Tag Archives: Mississippians in the majors

26 Mar

play ball!

A pair of Mississippi high school products will be on the mound as starting pitchers on Thursday, opening day for most of the major league clubs. Garrett Crochet, out of Ocean Springs, will go for Boston — in his Red Sox debut — at Texas and Justin Steele, ex-George County standout, gets the ball for the Chicago Cubs at Arizona. Steele is 0-1, having lost in the Cubs’ second game in Japan last week. There are state connections in just about every game. Austin Riley is back at third base for Atlanta, which opens at San Diego. Hunter Renfroe likely will be in the lineup for Kansas City against visiting Cleveland. Baltimore, with Jordan Westburg at third base, visits Toronto, where Nick Sandlin now works out of the bullpen. There’s Chris Stratton with the Royals, Brent Rooker with the A’s, Matt Wallner with Minnesota, Colt Keith with Detroit, Will Warren with the New York Yankees, Nick Fortes with Miami. Adam Frazier is back with Pittsburgh after side trips to San Diego, Seattle, Baltimore and Kansas City. Thursday will bring the Washington debut of Nathaniel Lowe when the Nationals host Philadelphia. Tim Anderson, who made the Los Angeles Angels’ club as a non-roster invitee, returns to Chicago, where he was once a batting champ for the White Sox. Marcus Thames is the hitting coach for the White Sox and Bobby Dickerson the infield coach for the Phillies. Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee), James McArthur (Kansas City) and J.P. France (Houston) will start the season on the injured list. … Of note: Four former Biloxi Shuckers, including the starting pitcher, and a former Mississippi Braves star are expected to be in Milwaukee’s Day 1 lineup, and four former M-Braves and one ex-Shuckers star are projected as starters for Atlanta. (And Ronald Acuna could return to Atlanta’s active roster by late April.) P.S. Ole Miss alum and MLB veteran Drew Pomeranz, 36, was released by Seattle. He was in camp as a non-roster invitee and posted a 4.70 ERA in eight games. … Ex-Rebels star Hayden Dunhurst, a 24-year-old catcher from Carriere, has re-signed with Kane County of the independent American Association.

26 Feb

moments in the sun

A week into MLB spring training games, a bunch of Mississippi products have enjoyed noteworthy moments. To wit: Cooper Pratt (Milwaukee) has had the best day so far, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in a Cactus League game on Tuesday. … Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh) got an RBI knock last week in his first at-bat as a pro player. … Tim Elko (Chicago White Sox) homered in his first AB, repeating his feat from 2024. … Will Warren (New York Yankees) threw two shutout innings. … Tyler Stuart (Washington) notched a win in his spring debut. … Braden Montgomery (White Sox) got a hit in his first pro game. … Dakota Jordan (San Francisco), another rookie, doubled in his first spring appearance. … Matt Wallner (Minnesota) hit a two-run, game-tying bomb. … Drew Pomeranz (Seattle), on the comeback trail, picked up a hold in his second scoreless outing. … Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta) threw a scoreless inning in his first outing but, alas, was sent to the minor league camp shortly thereafter.

