Tag Archives: Brewers

29 Jul

trade breeze

A pair of former Mississippi college standouts will trade places today in a deal that will soon be overshadowed when the trade winds pick up in MLB. Tampa Bay, in need of a defensive-minded catcher, is acquiring former Ole Miss star Nick Fortes from Miami, sending ex-Southern Miss star Matthew Etzel, a third-year minor league outfielder, to the Marlins. The Rays are 54-53 after beating the New York Yankees on Monday and are hanging on the fringe of the American League wild card race. Fortes, in his fifth big league season, was batting .240 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 59 games as a part-timer for Miami. He’ll join a Rays team that includes Mississippi State alum Jake Mangum and share catching duties with Matt Thaiss, a .219 hitter. Etzel is currently on the injured list at Double-A Montgomery. He is batting .230 with five homers, 34 RBIs and 17 steals. Originally drafted by Baltimore in 2023 and traded last summer, the speedy Etzel is a .267 career hitter with 83 steals. He’ll likely go to Double-A Pensacola and join a club that includes Ole Miss product Kemp Alderman. P.S. Former Mississippi Braves star Michael Harris II, in the throes of a tough offensive year, was named the National League player of the week. He batted .478 with six extra-base hits, including two homers and two triples, last week. … A host of former Biloxi Shuckers started for Milwaukee on Monday in an 8-4 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs that moved the Brewers a game up in the NL Central. Shuckers alum Sal Frelick, batting leadoff, went 2-for-4 with a walk, a homer and two runs as the Brewers overcame a ragged start by ex-Shuckers star Jacob Misiorowski. … Former Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin, currently in High-Class A for Pittsburgh, is now Baseball America’s No. 1 overall prospect; MLB Pipeline previously ranked Griffin No. 1.

28 Jul

present arms

In his second outing since moving back into the A’s rotation, J.T. Ginn looks like he has staying power. The Brandon native threw six shutout innings Sunday as the last-place A’s beat first-place (but injury-riddled) Houston 7-1 to complete a four-game sweep at Daikin Park. In his previous start, the 26-year-old right-hander worked five innings and yielded a lone run at Texas. His last start prior to that was on May 19 before going on the injured list for a month. “Once you get back into that groove, normally it’s pretty easy,” Ginn said in a TV interview about the transition back to starting. The ex-Mississippi State star is now 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA over 13 games, six starts. … In his fourth start since returning from a year on the shelf, Brandon Woodruff allowed two runs in six innings and got a no-decision in Milwaukee’s 3-2 comeback win against Miami. Woodruff, the former State standout from Wheeler, is 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 29 strikeouts in four starts for the first-place Brewers. … Atlanta, its rotation decimated by injuries, reportedly will call up Southern Miss alum Hurston Waldrep, possibly to start on Tuesday at Kansas City. Waldrep, who starred at USM in 2021-22, is 6-8 with a 4.78 at Triple-A Gwinnett but has a 2.43 ERA over his last six starts. The former first-round pick (from Florida) and Mississippi Braves alum debuted in the majors last year but has yet to appear in 2025. … MSU product J.P. France allowed three runs in two innings Sunday in a rehab appearance at Corpus Christi, Houston’s Double-A club. France, an 11-game winner for the Astros in 2023, has been out since early last season. … Ex-Madison Central High standout Spencer Turnbull, recently signed by the Chicago Cubs, made a start for Triple-A Iowa and was rocked for six runs in three innings. He allowed nine hits, walked one and hit a batter. Turnbull was released in late June by Toronto after three appearances (7.11 ERA).

