Tag Archives: Brewers

06 Oct

afl cranks up

Michael Fowler, who pitched for the Mississippi Mud Monsters this summer, has been pegged as an Arizona Fall League “under-the-radar” prospect by MLB Pipeline. Fowler, now in the Milwaukee system, pitched for Southern Miss last spring and then went 2-1 with a 1.92 ERA in seven games for the independent Mud-sters, striking out 15 in 9 1/3 innings. The Brewers signed him, and he posted a 1.08 ERA in Low-Class A, showing enough stuff to earn an AFL assignment. The prospect-filled AFL starts its season today with Peoria playing Scottsdale. Twelve of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 minor league prospects populate the rosters of the six teams. Fowler, not a rated prospect, is on the Surprise roster; the Saguaros open on Tuesday. Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect (No. 35 overall), is with Glendale, which also opens Tuesday. The switch-hitting outfielder, who reached Double-A in his first pro season, isn’t active yet, still recuperating from a foot injury. Former Mississippi State and DeSoto Central High standout Cade Smith, a New York Yankees prospect who pitched in A-ball in 2025, is on the Mesa roster. Ex-Bulldogs star David Mershon is with Salt River; he played at Double-A and Triple-A in the Los Angeles Angels’ chain this season but had some injury issues and scuffled at the plate. Also on the Salt River club is Ole Miss product Derek Diamond, a Pittsburgh prospect who missed much of the 2025 campaign. He pitched in Double-A at the start of the season. On the Glendale roster is former Mississippi Braves star Nacho Alvarez Jr., who finished the year with Atlanta; the third baseman missed much of the minor league season with injury.

05 Oct

spotlight on …

Jackson Chourio was the center of attention for the first two innings of Saturday’s American League Division Series game at Milwaukee. The former Biloxi Shuckers star had three hits, three RBIs and a run as the Brewers cooked up nine runs en route to a 9-3 win against Chicago. Chourio was the center of attention again after the game, which he left in the second inning with a hamstring strain; a hamstring injury in the same leg sidelined him for a month earlier this season. His status for the rest of the best-of-5 series, which resumes Monday, is to be determined. Losing him would be a huge blow: “devastating” is how manager Pat Murphy described it. The 21-year-old outfielder belted 22 homers and stole 43 bases for Double-A Biloxi in 2023, then got an $82 million contract before making his MLB debut in 2024. He finished third in the NL rookie of the year voting and backed that up by hitting .270 with 21 homers, 78 RBIs and 21 bags this season.
Max Fried, the former Mississippi Braves standout and current New York Yankees ace, gets the start today in a critical Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Toronto. The Yankees were blown away by the Blue Jays’ power in Game 1, losing 10-1. Fried, 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 2025, has a wealth of postseason experience, though not all of it is good stuff. He delivered a quality start against Boston in the Wild Card Series but got a no-decision in a game the Yanks lost. Overall, the lefty is 2-5, 4.66, in 21 postseason games. He did get a gutsy win for Atlanta in the ’21 World Series. M-Braves fans might recall that Fried’s 2017 season in Pearl was a little ragged: 2-11, 5.92, in 19 starts. He was evolving, apparently, and two years later won 17 games for the big Braves. He is a fiery competitor, “a Yankee for this exact moment,” per the New York Post.
Colt Keith, former Biloxi High star, got the start at DH for Detroit in Game 1 of the ALDS vs. Seattle and figures to be in the lineup again today against right-hander Luis Castillo. The resurgent Tigers won the opener 3-2 in 11 innings at T-Mobile Park. Keith, a left-handed hitter, missed the Wild Card Series against Cleveland because of a rib cage injury. He went 1-for-2 Saturday (in the 5-hole) against George Kirby and is 3-for-20 in two postseasons. The second-year big leaguer hit .256 with 13 homers, 45 RBIs and 65 runs this season, typically as the leadoff batter.

