Tag Archives: minor league baseball

18 May

atta boys

Luis Cano: The freshman right-hander, one of several stars for East Central Community College on Wednesday, worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to save an 8-5 win against No. 1-ranked LSU-Eunice and propel the Warriors into the NJCAA Division II Region 23 championship round. Cano is a Mexico native who pitched at Belmont High in 2022.
Davis Bradshaw: The ex-McLaurin High and Meridian CC star went 2-for-3 for High-Class A Beloit in the Miami system and raised his average to .415, which leads the Midwest League. Bradshaw has 13 hits in his last six games.
Will Warren: The former Jackson Prep standout, 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA at Double-A Somerset, has been promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by the New York Yankees and will make his debut at the new level tonight.
Ryan Rolison: The Ole Miss alum, making his first live appearance in a game since August 2021, threw three scoreless innings on a rehab assignment for Low-A Fresno in the Colorado system. The former 2018 first-round draftee has yet to make his big league debut.
Bobby Bradley: The former Harrison Central High star — and erstwhile big leaguer — belted his eighth home run (in 15 games) for Charleston in the independent Atlantic League. Bradley has 188 homers in his pro career.
Garrett Crochet: The Ocean Springs native, who missed all of the ’22 season after Tommy John surgery, has been activated from the injured list by the Chicago White Sox but has yet to appear in a game. The left-hander, a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2020, has a 2.45 career ERA over 59 games.
Mike Mayers: The ex-Ole Miss standout, back in the majors with Kansas City, threw 2 2/3 innings in middle relief, allowing six baserunners but just one run in the Royals’ 4-3 win against San Diego. Mayers, an eight-year MLB vet, was signed to a minor league contract in the off-season and had been pitching at Triple-A Omaha.
Corey Dickerson: The Meridian CC alum from McComb, fresh off the IL, homered in his first at-bat since April 1 for Washington. He has 135 homers and 994 hits over his 11-year MLB career.
Orlando Arcia: The former Biloxi Shuckers star, now Atlanta’s shortstop, hit a game-winning homer in the ninth inning as the Braves took down Texas 6-5 in a battle of first-place teams. Arcia is hitting .342 with four homers.

15 May

as the seams turn

Life in the minor leagues can be quite the roller coaster. There are good days and bad days, all part of the process. A sampling of the experiences on Sunday of a handful of pitchers with Mississippi ties: In the Low-Class A Florida State League, former Southern Miss and West Lauderdale High standout Ben Ethridge pitched the final inning of a four-man no-hitter for Fort Myers, notching his first career save. The right-hander, a 2022 draftee making his pro debut this season, has enjoyed a run of good days; he has a 1.13 ERA over nine games for the Minnesota farm club. Ben Ethridge is not to be confused with Will Ethridge (no relation), an Ole Miss alumnus who pitched for Colorado’s Double-A Hartford club on Sunday. Will Ethridge, a four-year pro, allowed three hits and a run in 1 2/3 innings of relief work in a game his Yard Goats lost 9-2. Converted to the bullpen this season, Ethridge has a 2.35 ERA in four appearances; his numbers as a starter in three prior seasons in the low minors weren’t so good (13-15, 4.50 ERA). At Double-A Midland in the Texas League, former Mississippi State star J.T. Ginn, a highly regarded Oakland prospect now in his third pro season, came off the injured list Sunday to make a start. It was a bad day. Brandon native Ginn retired just one batter, allowing four hits, a walk, an HBP and six runs. His ERA swelled to 12.83 over four starts. It was a tough day also for Jonathan Holder, the ex-State standout who is trying to get back to the big leagues in the Los Angeles Angels’ system. On in the ninth for the save for Triple-A Salt Lake, Holder loaded the bases on two hits and a walk and was undone by a two-out error on his third baseman that allowed the tying and winning runs to score for Sacramento. Holder, soon to turn 30, fell to 0-4; the Gulfport native has a 4.58 ERA in 12 games. P.S. The Double-A Mississippi Braves, who got off to a rough start this year, completed a five-game series sweep of Chattanooga at Trustmark Park on Sunday as starter Alan Rangel (1-3) went five innings and punched out 10 batters in a 10-5 win. Victor Vodnik, an Atlanta prospect, got the last five outs for the save. Cade Bunnell hit a grand slam on his 26th birthday. The M-Braves are now 14-18.