25 Jul

reshuffling the deck

The jump to No. 1 overall prospect by Konnor Griffin was the lead story Thursday out of MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings. For the Mississippi baseball aficionado, one of the more interesting sidebars was the return of Blaze Jordan to Boston’s Top 30 list. The former DeSoto Central High star and state Gatorade player of the year is ranked No. 17 on the Red Sox’s chart. Once ranked as high as No. 6 in the system, Jordan, still only 22, had dropped from the Top 30 in the off-season. His return is testament to the big year he has having. Currently at Triple-A Worcester, he is batting .288 with five homers and 22 RBIs. The corner infielder — 6 feet, 220 pounds — has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games. Overall in 2025, including time in Double-A, Jordan is at .304 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. He may be rediscovering the power tool that made him a third-round draft pick in 2020. From the MLB Pipeline scouting report: “He’s making a higher quality of contact this year by being more judicious about what pitches he offers at, giving hope that he could turn into a .250 hitter with 20 homers annually at the big league level.” P.S. Milwaukee’s potent Top 30 list includes three Mississippi products: No. 4 Cooper Pratt, No. 20 Tyson Hardin and No. 26 K.C. Hunt. All are currently at Double-A Biloxi. … Griffin, the former Jackson Prep standout, put up a four-hit game and stole two bases for High-Class A Greensboro on Thursday; he is batting .331 overall with 13 homers and 44 bags in Pittsburgh’s system. … Southern Miss alum Chuckie Robinson had a four-hit game for Triple-A Oklahoma City (Los Angeles Dodgers); the veteran catcher, who has nine hits in his last three games, raised his average to .266. … Adam Chamblee has been named the new coach at Holmes Community College. The Winona native, who played at West Alabama, previously was head coach at Copiah-Lincoln CC.

22 Jul

names to know

Brandon Woodruff: The Mississippi State product from Wheeler threw six commanding innings for Milwaukee on Monday, driving the Brewers to a 6-0 win at Seattle. Milwaukee has won 11 straight, taken over first place in the National League Central and claimed the best record in the majors (60-40). In his third start since coming off the injured list, Woodruff (2-0) limited the Mariners to two hits, walked none and struck out five. He has a 1.65 ERA on the season with 23 K’s and no walks in 16 1/3 innings.
Reed Trimble: The ex-Southern Miss star from Tupelo takes a 20-game on-base streak into Double-A Chesapeake’s contest tonight at Altoona. He was batting .119 when his streak began; he is hitting .283 in July and .211 with seven homers and 10 steals overall for the Baysox, a Baltimore affiliate. The 65th overall pick in the 2021 draft, the 25-year-old outfielder has battled injuries ever since.
J.B. Middleton: The 2025 draftee out of USM reportedly has signed with Colorado for $2.07 million. A first-team All-America selection and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner, he was the 45th overall pick, the highest any Golden Eagles pitcher has ever been picked. Middleton is the third player drafted on Day 1 this year from a Mississippi school confirmed to have signed, joining JoJo Parker and Jake Cook.
Banks Tolley: The former St. Andrew’s standout from Madison is one of the leading hitters for Schaumburg, which hosts the Mississippi Mud Monsters tonight to start a Frontier League series. Tolley is hitting .318 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in 44 games for the independent club. He led St. Andrews to a state title in 2018, starred at Meridian Community College for two years, played a reserve role on Ole Miss’ 2022 national title team and got All-America recognition at Appalachian State in 2024.

21 Jul

fit to be tied

The Cubs went down in Chicago, Milwaukee rose up in Los Angeles and suddenly there’s a tie at the top of the National League Central. Not long after former Ocean Springs High star Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cubs 6-1 Sunday at Wrigley Field, ex-Biloxi Shuckers standout Isaac Collins knocked in the go-ahead runs for the Brewers in a 6-5 win at Dodger Stadium. With its 10th straight win, Milwaukee (59-40) has caught the Cubs, who have gone 6-4 during the Brewers’ impressive run. The pitching-rich Brewers will send former Wheeler High and Mississippi State star Brandon Woodruff to the bump today at Seattle. In two games since his return from shoulder surgery — and a season-plus on the shelf — Woodruff is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. He’s 47-26, 3.09, for his MLB career, all with the Brewers. In Sunday’s win, the Brewers overcame an early 3-0 deficit against Clayton Kershaw and ultimately took the lead in a three-run sixth, fueled by a two-out knock by Collins, who’s among a bundle of former Shuckers on the Brewers’ roster. The rookie outfielder, who played in Biloxi in 2023, is batting .268 with six homers and 26 RBIs. Earlier Sunday, Red Sox ace Crochet threw six innings of one-run ball against the Cubs and got the win — he is 11-4, 2.19 — as Boston scored a combined six times in the seventh and eighth. Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz, who has been so good for the Cubs, surrendered a three-run bomb to Alex Bregman in the Red Sox’s pivotal four-run eighth. P.S. Matt Wallner, Southern Miss alum, crushed his 40th career homer — 11th of 2025 — for Minnesota in a win on Sunday. Wallner is batting just .205 but slugging .454 (with nine doubles and two triples). … Ex-USM standout Chuckie Robinson doesn’t always play for Triple-A Oklahoma City, but when he does … . The veteran catcher and ex-big leaguer is 5-for-8 with four RBIs in the last two games, both wins for the Dodgers affiliate. Robinson, a waiver claim from the Angels back in May, is hitting .251 with three homers and 33 RBIs on the year. He has played in just 22 games for the Comets, 59-37 overall in 2025.