03 Oct

forging ahead

The final eight teams are now set in the major league postseason, but for the Mississippi baseball aficionado, there are some questions. What will Will Warren’s role be with the New York Yankees? Will Colt Keith be back on the field for Detroit? Is Brandon Woodruff ready to come off the injured list for Milwaukee? … Former Jackson Prep standout Warren watched as the Yankees, behind the gas-pumping Cam Schlittler, eliminated Boston 4-0 Thursday night in Game 3. Warren, 9-8, 4.44 ERA, as a starter this season, shifted to the bullpen for the Wild Card Series but never made an appearance. A Baseball America MLB All-Rookie selection, the right-hander reportedly is a candidate for Saturday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Toronto, the AL East champ and the league’s top seed. On the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster is Southern Miss alum Nick Sandlin (2.20 ERA in 19 games), on the IL since early July with an elbow issue; he has been throwing but apparently isn’t ready for active duty. … Thursday’s loss ended a brilliant season for Ocean Springs High product Garrett Crochet, who beat the Yankees — for the fourth time in 2025 — in the series opener. Also going home is ex-Mississippi State slugger Nathaniel Lowe, who went 1-for-7 in the series. He had one of the Red Sox’s five hits — and one of the 12 punchouts — against Schlitter; he also committed a tough error at first base in the pivotal fourth inning of Game 3. … Keith, former Gatorade player of the year winner (2019) at Biloxi High, watched as the Tigers beat Cleveland in Game 3 on Thursday to advance to the ALDS against Seattle. Keith, who hit .256 with 13 homers, 45 RBIs and 65 runs this season, went on the IL on Sept. 19 with a rib cage injury. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday there were “good signs” that Keith might be able to return for the ALDS. … Ex-MSU star Woodruff’s status remains cloudy for Milwaukee’s National League Division Series against Chicago. The big right-hander returned from injury this year to go 7-2, 3.20, in 12 starts but went on the IL on Sept. 21 with a lat strain. He is technically eligible to come off the IL today (Oct. 3). He has pitched in eight postseason games for the Brewers in his career, going 1-3, 3.18. The Brewers would certainly love to have their horse against the Cubs. … Chicago out-pitched San Diego in their Wild Card Series, winning Games 1 and 3 by 3-1 scores. Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz worked in both of those wins, retiring all six batters he faced and notching two holds. The situational lefty, 36, entered Thursday’s game in the seventh with a runner at first, no outs and the Cubs up 2-0. He got a fly out, a line out and another fly out to end the inning. P.S. The last time the Blue Jays won the AL East, in 2015, their manager was former Jackson Mets catcher John Gibbons. That team lost in the AL Championship Series to Kansas City, which was managed by former JaxMets catcher Ned Yost. Oddly enough, the Royals beat the New York Mets in the World Series.

23 Sep

faded glory

Perusing the box score from Atlanta’s game Monday against Washington evokes many thoughts, some positive, some sad. The Braves won their ninth straight, 11-5 at Truist Park. The familiar names of Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, Drake Baldwin and Nacho Alvarez Jr. combined for eight hits, five walks, an HBP, six runs and eight RBIs. Quite a game. And yet, here the Braves are, stuck in fourth place in the National League East, nine games under .500 and out of the playoff picture for the first time in eight years. End of an era. Those five familiar names once played at Trustmark Park in Pearl for the Mississippi Braves, Atlanta’s highly productive Double-A team that now resides in Columbus, Ga., another era having ended. The Braves’ current win streak makes one wonder what might have been had this team stayed healthy and performed to expectations. (As fate would have it, Albies, having a tough year, broke a bone in his hand Monday.) It’s easy to forget that Baseball America ranked Atlanta as the majors’ second-best team entering the 2025 season, and Lindy’s magazine picked the Braves as NL champs, as did many others. On Monday, the Braves banged out 14 hits all told and went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Stranding baserunners was a huge issue this season. There was production up-and-down the lineup; every starter save for Matt Olson — the most dependable hitter — got at least one knock. Yes, the pitching staff needs some attention this off-season, but the current lineup, if it clicks like it has recently (72 runs during the win streak), should be fine for 2026. … Meanwhile, Milwaukee lost its second straight — a 5-4 defeat in 11 innings at San Diego, a playoff-clinching win for the Padres. The Brewers have clinched the NL Central title but their lead over Philadelphia for the top seed in the NL postseason is down to 2.5 games with a week to play. Former Biloxi Shuckers star Freddy Peralta was good for Milwaukee on Monday, leaving after five innings with a 3-2 lead. However, ex-Shuckers Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick and Brice Turang went 1-for-15 with five strikeouts and a GIDP. P.S. Ex-Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin was named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. The top-rated prospect had a remarkable first pro year: .333 with 21 home runs, 65 RBIs, 117 runs and 94 steals over three levels in Pittsburgh’s system. The 19-year-old shortstop is among three finalists for MLB Pipeline’s player of the year honor. … In the minors tonight, Jacksonville — with Ole Miss alum Kemp Alderman and Southern Miss’ Matthew Etzel on the roster — plays Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the opener of the Triple-A International League Championship Series. In the Double-A Southern League, Montgomery — with ex-Mississippi State standout Colton Ledbetter — takes on Birmingham — featuring former UM catcher Calvin Harris — in Game 2 of the title series. The Biscuits won the opener on Sunday.