11 May

worth noting

Justin Steele, former George County High standout, ran his record to 6-0 on Wednesday, throwing six strong innings for the Chicago Cubs in a 10-4 win over rival St. Louis at Wrigley Field. “It was a fun game,” he told The Associated Press. Steele, who has a 1.82 ERA, yielded three earned runs, the first time in 15 starts dating to 2022 that the left-hander had allowed more than two. … For the other Chicago team, ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn gave up a career-high seven earned runs against Kansas City and saw his record drop to 1-5 and ERA rise to 7.51. The crumbling White Sox also placed Taylorsville native Billy Hamilton on the injured list. The 11-year veteran, now basically a pinch-running specialist, had scored two runs and stolen two bases in three games since his call-up earlier this month. … On a brighter note for White Sox fans, former Ocean Springs High star Garrett Crochet posted back-to-back scoreless outings on Tuesday and Wednesday at Triple-A Charlotte as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. … In the independent Atlantic League, Gulfport’s Bobby Bradley hit his fourth home run for Charleston. It was just the fifth hit of the young season for the ex-big leaguer, batting .147 for the Dirty Birds. Braxton Lee, the ex-Pearl River Community College and Ole Miss star, lifted his average to .378 with a 2-for-3 game and drove in three runs in a win for Southern Maryland; Jacques Pucheu, an East Mississippi CC alum, made his fourth straight scoreless relief appearance for the Blue Crabs. … Tyler Tolve, an Atlanta catching prospect, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in his Double-A debut Wednesday in a win by the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park. Tolve hit .261 with 12 homers at High-Class A Rome in 2022. … Former Hattiesburg High standout Joe Gray Jr. went 0-for-4 for Double-A Biloxi at MGM Park and saw his average dip to .038 (1-for-26) in six games since Milwaukee promoted him to the Shuckers. … Jackson Prep product Will Warren, a New York Yankees prospect, leads the Double-A Eastern League in strikeouts with 37. He is 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in five starts for Somerset. Ex-Ole Miss star Tim Elko (White Sox system) leads the Class A Carolina League in homers with 10, and ex-South Panola High standout Emaarion Boyd (Philadelphia system) tops the Class A Florida State League with 18 stolen bases. Davis Bradshaw (Miami system), a Meridian CC and McLaurin High alum, had three hits Wednesday to raise his average to .378, second in the Class A Midwest League. … The first-round pairings are set for Monday’s NJCAA Divison II Region 23 Tournament at Eunice, La. State champion East Central will play Itawamba; defending national champ Pearl River draws Meridian; and Northeast gets No. 1-ranked LSU-Eunice. The winner of the double-elimination tourney goes to the juco World Series in Enid, Okla.

04 May

farm livin’

After four-plus seasons of grinding in the low minors, former Hattiesburg High star Joe Gray Jr. received a promotion to Double-A Biloxi on Tuesday. Gray, a second-round draft pick by Milwaukee five years ago, was batting .247 with a homer, 12 RBIs and five steals at High-Class A Wisconsin when the Brewers moved him. Two games into the big jump, he is still looking for his first hit, having started 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in a series at Montgomery. The 23-year-old outfielder, considered a 5-tool player in high school, has fallen off the Brewers’ prospect charts; he is a .212 career hitter though he has flashed some power and speed. It’s time to put it all together. … The Colorado Rockies, currently 11-20, look like a team that could use some help. Maybe they’ve got an eye on what Hunter Stovall is doing at Triple-A Albuquerque. The Mississippi State product is batting .381 in 17 games. He was on base six times in the Isotopes’ 22-4 win over Sugar Land on Wednesday, hitting his first home run of the season, scoring three runs and knocking in two. The middle infielder, 26, is in his fifth year of pro ball. … Jordan Westburg is clamoring for a call-up from Baltimore. The ex-State star went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs for Triple-A Norfolk and is at .337 for the year with six bombs. He has played five different positions this season, though second base might be where he fits best. … Southern Miss alum Chuckie Robinson is batting .414 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 20 games at Triple-A Louisville. If or when Cincinnati needs a catcher, he looks ready for a second MLB stint. … Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen this season, former MSU ace Ethan Small has done solid work for Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville club. The lefty, the Brewers’ No. 13 prospect, tossed three scoreless innings Wednesday, trimming his ERA to 2.70 in nine appearances. His brief big league looks as a starter in 2022 didn’t go well, but he’ll get another shot in this new role. … Hoping to become the first Mississippi College alum to play in the majors since Harry Craft in 1942, Blaine Crim just keeps banging in the Texas system. Crim, a first baseman, went 2-for-5 for Triple-A Round Rock in a Wednesday doubleheader to boost his average to .300 with two homers and seven RBIs. He is a .304 career hitter over four minor league campaigns. P.S. Taylorsville native Billy Hamilton, the speedy MLB veteran, is back in The Show with the Chicago White Sox and in two appearances as a pinch runner, he has a run and a stolen base. The White Sox won both games.

