for the Chicago Cubs at Arizona. Steele is 0-1, having lost in the Cubs’ second game in Japan last week. There are state connections in just about every game. Austin Riley is back at third base for Atlanta, which opens at San Diego. Hunter Renfroe likely will be in the lineup for Kansas City against visiting Cleveland. Baltimore, with Jordan Westburg at third base, visits Toronto, where Nick Sandlin now works out of the bullpen. There’s Chris Stratton with the Royals, Brent Rooker with the A’s, Matt Wallner with Minnesota, Colt Keith with Detroit, Will Warren with the New York Yankees, Nick Fortes with Miami. Adam Frazier is back with Pittsburgh after side trips to San Diego, Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City. Thursday will bring the Washington debut of Nathaniel Lowe when the Nationals host Philadelphia. Tim Anderson, who made the Los Angeles Angels’ club as a non-roster invitee, returns to Chicago, where he was once a batting champ for the White Sox. Marcus Thames is the hitting coach for the White Sox and Bobby Dickerson the infield coach for the Phillies. Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee), James McArthur (Kansas City) and J.P. France (Houston) will start the season on the injured list. … Of note: Four former Biloxi Shuckers, including the starting pitcher, and a former Mississippi Braves star are expected to be in Milwaukee’s Day 1 lineup, and four former M-Braves and one ex-Shuckers star are projected as starters for Atlanta. (And Ronald Acuna could return to Atlanta’s active roster by late April.) P.S. Ole Miss alum and MLB veteran Drew Pomeranz, 36, was released by Seattle. He was in camp as a non-roster invitee and posted a 4.70 ERA in eight games. … Ex-Rebels star Hayden Dunhurst, a 24-year-old catcher from Carriere, has re-signed with Kane County of the independent American Association.

17 Mar

digging the long ball

Brewton-Parker Field in Mount Vernon, Ga., isn’t especially small, but for William Carey University’s hitters, it played like a bandbox over the weekend. The Crusaders hit 19 home runs and scored 75 runs all told — 31, 11 and 33 — in a three-game sweep of the Southern States Athletic Conference series. “(P)laying in some of the smaller parks really plays into our power throughout the lineup,” Carey coach Bobby Halford said in a school release. Carey, ranked 12th in NAIA, is 22-4 and 13-2 in the SSAC with eight wins in a row. Brewton-Parker fell to 9-15, 4-11. High-scoring games aren’t uncommon at BP Field: Four times previously visiting teams had scored 13 or more runs in 2025. The host scored a season-high 17 in Game 1 vs. Carey. But still, the Crusaders’ show of power was jaw-dropping. Jayden Mark had a three-homer game, his first three of the season. Josh Alexander, Carey’s homer leader at 10, had two two-homer games, and Preston Ratliff and Rigoberto Hernandez each produced a two-homer game. The Crusaders entered the series with 17 homers over 23 games. … Of the state’s big four NCAA Division I schools, only one came out of the first weekend of conference play feeling very good. Southern Miss (14-6) took two of three from visiting Old Dominion to start Sun Belt play, though the Golden Eagles lost Game 3. Ole Miss (15-4) dropped two of three at home against Arkansas, Mississippi State (13-7) was swept by visiting Texas and Jackson State (12-6) went 1-2 at Prairie View A&M. … Millsaps College rallied from four runs down to beat Centre 5-4 at Twenty Field to split a Sunday doubleheader; Charles Hunt, a pinch hitter, knocked in the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh. The Majors are 12-5, 1-1 Southern Athletic Association. Centre, nationally ranked in Division III, is 12-2, 4-1. P.S. In MLB, ex-State star Hunter Renfroe hit two doubles and a triple and drove in five runs for Kansas City in a Cactus League game. Veteran outfielder Renfroe is batting .348 with a homer and nine RBIs this spring. … Brandon Woodruff, former Bulldogs pitcher, threw a scoreless inning for Milwaukee in his first MLB game action since 2023. “It was a big day for me,” a beaming Woodruff, coming off shoulder surgery, told reporters. … Right-hander J.T. Ginn, another MSU product, was optioned to Triple-A by the A’s; Ginn made his MLB debut last season.

