Tag Archives: Mississippi Braves

30 Aug

tumble

There are slumps, and then there is tumbling into the abyss, which is what the Mississippi Braves seem to be doing. (Think Red Sox of 1978, Cubs of 1969 or Phillies of ’64.) On the morning of Aug. 13, the M-Braves were 30-16, sitting pretty with a 6-game lead in the Southern League South and counting magic numbers. Today, they are 34-28, clinging by their fingernails to a half-game lead in the second-half race over Pensacola, the first-half champ. Worse than that, the M-Braves have actually fallen a half-game behind Biloxi in the overall South standings, which will determine the wild card playoff team should Pensacola also win the second half. What the heck happened? Yes, hot prospect shortstop Dansby Swanson went to Atlanta on Aug. 17, but he wasn’t carrying the team by any means. Can’t blame the funk on that. It just appears the M-Braves’ lack of consistent offensive firepower is catching up to them. They’re ninth in the 10-team league in runs – ahead of only Biloxi, oddly enough – and ninth in on-base percentage. They don’t have a lot of power, nor do they steal many bases. Combine that with a pitching staff that, despite a league-best 3.16 ERA, ranks first in walks and second in hit batsmen and you begin to understand what a tightrope the M-Braves are walking. While dropping 12 of their last 16, the team has lost by such scores as 5-4, 5-1, 1-0, 2-1, 2-1, 6-3, 2-0, 5-0, 3-2 and 3-1. When Ozzie Albies got that desperately needed clutch triple on Sunday at Chattanooga to snap the seven-game losing streak, there might have been reason to think they’d broken their fall. But then the M-Braves got drilled 13-0 by the Lookouts on Monday. They’ll come tumbling home to Trustmark Park on Thursday. Waiting for them will be the Shuckers, who beat the M-Braves five straight in Biloxi last week. A playoff berth will be on the line. If Mississippi-Biloxi isn’t already a rivalry, it should feel like one by the end of that five-game series. P.S. Kade Scivicque, a former All-State catcher at Southwest Mississippi Community College, has been promoted to Mississippi from Class A Carolina. A fourth-round pick from LSU by Detroit in 2015, Scivicque was acquired by Atlanta in the Erick Aybar trade. He was 5-for-28 in eight games at Carolina after hitting .282 with six homers and 41 RBIs in high A-ball for the Tigers.

24 Aug

stuff

Even on an 0-for-3 night, Billy Hamilton hijacked the highlight show in the big leagues Tuesday with a catch that must be seen. The Taylorsville Tornado covered 123 feet and reached 22 mph, according to Statcast figures, and laid out to snag a ball in left-center field during Cincinnati’s 3-0 win against Texas. He leads National League center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved with 12. The best part of the whole thing might have been Hamilton’s post-catch reaction: a wide smile and a shrug. … Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier set a career-high with his 29th homer for Minnesota in a loss to Detroit. He has 75 RBIs, two shy of his career-best set in 2015, and is hitting .268, which would also be a career-best. … Tim Anderson, the Chicago White Sox rookie out of East Central Community College, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a win over Philadelphia. He is at .280 with 20 RBIs. … Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product Tony Sipp allowed another home run – that’s 11 in 34 2/3 innings – in Houston’s loss to Pittsburgh. Sipp’s ERA swelled to 5.45. … Ole Miss alum Zack Cozart, out since Aug. 17 with knee and heel soreness, isn’t expected to play again for Cincinnati until Friday. Coming back from 2015 knee surgery, Cozart is batting .263 with 15 homers. … When San Francisco put former Mississippi Braves center fielder Gregor Blanco on the disabled list, it opened the door for another ex-M-Braves center fielder, Gorkys Hernandez, to return to The Show. … Orlando Arcia, the former Biloxi Shuckers star and top Milwaukee prospect, is batting .155 in 20 games since his call-up. … Down on the farm, ex-Harrison Central High star Bobby Bradley blasted two homers for Class A Lynchburg (Cleveland) and now has 29 bombs and 100 RBIs for the season. … Former UM standout Lance Lynn, on the mend from Tommy John surgery, is slated to make a rehab start tonight for St. Louis’ Class AA Springfield club. He has made two starts in A-ball. … The run-starved M-Braves, who’ve lost five of six as they battle for a Southern League South title, face Biloxi ace and former Mississippi State star Brandon Woodruff tonight at MGM Park. Woodruff, despite back-to-back rough outings, is 7-8 with a 3.63 ERA.