02 May

noteworthy

Konnor Pilkington, Mississippi State alum, has been traded to Arizona from Cleveland, which designated the Pascagoula native for assignment on April 26. The Diamondbacks, who need some pitching help, sent the left-hander to Triple-A Reno, but he figures to get a big league call soon. Originally drafted out of MSU by the Chicago White Sox in 2018, Pilkington posted a 3.88 ERA for the Guardians in 15 games in 2022, working as both a starter and reliever. He made one scoreless appearance this season, spending most of the first month at Triple-A Columbus, where his numbers weren’t great. … Braxton Lee, the ex-Ole Miss standout from Picayune, is the hitting coach for the independent Southern Maryland club — and he is leading by example. Lee, who had a brief MLB stint in 2018, also plays outfield for the Blue Crabs and is batting .300 in their 3-0 start. He hit .306 for them last season. Jackson native Stan Cliburn is the manager of the Atlantic League team. … Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson is slated to return to the White Sox’s lineup today at home against Minnesota. The All-Star shortstop has been out since April 10 with a knee injury. … Meridian CC product Corey Dickerson, now with the Washington Nationals, remains on the shelf with no clear timetable to return, per reports. The career .281 hitter played two games for the Nats before going down with a calf injury. … Ex-Ole Miss standout Drew Pomeranz was shut down by San Diego from his rehab assignment after a rough outing at Triple-A El Paso last week. That’s not a good sign for the 34-year-old lefty, who missed all of 2022 after arm surgery. … Emaarion Boyd, a 2023 draftee out of South Panola High by Philadelphia, has 14 stolen bases at Low-Class A Clearwater despite batting just .191. Boyd’s steals total leads the Florida State League and ranks among the best in the minors. … Props to Mississippi Braves slugger Drew Lugbauer, who hit his 50th career homer last week, extending his club record. The sobering news is that Lugbauer, 26, has been in Double-A long enough — parts of three years — to hit 50 homers.

28 Apr

minor matters

Putting up numbers is typically the key to advancement in the minor leagues. Several Mississippi-connected players are doing precisely that. To wit: At Triple-A Jacksonville in the Miami system, former Mississippi State and Jackson Prep standout Jake Mangum is batting .339 and slugging .500 (six extra-base hits) in 17 games. The switch-hitting outfielder is in his first season with the Marlins after being traded by the New York Mets in December. At High-Class A Beloit in the Marlins’ system, Meridian Community College and McLaurin High product Davis Bradshaw is hitting .368 (with a current six-game hit streak) in 14 games. The lefty-hitting outfielder got a look in Double-A in 2022 and is bidding for another. At Double-A Erie in Detroit’s chain, former Biloxi High star Colt Keith is hitting .300 (despite a recent skid) with three homers and 11 RBIs. The lefty-hitting third baseman is a highly rated Tigers prospect. At Low-A Kannapolis in the Chicago White Sox’s system, ex-Ole Miss star Tim Elko (see previous post) leads the Carolina League in homers (six) and RBIs (24) and is batting .362 through 17 games in his first full pro campaign. At High-A Brooklyn in the Mets’ organization, former Southern Miss standout Tyler Stuart has a 1.98 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in three starts. The 6-foot-9 right-hander was a 2022 draftee. At Low-A Augusta in the Atlanta system, former Smithville High star Jared Johnson is 1-0 with a 1.29 in three appearances. The 2019 draftee’s progress has been slowed by injuries. P.S. Mississippi State alum Brent Rooker took Shohei Ohtani deep on Thursday and now has seven homers this season, tied with Hunter Renfroe for most in MLB by a Mississippian. Rooker, in his first season with Oakland, has 18 RBIs, tops among state-connected players, and is hitting .305.

