Tag Archives: Mariners

22 Apr

the left stuff

Shopping for help for their bullpen, the Chicago Cubs have swung a trade for a 36-year-old, oft-injured ex-Ole Miss star who hasn’t pitched in a big league game in four years. Such is the allure of an experienced left-hander. Drew Pomeranz has been pitching at Triple-A in Seattle’s system; the Cubs got him for cash considerations and will send him to Triple-A Iowa. If or when he makes an appearance for the big Cubs, it’ll be his first in MLB since Aug. 10, 2021, when he was with San Diego. Pomeranz put up a 1.75 ERA as a reliever that season but has been hurt virtually ever since. If you’re scoring at home, make it 11 organizations in 16 years for Pomeranz, who was the fifth overall pick out of Ole Miss in 2010 by Cleveland. He has pitched in 389 MLB games, most of them as a reliever, which has been his sole role the past seven years. The 6-foot-5 Pomeranz has a 3.91 career ERA in the majors, made an All-Star Game in 2016 and won a ring with Boston in 2018. He had a 4.66 in nine appearances for Tacoma this year. The Cubs are 14-10, but their bullpen has been shaky. P.S. Hustle was a topic in Atlanta — yes, again — on Monday night. Austin Riley, the former DeSoto Central High standout, busted it down the first-base line in the eighth inning and beat out a routine grounder to shortstop. He later hustled home to score the game-tying run. The Braves scored four more times in the inning and held on to beat St. Louis 7-6. “You see Riley getting down the line and that got us going,” Mississippi Braves alum Michael Harris II said in an mlb.com story. M-Braves alum Riley also homered — his sixth — as the Braves (9-13) won their fourth straight.

21 Apr

remember them?

When you think of the many former Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers currently doing big things in the big leagues, the names Dylan Moore and Trent Grisham probably don’t come quickly to mind. Neither is the brightest of stars. But take a look: Quite a few years after they passed through Mississippi, both are among the most productive hitters on their current teams. Moore, the M-Braves’ regular shortstop in 2017, is batting .316 with five homers and five stolen bases in 19 games for Seattle. Grisham, who played for the Milwaukee-affiliated Shuckers in 2018-19, is hitting .320 with six homers and 13 RBIs over 20 games for the New York Yankees. And both have Gold Gloves on their resume. On Sunday, Moore — who can play any position — started at short and hit leadoff for Seattle, going 2-for-5 with a homer in the 12-10 Mariners’ win against Toronto. Grisham, playing center field, hit leadoff for the 14-8 Yankees and homered in a win against Tampa Bay. Moore, just a .207 hitter in Double-A Mississippi in 2017, played with Grisham in Biloxi for a time in 2018 and made the majors in 2019 with the Mariners. Grisham, a first-round pick by the Brewers in 2015, hit 20 homers over 170 games for the Double-A Shuckers and made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 2019. He spent four seasons in San Diego and joined the Yankees in 2024.

06 Apr

minor matters

A pair of 2024 first-round draftees with Mississippi connections strutted their potential on Saturday. Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher out of Mississippi State, threw four scoreless innings in his pro debut for High-Class A Everett (Seattle system), and Braden Montgomery, the Madison Central High alum drafted out Texas A&M, hit his first pro home run for Low-A Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox). Cijntje, 15th overall pick, faced 14 batters, pitching righty 11 times, lefty three times. He allowed just one hit (to a righty), two walks (both to lefties) and struck out six against Spokane (Colorado affiliate) in the Northwest League contest. Cijntje was 11-7 with a 5.25 ERA in two years at MSU but has much better stuff, from both arms, than those numbers would indicate. Montgomery, the 12th overall pick (by Boston), belted 62 homers in three college seasons, 27 in 2024 at A&M. A broken ankle delayed his pro debut to 2025, and in his second game in the Carolina League, the switch-hitting slugger went yard. A Gatorade player of the year while at Madison Central, he is off to a 2-for-8 start with four RBIs and a stolen base for Kannapolis. … In a High-A Midwest League game of some local interest, former Mississippi State standout Brooks Auger faced ex-Ole Miss star Dylan DeLucia, with Auger and the Great Lakes Loons beating Lake County 6-1. Auger, who famously shut down Ole Miss in that dramatic SEC Tournament game last year, went 5 2/3, allowing one unearned run in his pro debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a sixth-round pick last summer. DeLucia, a hero on UM’s national title team in 2022, yielded four runs in three innings and took the loss. A sixth-rounder by Cleveland in ’22, he has been limited by injuries to 14 pro games. P.S. In MLB on Saturday, Brent Rooker, ex-MSU star, hit his fourth homer of the season, helping the A’s set a franchise record. The team has homered in its first nine games for the first time. The A’s won 7-4 at Colorado to improve to 4-5.