22 Sep

big league chew

There was good news for Milwaukee on Sunday. A 1-0 loss by the Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati handed the Brewers the National League Central title, their third straight. But there was also bad news, a double dose: The team lost to St. Louis 5-1 and announced the loss of Brandon Woodruff, the Mississippi State product, to the injured list. Right-hander Woodruff has what has been described as a moderate lat strain that reportedly could keep him out into the postseason. Returning from shoulder surgery that cost him all of the 2024 season, Woodruff went 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 12 starts. “The longer you keep going, things like this can happen,” he told The Associated Press. Woodruff joins a crowd of Mississippians with season-ending injuries that includes Justin Steele, Gunnar Hoglund, Nick Sandlin, Austin Riley, Colt Keith and Matt Wallner. … The surging Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs and have tied the floundering New York Mets for third place in the NL wild card standings, both at 80-76. The Reds own the tiebreaker. … Toronto also clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with an 8-5 win against Kansas City. The Blue Jays, at 90-66, lead the AL East by 2 games over the New York Yankees. Of note: A key move by Toronto at the trade deadline was acquiring Shane Bieber from Cleveland straight up for minor league prospect Khal Stephen, the former Mississippi State star who pitched in Double-A this season. Bieber is 3-2 with a 3.57 in six starts for the Jays. … Ex-Mississippi College star Blaine Crim homered Sunday for the fourth time in 31 at-bats for Colorado since he was recalled from the minors. … Atlanta, which seems to make a waiver claim every day, picked up Chuckie Robinson, the ex-Southern Miss catcher, from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robinson, a .131 hitter in his brief MLB time, was batting .254 with four homers and 30 RBIs in Triple-A for the Dodgers, who claimed him from the Angels earlier this season. The Braves optioned Robinson to Triple-A Gwinnett. … Charlie Morton, the all-time winningest pitcher among former Mississippi Braves in MLB, was designated for assignment by scuffling Detroit. He had two wins and a 7.09 ERA in nine starts for the Tigers. He is 147-134, 4.13, lifetime. P.S. Schaumburg, with three Ole Miss alums on its roster, came up short in Sunday’s decisive Game 5 of the Frontier League Championship Series. Quebec City won the title 6-5. Former Rebels star Anthony Calarco — the independent league’s MVP — drove in 16 runs in the postseason for Schaumburg, and Banks Tolley, a St. Andrew’s and UM alum who homered on Sunday, knocked in 12. Calarco hit .347 with 24 homers and 116 RBIs on the season as the Boomers won the Midwest West Division that included the expansion Mississippi Mud Monsters. Tolley hit .313 with 12 homers, and Dallas Woolfolk, another UM product, posted a 6.00 ERA over 15 relief appearances.

19 Sep

tapping into power

Brent Rooker hit his 30th homer of the season on Thursday, a first-inning two-run shot that helped the A’s deal playoff-chasing Boston a hard loss at Fenway Park. Rooker, the former All-America from Mississippi State, now has 99 homers in three years with the A’s. It’s weird to think that in his first three MLB campaigns (2020-22) he hit a grand total of 10 homers while barely playing with three other clubs. The A’s got the former 35th overall pick as a waiver claim from Kansas City in November 2022. Of note: Fellow MSU product J.T. Ginn pitched six effective innings Thursday to get the win; the second-year right-hander is 4-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 22 appearances this year. With the defeat, Boston fell to third in the American League wild card standings. … Former Mississippi College star Blaine Crim belted two 400-foot homers for Colorado and now has three in seven games with the Rockies. Crim, getting his first real opportunity in the big leagues in his sixth pro season, has 124 minor league homers on his ledger. … Down in the minors, Kemp Alderman, third-year pro from Ole Miss, slugged his seventh homer in 17 games since being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville in the Miami chain. Alderman hit 15 bombs in Double-A this season. P.S. Biloxi was eliminated by Montgomery in the Southern League division playoffs. Ex-Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee’s No. 3 prospect, hit .237 with eight homers, 62 RBIs, 71 runs and 31 steals in his first Double-A season.