23 Apr

around the horn

Names of note from a Saturday chock-full of diamond doings:
Kellum Clark, Luke Hancock, Slate Alford and Amani Larry hit home runs for Mississippi State in a hair-raising 11-10 win at Auburn.
Dustin Dickerson extended his hit streak to 17 games, but Southern Miss took one on the chin for the second straight day at Coastal Carolina, which has scored 35 times in the first two games of this key Sun Belt series.
Hunter Elliott’s much-anticipated return to the mound for Ole Miss was spoiled by LSU, which scored five times vs. Elliott in the first inning and beat the ailing Rebels 8-4 in Oxford.
Jatavis Melton rapped out three hits, including a homer, scored three times and drove in three runs to lead Jackson State to a 14-8 win at Alabama A&M.
A.J. Stinson threw a seven-inning, two-hit shutout to cap William Carey’s doubleheader sweep at Blue Mountain, running the Crusaders’ record to 34-9.
Sam Pitre belted a grand slam to propel Millsaps to a big 8-7 SAA win against Oglethorpe.
Jacob Pearson hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Double-A Mississippi Braves a split against Montgomery in a twinbill that drew an announced 5,689 to Pearl’s Trustmark Park.
Ethan Murray hit a grand slam for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers in a win at Rocket City.
Blaze Jordan, the former DeSoto Central High slugger, went 4-for-5 with his first homer of the season for Boston’s High-Class A Greenville club.
Hunter Renfroe, former MSU standout, hit two homers and a double in a loss for the Los Angeles Angels and now has six bombs on the year, more than Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout.
Former Biloxi Shuckers star Mauricio Dubon, filling in for injured Jose Altuve, extended his hit streak to 16 games, best active in MLB, to help Houston beat Atlanta 6-3.
Former M-Braves standout Ozzie Albies hit his fifth homer for the Braves in the loss at Truist Park.
M-Braves alum Joey Meneses put up a four-hit game for Washington.
M-Braves alum Cristian Pache hit his first homer of the year for Philadelphia and is 6-for-20 on the year with his new club.
Ex-Biloxi Shuckers star Josh Hader registered his seventh save in San Diego’s 11th win of the season.

21 Apr

puttin’ on the hits

In his second stint at Low-Class A Kannapolis, Tim Elko looks like he might be ready for the next step on the minor league ladder. The former Ole Miss slugger went 4-for-4 with two home runs on Thursday and is batting .413 with four homers and 16 RBIs for the Cannon Ballers. He also has a five-hit game during his current six-game hitting streak. A 10th-round pick by the Chicago White Sox last summer, Elko is, at 24, one of the oldest players on the Kannapolis roster. After mashing a school-record 24 homers and leading the Rebels to the national championship last year, Elko enjoyed a solid pro debut, hitting .240 with five homers between rookie ball and Kannapolis. Back with the Cannon Ballers to start this season, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound first baseman/DH is showing better plate discipline (seven walks, 17 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances). The White Sox’s High-A affiliate is in Winston-Salem. … Colt Keith, the former Biloxi High star, put up a 3-for-3 on Thursday for Double-A Erie in Detroit’s system. The 21-year-old Keith, the Tigers’ No. 4 prospect (per mlb.com), is batting .304 with a homer and seven RBIs in his first taste of the Double-A level. He is a lefty hitter who has played third and second base in his three pro seasons. … Southern Miss product Chuckie Robinson extended his hitting streak to 11 games Thursday with a knock for Triple-A Louisville in the Cincinnati system. Robinson, 28, a catcher, is batting .415 with two homers, seven RBIs and four steals in 12 games for the Bats. He got a call-up with the Reds last season, hitting a pair of homers in 25 MLB games. P.S. Ex-Delta State star Trent Giambrone, who got some big league time with the Chicago Cubs in 2021, has signed with York of the independent Atlantic League. Jacques Pucheu, a former West Harrison High and East Mississippi Community College pitcher, has signed with Southern Maryland of the Atlantic League, which starts its season next week.

