Tag Archives: minor league baseball

30 Sep

just rewards

Konnor Griffin reeled in another player of the year honor on Monday, earning the Minor League Baseball Hitting Prospect of the Year Award from mlb.com. Former Jackson Prep star Griffin, the overall No. 1-ranked prospect, also won Baseball America’s POY award. (And, of course, he was the Gatorade state and national player of the year in high school in 2024.) In his first season in the Pittsburgh system, Griffin batted .333 with 21 homers, 65 steals and a .941 OPS across three levels, reaching Double-A. MLB Pipeline called his performance “the most impressive professional debut in recent memory.” He also was named the shortstop on the Prospect Team of the Year. Former Mississippi Braves reliever Hayden Harris, who reached the majors with Atlanta, was a pegged as a first-team pitcher on that squad, and Jesus Made, who played for Biloxi this season, was the second-team shortstop. … Griffin is an obvious choice for the all-Mississippi minor league All-Star team for 2025. Here’s the rest (with their organization):
Catcher: Chuckie Robinson* (Southern Miss), Los Angeles Angels/Dodgers/Atlanta
First base: Tim Elko* (Ole Miss), Chicago White Sox
Second base: Justin Foscue* (Mississippi State), Texas
Shortstop: Griffin
Third base: Blaze Jordan (DeSoto Central HS), Boston/St. Louis
Outfield:
Kemp Alderman (UM), Miami
Matthew Etzel (USM) Tampa Bay/Miami
Braden Montgomery (Madison Central HS), White Sox
DH: Blaine Crim* (Mississippi College), Texas/Colorado
Starting pitchers:
Khal Stephen (MSU), Toronto/Cleveland
Hurston Waldrep* (USM), Atlanta
Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU), Seattle
K.C. Hunt (MSU), Milwaukee
Relievers:
Landon Sims (MSU), Arizona
Landon Tompkins (Hinds Community College), Pittsburgh
Justin Storm (USM), Miami
*Played in the big leagues
P.S. Marcus Thames, the Louisville native and ex-big leaguer, won’t be retained as hitting coach by the Chicago White Sox. The veteran coach had been in that post for two years, both of which saw the ChiSox lose 100 games. … Eric Booth Jr. of Oak Grove High and Kevin Roberts Jr. of Jackson Prep are ranked No. 7 and No. 12 on MLB Pipeline’s new list of the top 20 prep players in the 2026 MLB draft. Outfielder Booth, son of the former Southern Miss football star, is a Vanderbilt commit. Roberts, a 6-foot-5, 217-pound right-hander/outfielder, is committed to Florida.

04 Sep

around the horn

Four games. Four hits. Four home runs. That about sums it up for Kemp Alderman’s time with Triple-A Jacksonville. Promoted from Double-A by Miami on Sunday, the Ole Miss product has gone deep in each game with the Jumbo Shrimp. He homered in both ends of a doubleheader on Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound outfielder now has 19 homers on the season and 28 in his three-year pro career. He is hitting .282 overall. … Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher drafted out of Mississippi State in 2024, picked up his first Double-A win on Tuesday, throwing six innings for Arkansas against Amarillo. Cijntje allowed one run on five hits and four walks, punching out seven. The 15th overall pick by Seattle last summer and now the team’s No. 8 prospect, Cijntje has a 3.80 ERA in five starts for Arkansas and is 4-7 with a 4.38 at two levels. He has 110 strikeouts over 98 1/3 innings. … Konnor Griffin, the phenom from Jackson Prep, has shown no ill effects from being beaned (by former MSU pitcher Will Bednar) on Tuesday night. Griffin, playing at Double-A Altoona in Pittsburgh’s system, stayed in the Tuesday game and started at shortstop Wednesday, going 1-for-3 with two runs and a steal. He is batting .320 in 13 Double-A games. … MSU product Jackson Fristoe retired all eight batters he faced Wednesday and notched a win for Low-Class A Tampa (New York Yankees). The third-year pro is 7-2 with two saves, four holds and a 4.37 ERA for the Tarpons. … Billy Hamilton, former big leaguer from Taylorsville, has signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs and reportedly would be eligible for the postseason. The 34-year-old outfielder played briefly this season in Mexico before getting hurt. Over 11 MLB seasons with eight teams (including the Cubs), Hamilton batted .239 with 326 steals. He last played in the majors in 2023. … Former Mississippi Braves star Shea Langeliers, who hit 11 homers for the A’s in August, was named the American League player of the month. Ex-Biloxi Shuckers standouts Brice Turang and Freddy Peralta, now with Milwaukee, were the National League’s player and pitcher of the month. Turang batted .343 with 10 bombs, Peralta went 4-0 with an 0.32.