28 Mar

leading the pack

Heading into play today, No. 2-ranked Pearl River Community College still leads the MACCC standings at 7-1 after a sweep of Hinds CC on Wednesday. PRCC’s Jacob Johnson (6-1) leads the league in ERA with a 1.26, and Carson Fair is tops in saves with six. … The league’s most dominant pitcher to date has been Jud Files of Itawamba. He is 7-1, tied for the MACCC lead in wins, with a 2.76 ERA and a league-best 73 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings. Files, a freshman, is a 6-foot-2 right-hander from Mooreville who originally signed with Mississippi State before transferring. ICC visits Copiah-Lincoln today for a twinbill which might pit Files against the Wolves’ Jennings Kimbrell, also 7-1 with a 2.54. Files’ teammate Evan McCarthy leads the conference in hitting with a .410 average for the Indians (18-12, 5-5). Co-Lin’s Tucker Jones has 24 steals, a league-high. … Resurgent Gulf Coast, 24-10 and 6-2 under first-year coach Zach Allen, features the league home run leader in Dom Jackson, who has 10. The Bulldogs host No. 23 Northeast (7-3 in the league, tied for third) today. … Barret Rodgers of fourth-ranked East Central (25-7, 7-3) tops the loop in RBIs with 35; he is batting .392 with seven homers. … Sixth-ranked Jones College is also 7-3 in the MACCC, and Meridian sits sixth at 6-4. P.S. Kudos to Ole Miss’ Hunter Elliott, who is tied for the SEC lead in wins after beating Florida 7-5 on Thursday night. The lefty from Tupelo, coming back from two seasons lost to injury, went 5 2/3 innings against the Gators, allowing three runs on a home run in the third inning. “One of the reasons he’s so good, he gets better … he answers the bell,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said in a postgame interview. Elliott hung up zeroes in the fourth and fifth and got the first two outs in the sixth while the Rebels (20-5, 5-2 SEC) were surging ahead for their fifth straight win. Elliott, 5-0 in seven starts, has a 3.12 ERA and 47 strikeouts — seven on Thursday — in 34 2/3 innings. … UM alum Drew Pomeranz, the veteran left-hander, has re-signed with Seattle on a minor league deal. He hasn’t pitched in the majors in four years.