20 Aug

whatever happened to …

Ernesto Mejia, who had a monster year for the Mississippi Braves in 2011 (.297, 26 homers, 99 RBIs), is playing in Japan for the Seibu Lions and has hit 90 homers over the last three seasons. He is batting .262 with 26 bombs and 80 RBIs in 2016. … Tommy La Stella, who had a big year for the M-Braves in 2013 (.343), is back in the Double-A Southern League with Tennessee. La Stella was sent to the minors — despite his .298 average — by the Chicago Cubs when they acquired Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan at the trade deadline. La Stella initially refused to report but finally did so on Wednesday. He has a hit in his only at-bat for the Smokies. … Willie Cabrera, who played for the M-Braves from 2008-11, is in his fifth season in the independent American Association. Playing for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Cabrera is batting .326 with eight homers and 26 RBIs. He hit .281 during his tenure with the M-Braves and also got some time in Triple-A. … Jordan Schafer, the former M-Braves outfielder (and No. 1 prospect in Atlanta’s system in 2008), is currently on a rehab assignment in rookie ball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now a pitcher, the left-hander has a 3.15 ERA over 31 games in Double-A Tulsa and an 11.81 in five games at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

18 Aug

lists

Dansby Swanson, Luis Hernandez, Yunel Escobar, Diory Hernandez, Brandon Hicks, Brent Lillibridge, Tyler Pastornicky, Andrelton Simmons, Ed Lucas, Daniel Castro – Former Mississippi Braves shortstops who advanced to the big leagues.

Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit – MLB uniforms worn by former Ole Miss star Alex Presley, called up today by the Tigers.

Chris Coghlan, Desmond Jennings, Louis Coleman, Aaron Barrett, Lance Lynn – Mississippians currently on the disabled list in MLB.

21, 20, 28 – Former Mississippi State standout Hunter Renfroe’s home run totals in his three full minor league seasons, the latter leading all of Triple-A in 2016.

Tim Anderson (East Central), Corey Dickerson (Meridian), Jarrod Dyson (Southwest), Desmond Jennings (Itawamba), Cody Reed (Northwest), Tony Sipp (Gulf Coast) – Mississippi junior college products who have played in the majors this season.

Billy Hamilton (Taylorsville), Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman, Ty Cobb, Ron LeFlore, Tim Raines, Maury Wills – MLB players since 1913 who have stolen at least three bases in a game six times in one season.

17 Aug

then came swanson

Brian McCann was the first to get the call. It was June 10, 2005, but it seems like yesterday. McCann jumped from the Double-A Mississippi Braves to Atlanta. “He might be there two weeks; he might be there 20 years,” then M-Braves manager Brian Snitker said. McCann got two hits in his debut, homered in his second game and has been in the big leagues ever since. It was exciting. A similar buzz was generated when the likes of Jeff Francoeur, Martin Prado, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Andrelton Simmons and Alex Wood jumped directly from Pearl to The Show. Now it’s Dansby Swanson’s turn. The former No. 1 pick (in the 2015 draft by Arizona) is expected to make his Atlanta debut at shortstop tonight at Turner Field. If you’re a Braves fan, you’ll be watching. Swanson can play the game. As one MLB Network analyst said recently, he’s not an “aircraft carrier.” But, in the mold of a Martin Prado, he can do a lot of things to win games, something the Braves need help with. Swanson hit .261 with eight homers, 45 RBIs and six steals during his too-short time with the M-Braves. He is smooth on defense. Atlanta might be a couple of years away from contending again, but Swanson, like McCann in his day, is a key building block going forward. … Meanwhile, the team Swanson left behind starts a homestand tonight bearing down on a second-half title in the Southern League South. Swanson’s departure could be a tough break for the M-Braves, reminiscent of the time (1987) when the New York Mets took Gregg Jefferies from the Jackson club just before the Texas League postseason. But the M-Braves still have the player who might fit the bill as their “aircraft carrier.” Outfielder Dustin Peterson, who has been in Pearl all season, is a legit league MVP candidate, batting .292 (.450 slugging percentage) with 11 homers and 81 RBIs. P.S. Kade Scivicque, the ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College standout picked up by Atlanta in the Erick Aybar trade, is a nice addition to the system. A solid defensive catcher with a good bat, Scivicque was playing at high Class A Lakeland for Detroit and should be ready for Double-A soon.