04 Aug

there and here

Kemp Alderman, former Ole Miss star and Decatur native, has been named the Double-A Southern League’s player of the week (July 28-Aug. 3). The 2023 Ferriss Trophy winner had nine hits — two of them homers — eight RBIs and three runs for Pensacola in the Miami chain. He hit both homers on Sunday against ex-Mississippi State hurler K.C. Hunt in the Blue Wahoos’ 8-4 win over Biloxi. It’s the second time this season Alderman has won the league’s POW award. He is one of 11 Mississippians to win the top player award in various minor leagues in 2025, joining Connor Hujsak, Konnor Griffin, Blaze Jordan, Tyson Hardin, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Niko Mazza, Braden Montgomery, Rowdey Jordan, Blaine Crim and J.T. Ginn. … Cijntje, the switch-pitcher out of MSU, has been promoted to Double-A Arkansas in the Seattle system. He was 4-7 with a 4.58 ERA in 19 games at the High-Class A level in what is his first pro season. … Atlanta has placed DeSoto Central High product Austin Riley (abdominal injury) back on the 10-day injured list. Former Mississippi Braves infielder Nacho Alvarez was recalled. … Baltimore sent Houston Roth back to Triple-A Norfolk without getting the ex-UM standout into a game. He has a 2.21 ERA, four wins and two saves in 24 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this season. … The Mississippi Mud Monsters, hitting the road Tuesday for a six-game, two-city trip, have revamped their roster in recent days, adding right-hander Braden Forsyth (a Magnolia Heights, Meridian Community College and Ole Miss alum); first baseman Jack Holman; LH Ben Riley Flowers (a Southern Miss product); 7-foot RH Brenton Thiels; and RH Carl Brice (Callaway High alum). RH Heath Mann was signed and then released. The independent club is 35-36, fourth place in the West Division of the Midwest Conference of the Frontier League. The regular season ends Aug. 31. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs, four from each conference, in the 18-team league. … Ole Miss alum Anthony Calarco, who had 10 hits and seven RBIs in last week’s six-game series vs. the Mud Monsters, is batting .335 with a league-best 20 homers and 92 RBIs on the year for Schaumburg, one of the FL’s best teams. He played in Oxford in 2023.

11 Jul

whatever happened to …

Dylan DeLucia, the Most Outstanding Player in the 2022 CWS with Ole Miss, is 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA at Double-A Akron in the Cleveland chain. He took a loss against Richmond on Thursday night, allowing four runs in three innings. The right-hander, drafted in 2022, didn’t make his pro debut until last summer. He began 2025 in A-ball.
Tanner Hall, the 2022 Ferriss Trophy winner at Southern Miss, is 3-3 with a 5.26 in 15 starts for High-Class A Cedar Rapids (Minnesota). A fourth-round pick by the Twins in 2023, Hall has been limited by injuries to 34 games in pro ball.
Dakota Hudson, the erstwhile big leaguer and ex-Mississippi State star, is 4-6 with a 7.87 ERA at Triple-A Salt Lake (Los Angeles Angels). ERAs tend to be a little inflated in the Pacific Coast League, but Hudson was banged around for nine runs in five innings on Wednesday. He went 2-12, 6.17, for Colorado in 2024 but has a career ERA of 4.21 (with 40 wins) in the big leagues.
Taylor Broadway, the closer for the 2021 Ole Miss team, has 4.30 ERA and a 3-1 mark over 20 games for Cleburne in the independent American Association. He pitched three seasons in affiliated ball (Chicago White Sox and Boston systems) but sat out 2024.
Ethan Small, the former first-rounder out of MSU, has been on the injured list (oblique) all season at Triple-A Sacramento (San Francisco). The left-hander, who has four MLB appearances on his ledger, made just 14 minor league appearances in 2024. He has a career 3.22 ERA in the minors.
James McArthur, the former Ole Miss standout, has been on the IL all season (elbow) with Kansas City. The seven-year pro, 28, was the Royals’ closer late in 2023 and early last season before losing that role. He has a 4.84 ERA and 22 saves in 75 career MLB games.
P.S. MSU alum Jordan Westburg reached double-digits in home runs on Thursday with his 10th for Baltimore. He has three homers in his last five games. … Ex-Bulldogs star Brent Rooker, announced Thursday as a participant in next week’s Home Run Derby, banged out two doubles (Nos. 20 and 21) and scored twice, including the game-winner as the A’s beat Atlanta 5-4 in 11 innings.