11 Mar

quick pitches

On a windy day in Arizona, Justin Steele got blown away by Milwaukee hitters. The former George County High star, expected to start the second game of the Chicago Cubs’ season next week in Japan, gave up 10 hits — three home runs — and seven runs all told in 3 2/3 innings. The left-hander now has a 9.72 ERA in 8 1/3 innings this spring. The 2023 All-Star went 5-5 with a 3.07 ERA in 24 starts in an injury-curtailed 2024 season. He won 16 games in 2023. … Also in Cactus League action today, ex-Ole Miss standout Doug Nikhazy, making a start for Cleveland, got knocked around by the Los Angeles Dodgers, yielding four hits, four walks and seven runs in 1 2/3 innings (55 pitches). The left-hander gave up a two-run homer to Tommy Edman, the second batter he faced. In camp as a new member of the Guardians’ 40-man roster, Nikhazy has a 7.27 ERA in 8 2/3 innings and is likely ticketed to return to Triple-A to start 2025. … Brandon Woodruff, the Mississippi State alum from Wheeler, pitched in a minor league game for Milwaukee in Arizona, his first live appearance since shoulder surgery 17 months ago. He reportedly threw 94 mph and unveiled a new cutter. Woodruff, a two-time All-Star, is 46-26, 3.10, for his career. His projected return to the Brewers’ active roster is mid-May. … On Monday in Florida, Jackson Prep product Will Warren threw 3 2/3 innings (two hits, one walk, one earned run) for the New York Yankees in a win against Detroit. Warren, 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA in 11 2/3 innings this spring, appears to be a viable candidate for the Yanks’ tattered rotation with Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil both out. GM Brian Cashman, asked about looking for arms outside the organization, told mlb.com: “We’ll just evaluate what’s available, and this time of year, very little is available.” For the record, former Ole Miss star Lance Lynn and Madison Central High alum Spencer Turnbull, both MLB vets, are free agents. … Nick Sandlin, ex-Southern Miss standout, got a win for Toronto on Monday with a scoreless inning in relief. A newcomer to the Blue Jays (trade from Cleveland), he has made just two appearances this spring. … Ole Miss alum Ryan Rolison, a first-round pick back in 2018, has thrown three scoreless innings with three K’s this spring for Colorado; the 27-year-old lefty (4.55 ERA in 83 minor league games) is in camp as a minor leaguer. … Kansas City optioned Eric Cerantola, Mississippi State product, to Triple-A, and the A’s did the same with ex-UM star Gunnar Hoglund.

07 Mar

spring flings

Jake Mangum, vying for a spot on Tampa Bay’s opening day roster, had a double and two RBIs in Grapefruit League action today. The Mississippi State alum, who was subbed in in left field, is batting .417 with three RBIs in 12 at-bats. … Ex-State slugger Hunter Renfroe checked in with his first homer of the spring, a 422-foot blast for Kansas City in the Cactus League. Renfroe is sitting on 192 career homers, tied for fifth (with Brian Dozier) on the all-time list of Mississippi natives in MLB. … Tim Anderson, the ex-East Central Community College star, went 2-for-3 while playing shortstop today for the Los Angeles Angels. The former All-Star, in camp as a non-roster invitee, is batting .217 in 23 ABs with one homer and two steals. He has worked at short, second base and center field this spring. … Former DeSoto Central High star Blaze Jordan, in Boston’s A-game today as a minor leaguer, went 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs and an RBI as the Red Sox put up 20 runs against Miami. … The Milwaukee Brewers rank No. 7 in MLB Pipeline’s new list of the top farm systems in the majors. Biloxi, which started play in 2015 after moving from Huntsville, Ala., hosts Milwaukee’s Double-A team and should have a stacked roster this summer, including former Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt. P.S. Fun Fact: Pittsburgh third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, son of former Forrest County AHS and MLB star Charlie Hayes, mentioned on MLB Network’s Hot Stove today that his mom, Gelinda, was pregnant with him when dad made the catch that ended the 1996 World Series. “They call me the World Series baby,” Ke’Bryan said. That Series, won by the New York Yankees, ended in October. Ke’Bryan was born Jan. 28, 1997, in Tomball, Texas. Speaking about his dad, who played 14 years in The Show, the younger Hayes said, “He’s my biggest fan. … He eats and breathes baseball 24/7. … Our whole family (he has two brothers), we eat and breathe baseball. It’s what we love to do.” Hayes is entering his sixth MLB campaign; he hit .233 with four homers in an injury-curtailed 2024 season.