18 Sep

september madness

The Chicago Cubs clinched their first playoff berth in five years, and former Ole Miss ace Drew Pomeranz played a role in Wednesday’s win and an even larger one in the team’s overall success. Acquired from Seattle in a late April trade, the big left-hander, now 36, has made 53 appearances, registering a 2-1 record, 13 holds, a save and a 2.15 ERA. He had not appeared in an MLB game in four years before the Cubs gave him this shot. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft by Cleveland, he has a 3.82 career ERA and a World Series ring (Boston, 2018). Pomeranz worked a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday’s 8-4 road win against Pittsburgh. … Elsewhere on Wednesday, Brandon Woodruff, the former Mississippi State standout from Wheeler, worked five innings (one run, nine strikeouts) on 10 days rest as Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-2. The Brewers, who clinched a playoff berth last week, lead the Cubs by 5 games in the National League Central. The teams do not meet again this season. Woodruff, in his comeback campaign, is 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA. “I want to pitch deep into October and make a run at this thing,” he told mlb.com. … And in Kansas City, former MSU star Adam Frazier hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning as the Royals stopped Seattle’s 10-game win streak 7-5 and dropped the Mariners a half-game behind first-place Houston in the American League West. P.S. MSU product Cam Schuelke and Luke Hill, a 2025 draftee out of Ole Miss, celebrated a Carolina League title on Wednesday night as Lynchburg beat Columbia 8-2. Schuelke, a second-year pro, got the last six outs for the save. Hill hit .347 this season for the Hillcats, Cleveland’s Low-Class A affiliate. … Ex-Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin and MSU alum Tyson Hardin were named High-A All-Stars by MLB Pipeline. Shortstop Griffin, currently in Double-A in Pittsburgh’s system, was also rated the top prospect in the South Atlantic League. Right-hander Hardin, now with Double-A Biloxi in Milwaukee’s organization, played for Wisconsin in the Midwest League.

11 Sep

touching the bases

Blaine Crim, the former Mississippi College slugger, had a hand in a very rare feat on Wednesday night, hitting his 21st homer and driving in three runs as Triple-A Albuquerque scored in every inning in a 21-10 romp over El Paso in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. (Only 20 times in major league history has a team scored in every inning.) Crim now has 21 Triple-A homers in 2025, split between Albuquerque (Colorado system) and Round Rock (Texas). He got up briefly with the Rangers. … Former Mississippi State ace Dakota Hudson notched his seventh win for Triple-A Salt Lake in the PCL, yielding three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Los Angeles Angels affiliate. Hudson is 7-7 with a 6.98 ERA. The former first-round draftee (2016) has 80 career wins, 40 in both the minors and the majors. He pitched for Colorado in 2024. … Konnor Griffin, the phenom from Jackson Prep, smacked his fifth homer for Double-A Altoona just as dad Kevin — the Belhaven University softball coach — was stepping into the broadcast booth in the fifth inning at Erie, Pa., per an milb.com story. “I might stay up here the whole game,” Kevin Griffin said. Konnor, No. 1 prospect in the minors, has 21 homers at three levels in the Pittsburgh chain this season. … Ex-MSU star Brent Rooker, having another big year for the A’s, crushed his 39th and 40th doubles of 2025 — ranking third in MLB — and now has 70 extra-base hits, 27 of them homers. The resurgent A’s beat Boston — and Aroldis Chapman — 5-4 on Wednesday in West Sacramento, Calif. … In the Frontier League playoffs, Ole Miss alums Anthony Calarco (3-for-5, three RBIs) and Banks Tolley (2-for-5, run) sparked Schaumburg to a 9-0 win over Gateway and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 conference series. Calarco, the indy league’s MVP for 2025, has eight RBIs in the postseason after plating 116 runs in the regular season. Former St. Andrew’s star Tolley hit a three-run bomb in the Boomers’ 11-6 win on Tuesday. Dallas Woolfolk, former UM pitcher, also plays for the Boomers. … The Arizona Fall League rosters for 2025 include several Mississippi connections: Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect, with Glendale; MSU alums Cade Smith (New York Yankees) with Mesa and David Mershon (Angels) with Salt River; Ole Miss product Derek Diamond (Pirates) with Salt River; and ex-Southern Miss pitcher Michael Fowler (Milwaukee) with Surprise. Luke Adams, current Biloxi Shuckers infielder and a top Brewers prospect, is also on the Surprise roster. Former Mississippi Braves star Nacho Alvarez, currently filling in for Austin Riley as Atlanta’s third baseman, is on the Glendale roster; he missed much of the minor league season with injury. The AFL season runs Oct. 6-Nov. 15.