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.

27 Jun

great eight

Interesting story – with a Mississippi tie — on mlb.com today: An Atlantic League player named Dylan Rock has homered in eight straight games, tying the known professional record. Three major leaguers have gone deep in eight straight: Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr. One minor leaguer has done so: Former Mississippi State star Justin Foscue, who did it in July of 2021 in the Texas system. A first-round pick by the Rangers in 2020, Foscue started his homer streak while on a rehab assignment in the rookie Arizona Complex League. He hit one there and the next seven with Low-Class A Hickory. He finished that season with 17 homers and has hit 53 since, 10 in Triple-A this season before a recent call-up. He has yet to homer in the majors in 45 at-bats. … Rock, who plays for Lexington in the independent Atlantic League, is slated to play tonight against Southern Maryland, which is managed by Jackson native and ex-big leaguer Stan Cliburn.

26 Jun

carolina clash

They aren’t going head-to-head exactly, but they are on the same field in Greensboro, N.C., playing for opposing teams in a South Atlantic League series. Konnor Griffin and Braden Montgomery — former Mississippi prep stars, first-round draft picks last summer and among the top prospects in the minor leagues – are clashing this week as Winston-Salem visits Greensboro at First National Bank Field. Griffin, former Jackson Prep star and Pittsburgh’s No. 2 prospect, went 1-for-3 on Wednesday in the host Grasshoppers’ victory in Game 2 of the series. He was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win in Game 1 on Tuesday. Montgomery, out of Madison Central and the No. 4 prospect in the Chicago White Sox’s chain, is 4-for-8 in the two games with a homer and three RBIs. Both started this season, their pro debut, in Low-Class A but quickly moved up. Griffin, 19, is batting .337 with 11 homers, 46 RBIs and 34 steals over the two levels of A-ball. Montgomery, 22, who played three years of college ball at Stanford and Texas A&M, is at .280 with 10, 49 and nine overall. One or both might be invited to the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta next month. Both have certainly lived up to expectations as first-round picks. P.S. Blaine Crim’s brief MLB tour with Texas did not go very well – 0-for-11 in early May – but the ex-Mississippi College star hasn’t gone into a funk since returning to Triple-A Round Rock. He went 3-for-4 with his 13th homer and four RBIs on Wednesday and is batting .299 with 60 RBIs on the season. He is hitting .315 in June. … Madison Central product Spencer Turnbull was designated for assignment by Toronto on Wednesday when Max Scherzer came off the injured list. Veteran righty Turnbull had a 7.11 ERA in three games with the Blue Jays and might be headed back to free agency.

24 Jun

noteworthy

Justin Foscue made his 2025 debut with Texas on Monday night, becoming the 26th Mississippian (native or school alum) to play in the big leagues this season. Seventeen are currently on active rosters. Three have been released and are free agents, the others are either on the injured list or back in the minors. Ex-Mississippi State star Foscue, called up from Triple-A on Saturday, played first base and went 0-for-3 in the Rangers’ loss to Baltimore. … Brent Rooker moved up to third and Colt Keith to fourth in the latest All-Star Game balloting for American League DH, and Austin Riley rose to sixth in the National League third base race. Rooker, an MSU alum, is hitting .275 with 15 homers and 41 RBIs for the A’s. Keith, a Biloxi High product, is at .243 with six bombs and 24 RBIs for Detroit, which has the best record in MLB. Former DeSoto Central star Riley is hitting .275 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs for Atlanta; he was 2-for-4 with a triple in the 3-2 win vs. the New York Mets on Monday night. The All-Star Game is July 15 in Atlanta. … Connor Hujsak, former MSU standout, was named the Carolina League player of the week on Monday; he was 10-for-29 with two homers and nine RBIs last week for Low-Class A Charleston in the Tampa Bay chain. Hujsak is the 11th Mississippi product to win a minor league player or pitcher of the week award this season, joining Konnor Griffin, Kemp Alderman, Blaze Jordan, Tyson Hardin, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Niko Mazza, Braden Montgomery, Rowdey Jordan, Blaine Crim and J.T. Ginn.