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.

09 Jul

mission(s) accomplished

Small matter first: Will Warren kept Cal Raleigh in the yard on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Big picture: Jackson Prep product Warren bounced back from a rough start last week to throw 5 2/3 shutout innings for New York in a 10-3 win against Seattle. It was the Yankees’ second straight win after six straight losses, including four in Toronto last week. Warren, rookie right-hander, gave up eight runs in four innings in one of those losses. “I would like to say that I flushed it right away, but I think you take every outing and learn from it — good or bad,” he said in an mlb.com story. “He was filling up the strike zone, which was good to see,” manager Aaron Boone said. Warren is now 6-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 19 starts (and 3-1 over his last seven appearances). He allowed just four hits and two walks against Seattle, which came in with a 48-42 record, led by the All-Star masher Raleigh. “The Big Dumper” bounced out twice and walked against Warren before hitting his 36th homer later in the game when the Yanks were comfortably ahead. New York (50-41) remains 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays — who won their 10th straight on Tuesday — in the American League East. P.S. Milwaukee rookie Jacob Misiorowski, former Biloxi Shuckers ace, beat the Los Angeles Dodgers (and Clayton Kershaw), fanning 12 in six innings in the 3-1 victory. “The Miz” is 4-1, 2.81, in five starts. … Ex-Biloxi High standout Colt Keith homered for the second straight day for Detroit, a go-ahead shot that helped the Tigers beat Tampa Bay 4-2 for their fifth straight win. Keith has eight homers on the year. … Arizona has sent Mississippi State alum Kendall Graveman on a rehab assignment in rookie ball. … Toronto put former Southern Miss star Nick Sandlin on the injured list with an elbow issue.

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.

02 Jul

who’s no. 1?

Fun facts: Raise a foam finger for the Detroit Tigers, ranked No. 1 again this week, a spot they’ve occupied for several weeks in the USA Today/Sports Weekly poll. Granted, an MLB poll doesn’t seem as significant as college football and basketball polls, but it does say something about the national perception of the 30 teams. And the Tigers, at 54-32 after an 11-2 win over Washington in Game 1 of a Wednesday doubleheader, do have the best record in the majors and a huge division lead. They also have a prominent Mississippian on their roster: Colt Keith, the former Biloxi High star now in his second big league campaign. After a 3-for-5 effort Wednesday from the leadoff spot, Keith is batting .254 with six homers, 13 doubles, 25 RBIs and 36 runs. It’s interesting to note that four of the top seven in the latest Sports Weekly poll have a Mississippi product on their active roster. (It’s also interesting, if that’s the right word, that seven of the bottom nine in the latest poll also deploy a Mississippian.) The No. 4 team is the Chicago Cubs (50-35 entering play Wednesday), who feature former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz in their bullpen. The veteran lefty has not allowed an earned run in 25 appearances since he was acquired from Seattle. At No. 6 is the New York Yankees (48-37), who will trot out Jackson Prep product Will Warren (5-4, 4.37 ERA) in a big game Wednesday night against Toronto, 12th in the poll but just a game back of New York in the American League East. No. 7 is Tampa Bay, which improved to 48-39 with a 6-5 win against Oakland on Wednesday; former Mississippi State star Jake Mangum hit his second homer in that game and is batting .313 as a rookie. … Ranked ninth is Milwaukee, 48-37 after beating the New York Mets 7-2 in the first of two games Wednesday. The Brewers have penciled in ex-MSU standout Brandon Woodruff for his 2025 debut on Sunday; he is 46-26, 3.10, for his career but has been shelved (arm surgery) since September of 2023. For the record, third-ranked Houston (51-34 entering play Wednesday) has MSU alum J.P. France on the injured list but working his way back to active duty, which should come sometime after the All-Star break. … At the bottom of the poll is Colorado, 19-66 and threatening to post the worst record in modern MLB history, breaking the lowly mark set just last year by the Chicago White Sox. Former Ole Miss standout Ryan Rolison is a 27-year-old rookie pitcher for the Rockies, and he has a 7.78 ERA in 16 games, fitting right in on a struggling staff. Ocean Springs native Garrett Crochet had the misfortune to pitch for the moribund ChiSox last year but has since escaped (via off-season trade) to Boston.