23 Feb

gatorade gang

Fun fact, No. 1: Ten Gatorade prep players of the year from Mississippi have reached the big leagues since the award was first handed out in 1986. Pontotoc’s Steve Pegues, the winner in 1987, was the first to make The Show, debuting with Cincinnati on July 6, 1994. Also on that list are Nate Rolison, Donnie Bridges, Jermaine Van Buren, Craig Tatum, Ed Easley, Anthony Alford, Austin Riley, J.T. Ginn and Colt Keith. Riley (Atlanta), Ginn (A’s) and Keith (Detroit) are currently on MLB rosters and will be prominent players in 2025. Fun fact, No. 2: The last five winners of the award are highly rated prospects in their respective organizations, each standing a good chance of joining the ranks of major league players someday soon. The 2024 winner, Jackson Prep’s Konnor Griffin — also the national player of the year — has been invited to Pittsburgh’s major league spring camp and will make his pro debut this spring in the Pirates’ system. The ninth overall pick in last year’s draft, he is ranked the No. 43 prospect in all of the minors, with an MLB ETA of 2028, according to MLB Pipeline. Cooper Pratt, the ’23 winner from Magnolia Heights, played in A-ball for Milwaukee last season and is rated No. 57 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 for 2025. He is expected to play for Double-A Biloxi this season. Dakota Jordan, the ’22 winner at Jackson Academy, was rated San Francisco’s No. 4 prospect after being drafted out of Mississippi State as a sophomore last summer. He went 0-for-7 in A-ball in an abbreviated pro debut. Braden Montgomery won the Gatorade award in 2021 at Madison Central, played three years of college ball and was drafted 12th overall by Boston last summer. Ranked No. 55 in the Top 100, he recently was traded from the Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox. Former DeSoto Central standout Blaze Jordan, a storied power hitter in high school, was the 2020 winner and has put up good numbers in Boston’s chain the past four seasons. At age 21, he batted .261 with seven homers and 61 RBIs in Double-A last year, when he had two stints on the injured list, once after being hit in the face by a pitch. Jordan was rated the Red Sox’s No. 22 prospect last summer with a big league ETA of 2025. That might be optimistic, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is the next state Gatorade winner to make The Show.

20 Feb

just wondering …

Here are nine questions regarding Mississippians in MLB spring training camps:
Will Jake Mangum — a .296 career hitter in the minors — earn a spot on Tampa Bay’s roster and make his long-awaited big league debut?
Can Brandon Woodruff — 46-26, 3.10 career — reclaim his pre-injury form for Milwaukee after missing the ’24 season?
How will Colt Keith handle the sophomore jinx and the move from second base to first in Detroit?
Can Hunter Renfroe — .229 and 15 homers in 2024 — be a productive power bat for Kansas City?
What will 2024 All-Star Garrett Crochet — 3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts — do for an encore after moving from lowly Chicago to Boston?
Can Hurston Waldrep, after a disappointing 2024 trial in Atlanta, be an impact arm for the Braves this season?
Does Brent Rooker, now armed with a fat contract, have another 30-homer season in him for the (Sacramento) A’s?
Is Doug Nikhazy — 7-4, 2.98 in the high minors in 2024 — ready to break through in Cleveland?
Can Tim Anderson, the fallen All-Star, carve out a role at shortstop or the outfield for the Los Angeles Angels?
P.S. Justin Steele, the ex-George County High standout from Lucedale, reportedly will be the Chicago Cubs’ starter in the second game of next month’s Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steele, a 2023 All-Star, went 5-5 with a 3.07 ERA in 24 starts last season. The season-opening Japan series is set for March 18-19. … Samil De La Rosa, a 5-foot-8 Dominican infielder, has signed with the Mississippi Mud Monsters, the new independent club. De La Rosa, 21, played four years in the rookie-level minors in the St. Louis and Atlanta systems from 2021-24. … Delta State, 8-3 with seven straight wins, is ranked No. 20 in the new NCBWA Division II poll, the first time the Statesmen have cracked the Top 25 in that poll in almost three years, per a school release. DSU swept three from then-nationally ranked Lee last weekend and beat Arkansas-Monticello on Tuesday.