20 Jun

making a name

The Mississippi Jordans ruled in the minors on Thursday as both Dakota and Blaze (no relation) put up more good numbers in what has been a big year for both. Playing at Low-Class A San Jose, Dakota Jordan went 4-for-5 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs in sparking the Giants to a 7-1 win against Modesto. The former Mississippi State outfielder, San Francisco’s No. 5 prospect, is batting .302 with five homers, 50 RBIs and 19 steals in what is essentially his first pro season at age 22. He ranks among the California League leaders in several categories. He was the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner at MSU in 2024 and the Gatorade player of the year at Jackson Academy in 2022. Blaze Jordan, Gatorade player of the year at DeSoto Central in 2020, went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI Thursday in helping Triple-A Worcester beat Buffalo 9-4. A corner infielder, Jordan is batting .339 with two homers and nine RBIs in 14 Triple-A games in the Boston system. He batted .320 with six and 37 in Double-A before being promoted. He has slipped off the Red Sox’s Top 30 prospect list but, at 22, is clamoring to get back in. P.S. In (somewhat) related news, Rowdey Jordan, a member of MSU’s 2021 national title team, recently retired in the midst of his fifth pro season. Traded by the New York Mets to Houston in April, Jordan (no relation to the other two) was batting .243 with four homers and 16 RBIs at Corpus Christi in his third season at the Double-A level. A .231 career hitter, he won a Texas League player of the week award in May.

16 Jun

all in a day

On a day when the Rafael Devers trade shook the baseball world, other things did happen throughout the game. Here’s a snapshot of Sunday movers and shakers with Mississippi ties:
In the big leagues, former Mississippi State star Jordan Westburg went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs out of the leadoff spot, driving Baltimore to its third straight win, 11-2 over the Los Angeles Angels. Westburg, who has three homers since coming off the injured list on Tuesday, has seven bombs on the year and has lifted his average to .234.
At Triple-A, Southern Miss alum Hurston Waldrep, who has had a very uneven season for Gwinnett in Atlanta’s system, allowed one run in six innings with six strikeouts as the Stripers beat Memphis. Waldrep, a 2023 first-round draftee (out of Florida) and Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect, is 5-5 with a 5.84 ERA.
At Double-A, ex-Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman went 2-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs for Miami affiliate Pensacola in a win against Rocket City. Alderman, a second-round pick in 2023 after winning the Ferriss Trophy, is batting .290 with seven homers and 30 RBIs for the Blue Wahoos.
At High-Class A, MSU product Khal Stephen improved to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA for Vancouver, throwing five innings (one run) to beat Spokane. A second-round pick by Toronto in 2024, Stephen is 6-0, 2.10, in 13 games over two levels of A-ball in his pro debut.
At the Low-A level, former MSU standout Connor Hujsak, batting third and playing right field for Charleston, went 1-for-5 with two walks, two RBIs, two runs and two steals in a doubleheader split against Augusta. A 13th-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2024, Hujsak is batting .230 with three homers, 32 RBIs and 14 bags in 58 games this season.
In the unaffiliated Mexican League, Ole Miss product and ex-big leaguer Chris Ellis notched his 12th save with a scoreless ninth for Monterrey in a 3-1 win vs. Queretaro. Ellis, 32 and in his 11th pro season, has a 2.61 ERA over 21 appearances for the Sultans.
And in the independent Frontier League, Brayland Skinner, MSU alum from Lake Cormorant, went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a steal in the Mississippi Mud Monsters’ 11-3 loss at Schaumburg. Skinner, in his second indy ball season, is hitting .310 with a league-best 25 stolen bases.