14 Aug

cardboard treasure

The Washington Nationals have rid themselves of the mercurial Jonathan Papelbon, giving the ex-Mississippi State star his unconditional release on Saturday. Saturday also happened to be National Baseball Card Day. So, of course, when you rip open a pack of 2016 Topps Series 1 to celebrate this special day, you get a … Jonathan Papelbon. Then you open a 2016 Bowman pack and you get a … Mark Melancon, the ex-Pittsburgh closer who displaced Papelbon in Washington. Is that ironic or coincidental or a little bit of both? Also pulled from the same 36-card pack that included the Papelbon: Mitch Moreland, Seth Smith, Chris Coghlan, Kendall Graveman, Jeff Francoeur and Blaine Boyer, local connections all. In a pack of Topps Series 2, there’s a Martin Prado and Luis Avilan and a 100 Years of Wrigley Field commemorative card featuring Rafael Palmeiro’s big league debut (Sept. 8, 1986). In the afore-mentioned Bowman pack, there’s a JaCoby Jones, the former Richton High star now in Triple-A in Detroit’s system. Scattered throughout these packs are other cards of note. A Corey Seager rookie here, a Kyle Seager there. A Jose Bautista bat flip card here, a Rougned Odor there. Current stars such as Madison Bumgarner, Anthony Rizzo, Yoenis Cespedes and Adam Duvall, and future stars (maybe) like Gary Sanchez, A.J. Reed, Brendan Rodgers and Phil Bickford. (Alas, no Dansby Swanson or Ozzie Albies.) Among the so-called inserts, there was a Manny Machado, Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki and a reprint of a 1991 Frank Thomas (very cool card). All in all, quite a haul. P.S. So what does Papelbon do next? He wants to keep playing, for sure, and among the teams that are rumored to be interested is the Boston Red Sox, his original club. Do they dare go there?

13 Aug

numbers to crunch

0 – Runs allowed in six pro appearances (6 1/3 innings) by Dakota Hudson, the ex-Mississippi State star who was drafted 34th overall by St. Louis in June. Hudson is now pitching for high Class A Palm Beach in the Florida State League.
99 – Career MLB home runs for Southern Miss alumnus Brian Dozier, who belted his 24th of 2016 on Friday night in Minnesota’s loss to Kansas City.
51 – Stolen bases this season, tops in the majors, by Billy Hamilton, the former Taylorsville High star with Cincinnati. Hamilton got three bags in a win over Milwaukee on Friday and has 16 in 10 games in August.
23 – Homers this season for Bobby Bradley, the Harrison Central High product who went deep on Friday for Class A Lynchburg in the Cleveland system.
53 – Runs scored by the Mississippi Braves’ Dansby Swanson, who tallied the game-winner on Friday at Jacksonville as the first-place M-Braves tied a club record with their eighth straight win. Swanson, Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect, is batting .262 with eight homers, 45 RBIs and six steals in 82 games for the Double-A M-Braves.
5 – Number of Mississippi-connected outfielders in the Toronto organization: Anthony Alford (Petal), D.J. Davis (Stone County), Kalik May (Mississippi Valley State), Earl Burl III (Alcorn State) and J.B. Woodman (Ole Miss).
20 – Homers this season for ex-State star Mitch Moreland, who reached the plateau for the third time in his last four MLB seasons with a bomb on Friday in Texas’ win against Detroit.