08 Sep

closing time

The Beloit Snappers should have posted a Storm warning when they went to the eighth inning Sunday with a two-run lead over Peoria. Justin Storm, former Southern Miss and Madison Central standout, blew through seven Peoria batters for the last six outs and his ninth save in the 7-5 win in the High-Class A Midwest League. Since mid-July, the 6-foot-7 left-hander is 7-for-7 in save chances. He had an 0.82 ERA in August and has yet to allow a run in three September appearances. For the season, the third-year pro has a 3.21 ERA, two wins and four holds in 43 games. Storm was seventh-round pick by Miami after a sensational season at USM in 2023, when the Golden Eagles reached a Super Regional. In the preceding Auburn Regional, in an elimination game against Penn, Storm retired 17 of the 18 batters he faced — 10 via strikeout — after coming on in relief. He had a 2.36 ERA with seven wins and eight saves for the Eagles that season. His first full year in pro ball — 2024 — was a strong one, and he finished it in the Arizona Fall League. Back in High-A for a second year, Storm rode out some turbulence early on and has been a force the last two months.
There are several other Mississippians enjoying varying levels of success this season in short-relief and closing roles: Landon Sims, the closer on Mississippi State’s 2021 national title team, has become a key figure at the back end of the bullpen for Double-A Amarillo. The 34th overall pick by Arizona in 2022, Sims is 11-for-14 in save chances with four wins and a 3.60 ERA in 47 relief appearances. … Landon Tompkins, a Hinds Community College and Northwest Rankin alum in his third pro season, was 6-for-7 in save chances and notched 10 holds and six wins with a 2.47 ERA over 39 games at High-A Greensboro (Pittsburgh system). Promoted to Double-A Altoona in mid-August, he is 2-0 with two holds and a 3.38 in nine games. … Ole Miss alum and Oxford native Houston Roth, working at Triple-A Norfolk in the Baltimore chain, is 4-1 with three saves, four holds and a 2.48 ERA in 25 appearances. The Orioles called him up briefly in late July but didn’t get him in a game before shipping him back out. … Cam Schuelke (MSU) is 3-1 with three saves and a 3.47 ERA in 14 relief appearances for Low-A Lynchburg in the Cleveland system. … Brandon Johnson (Ole Miss) had an 0.79 ERA and seven saves at Double-A Northwest Arkansas before Kansas City bumped him up to Triple-A Omaha. His numbers there are less impressive: four wins, two holds and a save with a 6.65 in 33 games. … Michael Fowler (USM) has put up a 1.08 ERA with a save and a hold in nine games for Low-A Carolina since Milwaukee signed him off the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters’ roster. … Mason Nichols, drafted in the ninth round this summer out of Ole Miss, has not allowed a run in seven appearances for Tampa Bay’s Low-A Charleston team.

07 Sep

three stars

Brandon Wooduff: The ex-Mississippi State star from Wheeler threw six shutout innings (two hits, no walks, eight strikeouts) to pace Milwaukee to a 4-1 victory Saturday at Pittsburgh. Woodruff, coming off a couple of shaky outings, improved to 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts for the Brewers, now 88-55, best record in the big leagues.
Mason Nichols/Connor Hujsak: Former Ole Miss standout Nichols threw two scoreless innings (the eighth and ninth) for his first pro win and ex-MSU star Hujsak belted his seventh homer as co-stars in Low-Class A Charleston’s 2-1 victory at Hickory. Nichols, a 2025 draft pick by Tampa Bay, has a 0.00 ERA in seven games. Hujsak, a 2024 draftee, is batting .229 with 19 doubles, six triples, 51 RBIs and 54 runs in 98 games.
Konnor Griffin: The Jackson Prep product, the No. 1 prospect in the minors, returned from a day off to hit a home run, draw a walk and score twice for Double-A Altoona (Pittsburgh). Griffin has four homers in Double-A and 20 overall (with 90 RBIs) in his first pro season. Note: He was NOT hit by a pitch after getting drilled four times in the three previous games against Richmond.
P.S. Former Southern Miss catcher Chuckie Robinson was called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday and figures to be behind the plate today when the team — and Clayton Kershaw — takes on Baltimore. … Sad to hear of the passing of Davey Johnson, who longtime Jackson-area fans will remember as the manager of the 1981 Jackson Mets. Johnson took a team that wasn’t loaded with future MLB stars — Marvell Wynne, Mike Fitzgerald, Terry Leach, et al. — to the franchise’s first Texas League title in its seventh year at Smith-Wills Stadium. Five years after that ’81 run, Johnson guided the New York Mets — and a bunch of JaxMets alums — to the World Series crown. That Mets club played a memorable exhibition game at Smith-Wills prior to the season. Johnson also won two rings as a player with Baltimore.