Tag Archives: Diamondbacks

19 Jul

going coastal

First impression of MGM Park in Biloxi: intimate. Listed seating capacity of the new ballpark is 5,000, and each one is relatively close to the field. (On the downside, the park offers very little cover from the rain or sun.) The power alley distances are marked as 350 feet, which would seem to be a hitter’s dream. But on this particular night, when the air was heavy from a pregame storm, none of the 23 hits mustered by the Shuckers and visiting Chattanooga Lookouts came close to leaving the yard. The stadium backdrop is unique. The Beau Rivage towers above the center-field wall and dominates the view. MGM owns the Beau, and Shuckers ads and paraphernalia are everywhere in the Casino & Hotel. Construction is ongoing at the park, which is obvious. Lots of orange barrels, cones and tape. An announced crowd of 4,482 turned out for this Friday night game despite a 1-hour, 41-minute rain delay. (Yes, there were postgame fireworks.) The product they’re seeing on the field is a good one. The parent Milwaukee Brewers stacked the Double-A club with prospects, and the Shuckers won the first-half title in the SL South despite playing mostly road games. (MGM Park opened June 6.) They lost on this particular night, 6-5, but had the winning run on second base in the ninth. Shortstop Orlando Arcia, who’ll be in the big leagues soon, went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, and center fielder Michael Reed shined on defense, throwing out two runners. One of Chattanooga’s stars was former Ole Miss player Stuart Turner, who had three of the team’s 14 hits. In sum: Nice park, good game, fun time. P.S. Continuing on a Coastal theme, former Vancleave High standout Colin Bray is on a tear at Class A Kane County in the Arizona system. The switch-hitting outfielder, in his third pro season, is batting .296 with 15 doubles, 30 RBIs and 15 steals. He won Midwest League player of the week honors for July 6-12. And ex-George County High star Justin Steele, a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in five starts at short-season Class A Eugene.

18 Sep

photo finish ahead?

Still think Billy Hamilton will win the National League Rookie of the Year award. But it has become a competitive race. Jacob DeGrom, David Peralta and perhaps even Yangervis Solarte may garner support from voters down the stretch. Former Taylorsville High star Hamilton, Cincinnati’s leadoff batter and center fielder, has 56 stolen bases. That’s his eye-grabbing number. He has also hit a surprising six home runs, scored 72 times and driven in 48 runs in 147 games. Plus, he’s played great defense. But a September swoon (.146) has pulled his batting average down to .256, and his on-base percentage is a weak .298. He also has been caught stealing 23 times. DeGrom has surged of late and has posted an 8-6 record with a 2.68 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings for the New York Mets. Playing in the Big Apple also helps the shaggy-haired right-hander. Peralta, an outfielder for Arizona, is batting .293 (.326 OBP) with seven homers, 34 RBIs, 38 runs and nine triples. And then there’s Solarte, San Diego’s third baseman, who is batting .263 with 10 homers, 48 RBIs and 53 runs. Hamilton may need to lean hard at the tape to pull this win out.

15 Jul

trend spotting

In 1994, Buck Showalter won the American League manager of the year award with the New York Yankees. In 2004, the former Mississippi State standout won the award again with the Texas Rangers. So now it’s 2014, and at the All-Star break, Showalter has his Baltimore Orioles in first place in the AL East, defying preseason predictions that had the O’s finishing closer to the bottom in a strong division. Could another manager of the year award be in the offing? The Orioles have a nice array of hitters — Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Nick Markakis, Manny Machado, et al. — but could use some pitching help, especially if they hope to make any noise in October. What Showalter surely would like more than a managerial award is to make the postseason — and then make a playoff run. Despite a .517 winning percentage over 16 seasons as an MLB skipper, Showalter, 58, has made just three playoff appearances (1995 Yankees, ’99 Arizona Diamondbacks and ’12 Orioles) and never seen his club get past the division series. That’s a trend he’d like to buck. His best team might have been the ’94 Yankees, who were 70-43 when the season was halted by the players’ strike. The core of that team won the World Series in 1996, but Showalter had moved on by that time, fired after the ’95 season. He was also canned in Texas in 2005, one year after winning the managerial award there. Showalter is in his fifth season in Baltimore, which is longer than he stayed at any of his previous three stops. Maybe this is his team and this is his time. P.S. Zack Cozart isn’t hitting much for Cincinnati. The Ole Miss product is batting .233 with two homers, 22 RBIs and 30 runs in 90 games. But the reason the playoff-hungry Reds keep him in the lineup can be seen in another set of numbers. Cozart, in his third season as Cincy’s shortstop, has a .982 fielding percentage (seven errors in 393 chances) and leads all National League shortstops with a 2.2 Defensive Wins Above Replacement rating. Former Mississippi Braves star Andrelton Simmons, by comparison, has a 1.4 DWAR for Atlanta.

10 Jul

summit meeting

Even though there are 50 games left in the Southern League season, the next five may be bigger than most for the Mississippi Braves. The M-Braves, 12-8 and running second in the SL South, play host to first-place Mobile (13-7) in a five-game series at Trustmark Park that begins tonight. Mobile, an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate, won the first half in the division. The BayBears lead the league in ERA (3.13) and runs (433), a pretty good combination. The M-Braves, however, are right on their heels. They actually have a better team batting average (a league-best .269) to go with a 3.59 ERA (third) and 397 runs (fourth). Bottom line: This ought to be a whale of a series. Even with the recent loss to injury of slugger Seth Loman (11 homers, 53 RBIs), the M-Braves can trot out a pretty impressive lineup; they’ve got nine players batting .271 or better. Recent newcomers Kyle Wren (.368) and Daniel Castro (.355) have adjusted quite well to Double-A pitching. Jose Peraza is clipping along with a .342 average, and Cedric Hunter is at .319 with nine homers and 47 RBIs. Jake Lamb, a prospect at third base, leads Mobile with a .314 average, 13 bombs and 68 RBIs. Jason Hursh (6-6, 4.08) takes the bump for Mississippi in the opener (7 p.m.), facing A.J. Schugel (4-1, 3.81).

29 Nov

hitting the market

Left-handed relievers always seem to be in demand, so it’s likely that Tony Sipp will find a big league job for 2014 without much difficulty. The Pascagoula native and former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star has declared himself a free agent; he had been designated for assignment by Arizona. Sipp, 30, didn’t pitch well in his one season with the Diamondbacks. He posted a 4.78 ERA — almost a run higher than his career average (3.84) — in 37 2/3 innings and walked 22 batters, hit three more and yielded six homers. The D’backs even sent him to the minors for a while. Sipp had four solid years with Cleveland before the Indians traded him last off-season, so perhaps 2013 was an aberration. A hard thrower (9.3 strikeouts per nine innings for his career), Sipp is not a closer (two career saves in eight chances) but still has value as a lefty specialist. He’ll land somewhere.