06 Mar

making a list

A pair of former high MLB draft picks from Mississippi colleges who’ve battled arm injuries have cracked the top 20 on the Oakland A’s list of Top 30 prospects, revealed today by MLB Pipeline. Ole Miss product Gunnar Hogland, the 19th overall pick in 2021, is Oakland’s No. 15, and Mississippi State alum J.T. Ginn, a second-round pick (by the New York Mets) in 2020, checks in at No. 17. Hogland has pitched just eight innings in pro ball so far. Ginn has made 30 appearances over two years, but just 12 last season before an Arizona Fall League stint. He is in big league camp as a non-roster player. It’ll be interesting to see how those two fare in 2023. Former Biloxi High star Colt Keith is ranked No. 4 in Detroit’s system; Southern Miss alum Matt Wallner, who debuted in MLB last summer, is Minnesota’s No. 7; ex-State standout Justin Foscue is Texas’ No. 7; former Bulldogs closer Landon Sims is Arizona’s No. 9; Will Bednar, the CWS star for State in 2021, is San Francisco’s No. 16; ex-Ole Miss standout Ryan Rolison is Colorado’s No. 28; and fellow Rebels alum Doug Nikhazy is Cleveland’s No. 30. (See previous post for the top prospects from the National League East and Central and American League East. All told, 17 state products made the various Top 30s.) … Six Mississippians made USA Today’s top 200 fantasy players for MLB ’23, topped by Austin Riley at No. 27 and Brandon Woodruff at 33. Eleven former Mississippi Braves are on that list, including Riley, the DeSoto Central High alum who also played for the Double-A M-Braves en route to Atlanta. … A handful of Magnolia State products have signed with independent clubs for 2023, including Jacob Robson, who is also slated to play for Team Canada in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Ex-MSU standout Robson signed with the American Association’s Kansas City Monarchs, for whom he played in 2022. Dalton Moats (Delta State) inked with KC, Delvin Zinn (Itawamba Community College) with Milwaukee and Conor Fisk (USM) with Lake Country. Milton Smith Jr. (Meridian CC) signed with Rocky Mountain of the Pioneer League.

02 Mar

prospecting

Having played just 11 games in pro ball, Emaarion Boyd is already a hit with the folks who do the prospect ratings. The former South Panola High standout, an 11th-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2022 draft, is pegged as the Phillies’ No. 12 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s new Top 30 rankings for 2023. Boyd projects as a center fielder and “speedy table-setter.” A right-handed hitter and thrower, Boyd batted .361 with eight stolen bases and seven runs in his debut season, playing at the two lowest levels of the Philly system. At age 19, he lists at 6 feet 1, 177 pounds. He’s one of three 2022 draftees out of the state to appear in the prospect rankings to date. (Only the National League East and Central and American League East had been released as of Wednesday.) Ex-Mississippi State catcher Logan Tanner, a second-round pick, jumps into Cincinnati’s rankings at No. 19, and former Southern Miss left-hander Dalton Rogers is Boston’s 25th-best prospect. Jordan Westburg (MSU) is Baltimore’s No. 5; Blaze Jordan (DeSoto Central) Boston’s No. 11; Will Warren (Jackson Prep) the New York Yankees’ No. 9; Colby White (MSU) Tampa Bay’s No. 27; and Ethan Small (MSU) Milwaukee’s No. 14. White is on the Rays’ 40-man roster, and Small made his MLB debut last season. P.S. Mississippi College product Blaine Crim hit his first spring training home run for Texas against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Crim, who reached Triple-A in 2022 and has 61 career homers in three seasons, is in Texas’ camp as a non-roster invitee.