15 Mar

special delivery

There was nothing particularly eye-catching about the pitching line in the box score: 2 innings, 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts. But on the field in Goodyear, Ariz., on Friday night, it was a captivating outing by Jurrangelo Cijntje, the former Mississippi State standout whose switch-pitching abilities have garnered a lot of attention. Appearing in his first actual pro game — a Spring Breakout contest for Seattle prospects against Cleveland’s — Cijntje pitched lefty against lefty-hitting Travis Bazzana — first overall draft pick last summer — and retired him on a grounder on his first pitch. “There was a lot of adrenaline,” Cijntje said in an mlb.com article. “I couldn’t even control my body, but I fought through it.” He pitched righty the rest of the way, striking out Bazzana on a 97-mph heater to conclude his 40-pitch appearance. “That’s something special,” Bazzana said in the mlb.com story. “I think he’s got a bright future, and it was cool to battle.” Cijntje, a native of The Netherlands who pitched in Florida as a high-schooler, was the 15th overall pick by Seattle last year after going 8-2 with a 3.67 ERA at MSU. According to reports, Seattle plans to develop him as a right-handed starter who’ll go lefty in certain situations. He figures to start the upcoming season in Low-Class A at Modesto (Calif.). P.S. The Chicago Cubs reportedly are considering signing Lance Lynn, the grizzled veteran out of Ole Miss. Lynn, 37, is 143-99 in an MLB career that began in 2011; he went 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA for St. Louis in 2024. … Ex-Ole Miss star Grae Kessinger, batting .294 this spring, has been optioned to Triple-A by Arizona. Kessinger, who has some big league time, was acquired by the Diamondbacks in a trade after Houston designated the infielder for assignment in December. … MLB The Show 25, the popular video game, has added Starkville native Cool Papa Bell and Mississippi prep products Konnor Griffin and Braden Montgomery to the list of available player cards. Hall of Famer Bell is one of the new Legends — along with former Jackson Generals stars Lance Berkman and Bobby Abreu — and rookie pros Griffin (Jackson Prep) and Montgomery (Madison Central) are part of the Spring Breakout Series.

18 Dec

transaction watch

Former Southern Miss standout Chuckie Robinson, who finished last season on the Chicago White Sox’s roster, has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for cash. Robinson, 30, originally drafted by Cincinnati in 2016, has played in 51 big league games over two seasons, hitting .129 in 26 games for the lowly White Sox in 2024. He has a .257 minor league average. Regarded as a good defensive catcher, Robinson helped USM win a C-USA title in 2016. (The ChiSox needed to create a 40-man roster spot after signing former Mississippi Braves pitcher Bryse Wilson as a free agent.) … In other recent transactions: Washington signed Mississippi State alum Konnor Pilkington, who has some MLB experience, to a minor league contract. … Seattle signed MLB veteran and Ole Miss product Drew Pomeranz to a minor league deal; the lefty with a 3.91 career ERA last pitched in the majors in 2021. … San Francisco re-signed ex-MSU star Ethan Small to a minor league deal after he was non-tendered last month. Small made four big league appearances with Milwaukee in 2022-23. … Colorado released ex-State slugger Brad Cumbest, a 2022 draftee who hit .173 in the minors. … Starkville native Julio Borbon, an ex-MLB outfielder, has been named Milwaukee’s first-base coach. P.S. On this date in 2021, former Mississippi State star Buck Showalter was hired to manage the New York Mets. It was his fifth major league managerial job — and proved to be his shortest stint. He won manager of the year honors — for the fourth time — in 2022 but was surprisingly fired at the end of the next season when the team had a losing record. He has a career record of 1,727-1,665.

15 Jul

the road ahead

There have been a handful of highly touted Mississippi high school players picked in the first round of the MLB draft over the years. Jackson Prep alum Konnor Griffin — named the national player of the year by both Baseball America and Gatorade — is the latest, the ninth overall pick by Pittsburgh, the first high school player off the board in 2024. MLB Pipeline hails Griffin’s five-tool potential and notes that “his makeup is as impressive as his physical ability.” Baseball America rates Griffin as the best athlete among the prep draft class. Still, projecting pro success for high school kids is difficult. There are no sure things. Of all the high school players ever picked out of Mississippi in the first round, only three reached the big leagues, and only one of those enjoyed any real success. Yes, pro baseball is hard.