09 Aug

in a good place

It’s too soon to start calculating magic numbers out at Trustmark Park, but there is some magic in the air. The Mississippi Braves (28-16) have won six straight games, the last four at home against Mobile. They entered the current series tied with the BayBears for first place in the Southern League South. Suddenly, it’s a 4-game spread. (Third-place Jacksonville is 7 back.) Dominant pitching and just enough hitting has been the M-Braves’ formula against Mobile, which has scored only six runs in the four games, three of them decided by one run. In Friday’s opener, it was Max Povse with the quality start and Dustin Peterson with the game-turning eighth-inning homer. On Saturday, Jed Bradley had a stellar start and Carlos Franco a key two-run double. On Sunday, Wes Parsons and a passel of relievers (Caleb Dirks, Evan Phillips, David Peterson) owned the bump and Franco again provided the big hit. Lucas Sims took the ball on Monday and worked seven strong. A.J. Minter and Steve Kent closed. Franco – reigning SL player of the week — and Dustin Peterson drove in the runs in the 2-1 win. Sean Newcomb, Atlanta’s No. 3 prospect, starts tonight’s series finale. Ready the brooms. The M-Braves last made the playoffs in 2013, as a wild card. They’ve won two half-season division titles in their 12 seasons at the TeePee, the last in 2008, when they won the SL pennant, as well. Yes, with almost a month left in the season, it’s too soon to start rambling on about playoffs. But Luis Salazar’s club certainly is in a good place. P.S. While Biloxi is 18-26 and well off the M-Braves’ pace in the SL South, former Mississippi State star Brandon Woodruff has been one of the best pitchers in the league of late. He is 5-1 with an 0.41 ERA in his last seven starts for the Shuckers, 7-6 with a 2.87 ERA overall.

08 Aug

big league chew

Three hits, a walk, three runs, four steals and a great catch in center field. That’s the kind of production the Cincinnati Reds would like to see from Billy Hamilton on a more regular basis. “It’s a completely different dynamic,” Reds manager Bryan Price told mlb.com after Sunday’s 7-3 win against Pittsburgh. “He just has a special talent … .” The Taylorsville High alum is batting .255 (.305 on-base percentage) with 52 runs and an MLB-leading 43 stolen bases in 95 games. He is a .245 career hitter (.292 OBP) since his 2013 debut with the Reds. … Former Southern Miss star Brian Dozier rapped out two hits Sunday to extend his streak to 16 games. He is batting .366 during that stretch and is up to .264 for the season for Minnesota. … Cameras caught Mississippi State alum Jonathan Papelbon kicked back and catching some rays (possibly napping) in the Washington Nationals’ bullpen on Sunday – during the eighth inning of a 1-0 game against San Francisco. The displaced closer watched in the ninth as Mark Melancon nailed down his first save for the Nats. Papelbon has made just two appearances since July 28, allowing a run (on a home run) in 2 1/3 innings. … Ole Miss product David Goforth allowed five runs in three innings in three appearances during his week back up with Milwaukee. His ERA ballooned to 10.97, and he was optioned out to Triple-A Colorado Springs today. … Madison Younginer, who had 14 saves with the Mississippi Braves this season, made his MLB debut with Atlanta on Sunday, allowing two runs in 2/3 of an inning against St. Louis.

08 Aug

fun fact

The 3,000-hit club expanded to 30 members with the addition of Ichiro Suzuki on Sunday. Rafael Palmeiro, the former Mississippi State standout, is in the club (with 3,020 hits), but no native Mississippians have reached that hallowed plateau. The closest anyone has come to date is Dave Parker, who retired in 1991 with 2,712 knocks. However, a Mississippi native was directly involved in a 3,000th hit. Vicksburg’s John Thomson yielded Rickey Henderson’s milestone hit — a double — on Oct. 7, 2001. Thomson was pitching for Colorado, Henderson batting for San Diego. Thomson won 63 games over a 10-year big league career and made a couple of rehab appearances with the Mississippi Braves (in 2005 and ’06).