05 Mar

prospecting

Twenty-one Mississippians (natives or school alums) appear in MLB Pipeline’s new Top 30 prospect rankings for each big league organization. The highest rated among this group is former Jackson Prep uber-star Konnor Griffin, No. 2 in Pittsburgh’s system before ever playing a regular season pro game. (The ninth overall pick last July, he has been in big league camp this spring.) … Elsewhere in the National Central: Magnolia Heights product Cooper Pratt is No. 3 in Milwaukee’s system and targeted for Double-A Biloxi this season, and K.C. Hunt (Mississippi State), who pitched in Double-A in 2024, is rated No. 25 in the Brewers’ chain. … In the American League Central, former Madison Central star Braden Montgomery — a 2024 first-rounder — is No. 5 in the Chicago White Sox’s organization, and Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) checks in at No. 14. Doug Nikhazy (Ole Miss) is No. 22 on Cleveland’s list, and Eric Cerantola (MSU) is ranked 28th on Kansas City’s. … In the NL East: ex-Southern Miss standout Hurston Waldrep ranks No. 4 in Atlanta’s system. Waldrep made his MLB debut in 2024. Kemp Alderman (Ole Miss) is Miami’s No. 11; Nate Dohm (MSU) is the New York Mets’ No. 19; and Tyler Stuart (USM) ranks 15th in Washington’s system. … In the AL East: Jackson Prep product Will Warren is No. 5 on the Yankees’ list; he also debuted in The Show last season. Cade Smith (Mississippi State) is No. 16 in the Yankees’ chain. Elsewhere in the AL East, Colton Ledbetter (MSU) and Matthew Etzel (Southern Miss) rank Nos. 26 and 27 for Tampa Bay, and Khal Stephen (MSU) is ranked 11th in Toronto’s system. … In the NL West, Dakota Jordan (MSU), a 2024 draftee, is ranked sixth on San Francisco’s list. In the AL West, switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU) — 15th overall pick last July — is ranked No. 9 in Seattle’s system. The A’s have J.T. Ginn (MSU), who debuted in MLB last summer, at No. 14 and Gunnar Hoglund (Ole Miss) at 16. Justin Foscue (MSU), who got some limited time with Texas in 2024, is rated No. 15 in the Rangers’ chain. … Griffin (43), Montgomery (54) and Pratt (56) are ranked in MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100. P.S. Props to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s James Vines and Dom Jackson for earning the MACCC pitcher and hitter of the week honors. Vines posted a 1.12 ERA and 15 strikeouts in eight innings last week; he is 1-0 with a 2.00 in five games on the season. Jackson hit three homers and drove in 10 runs as the Bulldogs won four of six games. He has seven homers on the season. … Copiah-Lincoln CC’s Tucker Jones, a Northwest Rankin High alum, ranks second in NJCAA Division II with 19 stolen bases in just 12 games for the 15-8 Wolves, and teammate Jennings Kimbrell, a St. Joe product, is 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA, tied for the national lead in wins.

26 Feb

moments in the sun

A week into MLB spring training games, a bunch of Mississippi products have enjoyed noteworthy moments. To wit: Cooper Pratt (Milwaukee) has had the best day so far, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in a Cactus League game on Tuesday. … Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh) got an RBI knock last week in his first at-bat as a pro player. … Tim Elko (Chicago White Sox) homered in his first AB, repeating his feat from 2024. … Will Warren (New York Yankees) threw two shutout innings. … Tyler Stuart (Washington) notched a win in his spring debut. … Braden Montgomery (White Sox) got a hit in his first pro game. … Dakota Jordan (San Francisco), another rookie, doubled in his first spring appearance. … Matt Wallner (Minnesota) hit a two-run, game-tying bomb. … Drew Pomeranz (Seattle), on the comeback trail, picked up a hold in his second scoreless outing. … Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta) threw a scoreless inning in his first outing but, alas, was sent to the minor league camp shortly thereafter.