Way back in 1969, Ted Nicholson (pictured) of Oak Park in Laurel was drafted third overall — behind Jeff Burroughs and J.R. Richard — by the Chicago White Sox. He didn’t get out of A-ball in a brief pro career interrupted by military duty. In 1993, Kirk Presley, a dominant pitcher at Tupelo High, went eighth overall to the New York Mets. Injuries ended his career in A-ball. It happens. Quite often. Three high schoolers who did make the majors are Donny Castle, the eighth pick out of Coldwater in 1968 by Washington; Steve Pegues, drafted 21st out of Pontotoc in 1987 by Detroit; and Austin Riley, technically a supplemental first-rounder at No. 41 in 2015 out of DeSoto Central by Atlanta. Riley is a success story, an example that it can be done. He has been an All-Star and an All-MLB pick, claimed two Silver Sluggers and won a World Series. Castle reached the majors in 1973, getting 13 at-bats for Texas. It took Pegues seven years to reach the big leagues, and he lasted just 100 games, batting .266 over two MLB seasons. Again, pro baseball is hard. Blake Anderson, Ryan Bolden, Donnie Bridges, D.J. Davis, Wendell Fairley and Sam Hence — all terrific high school players — were first-round (or supplemental first-round) picks from the ‘Sip in recent years. None completed the journey to the majors. J.T. Ginn was the 30th overall pick from Brandon High in 2018 but didn’t sign. He went to Mississippi State for two years, got hurt, got drafted again (second round) and is now in Triple-A with Oakland, no longer a top prospect. Griffin, assuming he takes the pro money over his commitment to LSU, will likely start his journey in rookie ball, the first of the five minor league levels. It’s a long, hard road to The Show, even for special talents like Griffin. P.S. Braden Montgomery, a Madison Central High alum who played at Texas A&M this season, was chosen 12th overall by Boston, and Mississippi State product Jurrangelo Cijntje went 15th to Seattle. MSU’s Dakota Jordan, a Jackson Academy alum, was projected as a first-rounder but was not among the 39 Round 1 draftees.

29 Sep

building blocks

The 2023 phase of Baltimore’s long-term rebuild, which culminated Thursday night in a division title, included the off-season signing of free agent Adam Frazier and the late June call-up of rookie Jordan Westburg. The two Mississippi State alumni made solid contributions as the Orioles, predicted to finish near the bottom of the American League East, won their first division title since 2014 — back in the Buck Showalter era — by beating Boston 2-0 at Camden Yards. The young Orioles also clinched home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Westburg, a 2020 first-round pick who started at second base Thursday, is batting .259 with 21 extra-base hits, 23 RBIs and 25 runs in 65 games. He was raking in Triple-A when the O’s brought him up. Frazier, an eight-year veteran signed for $8 million for 2023, pinch hit for Westburg in the eighth inning, walked and scored the big second run. The lefty-hitting Frazier is hitting .242 with 13 homers, 60 RBIs, 59 runs and 11 steals in 138 games. Both also made numerous highlight-reel plays on defense at various positions. Two years after losing 100 games, the Orioles celebrated their 100th win in a raucous clubhouse Thursday. “Pretty damn awesome,” Frazier said in an mlb.com article. P.S. In Atlanta, the Braves whipped the Chicago Cubs for the third straight night and clinched home field through the World Series, should they get there. Ex-DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley went 3-for-4 — single, double and triple — and scored three times in the Braves’ 5-3 win. Now hitting .282, Riley has 116 runs, third on the team and fifth in the National League. The fading Cubs, in a 6-13 skid, fell to fourth in the NL wild card standings, a half-game behind Miami; the Marlins’ game against the New York Mets was suspended (until Monday?) with Miami leading 2-1 in the ninth. … In the AL West, where nothing is settled, third-place Seattle walked off division-leader Texas 3-2 on a clutch knock by J.P. Crawford; Mississippi Braves alum Dylan Moore scored the winning run in the ninth. The Mariners are 3 games back of the Rangers in the division and 1 game back of Houston in both the division and the AL wild card race. The Astros are third in the wild card standings — a game back of Toronto — and will throw J.P. France (11-6, 3.83), the rookie out of MSU, in tonight’s game at Arizona, which will start Cy Young candidate Zac Gallen (17-8, 3.49). The Diamondbacks are second in the NL wild card standings, just ahead of the Marlins and Cubs. … A pair of former first-round draftees out of MSU faced off — sorta — in the inconsequential St. Louis-Milwaukee game. Ethan Small (28th overall pick, 2019) notched his first MLB save in his fourth appearance over two years as the playoff-bound Brewers beat the also-ran Cardinals 3-0. St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson (34th overall, 2016) allowed all three runs in five innings of work to fall to 6-3, 4.98, this season.

15 Dec

veteran presence

The Baltimore Orioles, a young team seemingly on the rise in the rugged American League East, have added a versatile veteran to their roster for 2023, signing former Mississippi State standout Adam Frazier. Frazier, 31 and a seven-year big leaguer, reportedly has agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract as a free agent. A left-handed hitter, he batted .238 with three homers, 42 RBIs and 11 steals in a down year with Seattle in 2022. While primarily working at second base, he played five different positions and may be headed for a utility role with his new club. The O’s currently list Ramon Urias as their starting second baseman. Frazier, 5 feet 10, 181 pounds, is a .273 career hitter who has popped as many as 10 homers in a season. He was an All-Star with Pittsburgh in 2021. Baltimore went 83-79 in 2022 — a huge turnaround from the year before — and finished fourth in the AL East behind three playoff teams. P.S. Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn has pledged to play for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic next March. The veteran right-hander, 35, went 8-7 for the Chicago White Sox in 2022. Teammate Tim Anderson, an East Central Community College alum, also is expected to play for the U.S. … Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and ex-Southern Miss pitcher Hurston Waldrep, now at Florida, are ranked Nos. 5 and 10, respectively, on MLB Pipeline’s new list of the Top 100 MLB draft prospects for 2023. Magnolia Heights shortstop Cooper Pratt is No. 31, USM pitcher Tanner Hall, the 2022 Ferriss Trophy winner, is No. 89 and Oxford High catcher Campbell Smithwick No. 92.

12 Oct

range of emotions

The New York Yankees — and their fans — may be laughing about it now, having won Game 1 of the American League Division Series against Cleveland. But what happened in the bottom of the fifth inning Tuesday night with the score tied was cringe-worthy. First base coaches generally work in anonymity, but Travis Chapman, the ex-Mississippi State standout who handles that job for the Yankees, became a co-star in a moment that could have ranked as an all-time gaffe. Josh Donaldson thought he hit a home run and broke into a trot out of the box. Chapman also thought the ball was gone into the right-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium. He slapped hands with Donaldson as he approached the bag. But the ball hit the top of the wall and bounced back into play. Donaldson was cut down diving back into first. He saved face only because the Yankees won the game 4-1. … There had to be some disappointment for Southern Miss product Kirk McCarty, who was on the Guardians’ active roster for the Wild Card Series but was taken off before Tuesday’s game, joining the injured Nick Sandlin, another former Golden Eagles pitcher, on the sidelines. … There were a lot of frowns in Atlanta after the Braves’ 7-6 loss to Philadelphia, most notably on the faces of former Mississippi Braves Austin Riley (0-for-4, three strikeouts), Max Fried (six runs and a costly error in 3 1/3 innings), Dansby Swanson (1-for-5, four K’s) and Michael Harris II (0-for-4). Game 2 of the National League Division Series is today, with M-Braves alum and 21-game winner Kyle Wright starting for the Braves. … Ecstatic might best describe how former M-Braves pitcher Evan Phillips felt after escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth inning, preserving Los Angeles’ two-run lead vs. San Diego. Phillips, an extremely effective reliever (7-2, 1.14 ERA, two saves) for the Dodgers this season, got a punchout and a double-play ball to register the hold. The Dodgers held on to win 5-3. … Crushed might best describe how ex-State star Adam Frazier felt in the ninth inning as he watched Yordan Alvarez’s three-run moon shot sail into the right-field seats at Minute Maid Park, delivering Houston an 8-7 win against Seattle. Frazier, the Mariners second baseman, went 1-for-4 with a run as his club built a 7-3 lead through seven innings. P.S. Mississippi native Lance Barksdale is part of the umpiring crew for the Dodgers-Padres series. He was in left field Tuesday.