21 Jan

a breakthrough

The Texas League era lasted 25 years at Jackson’s Smith-Wills Stadium, and a parade of talented players — All-Stars and World Series champs — passed through with the Double-A Mets and Generals. Billy Wagner, who pitched for the Generals 30 years ago, became the first player from that era (1975-99) to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Results were announced tonight on MLB Network. In his final year on the writers’ ballot, Wagner got 82.5 percent of the vote, clearing the 75 percent threshold. Wagner was a seven-time All-Star who registered 422 saves with a 2.31 ERA over 16 seasons in the big leagues. He ranks first all-time (live-ball era) in opponents batting average (.187), hits allowed per nine innings (6.0) and strikeouts per nine (11.9). In making a case for Wagner’s election, Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci called the little left-hander “historically difficult to hit.” Wagner was a first-round pick by Houston in 1993 out of NCAA Division III Ferrum College. He reached the Double-A Generals in 1995, going 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 starts, fanning 77 batters and walking 36 in 70 innings. He debuted with the Astros later that year. … Former Generals outfielder Bobby Abreu, in his fifth year on the ballot, got 19.5 percent of the vote, topping the 5 percent mark needed to remain on the ballot for next year. Surprisingly, Brian McCann, one of the best players to pass through Pearl’s Trustmark Park during the Mississippi Braves’ 20-year run, got just 1.8 percent in his first year of eligibility. McCann, a catcher, batted .262 with 282 homers and 1,018 RBIs with seven All-Star Game appearances in a 15-year career. He was the first M-Braves alum to reach the majors, going up to Atlanta in 2005. P.S. Mississippi native Dave Parker previously was elected to the Hall by the Classic Era Committee and will join Cool Papa Bell (Starkville) as the only state natives in Cooperstown. The induction ceremony is set for July 27.

06 Dec

a melancholy note

Bill Melton, one of just two Mississippi natives to win a home run crown in the majors, has died at the age of 79. Melton was born in Gulfport in 1945 while his father, who was in the Navy, was stationed on the Coast. The family moved to California, and Melton was signed by the Chicago White Sox out of a rec league, per a SABR story. He made his big league debut in 1968. The right-handed hitting third baseman/outfielder slugged 33 homers for the White Sox in 1971 to lead the American League. (Greenville native George Scott tied for the AL homer title in 1975 when he hit 36 for Milwaukee.) Melton, a .253 career hitter, suffered a back injury in 1972 and wasn’t quite the same hitter thereafter. He left Chicago in 1976 as the franchise’s all-time home run leader with 154. He retired after the ’77 season with 160, which ranks ninth among Mississippi-born players on the career list. Melton was a popular broadcaster for the ChiSox for many years after his playing days. “Bill was a friend to many at the White Sox and around baseball, and his booming voice will be missed,” owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a release by the club.

20 Nov

mlb roster moves

A handful of Mississippi college products were added to major league 40-man rosters on Tuesday, most notably former Mississippi State star Jake Mangum, who has toiled in Triple-A the past three years with three different organizations. Outfielder Mangum, a .296 hitter over his five minor league seasons, was selected by Tampa Bay. (The Rays traded starting center fielder Jose Siri to the New York Mets for a pitcher on Tuesday.) MSU product Eric Cerantola made Kansas City’s 40-man protected roster and ex-Ole Miss stars Gunnar Hoglund and Doug Nikhazy were added by Oakland and Cleveland, respectively. All three are pitchers who reached the Triple-A level this season. They’ll go to big league camp next spring, seeking to make the active roster for the 2025 season. … Atlanta added 2024 Mississippi Braves pitcher Rolddy Munoz and Milwaukee selected Logan Henderson, who pitched in Biloxi this past season. (As noted by mlb.com: Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 or older have to be protected within four seasons. The Rule 5 draft is next month.) P.S. A total of 26 Mississippians (native or school alum) appeared in major league games in 2024, with J.T. Ginn, Will Warren, Hurston Waldrep, Justin Foscue and Colt Keith making their MLB debuts. Keith, a Biloxi High alum who played for Detroit this year, was a Silver Slugger finalist at second base.

15 Nov

hardware pickers

Kudos to Garrett Crochet on winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award on Thursday. The Ocean Springs native, now with the Chicago White Sox, joins a rather select group of Mississippians (native or school alum) to have claimed one of MLB’s individual awards. (Yes, MLB gives out quite a few of them.) Crochet missed all of the 2022 season and most of 2023 following elbow surgery. The tall left-hander bounced back this year to go 6-12 (for an awful team) with a 3.58 ERA while averaging 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He also made the All-Star Game. Two other Mississippians have won the comeback award: Meridian Community College alum Cliff Lee in 2008 — the same year he won the AL Cy Young — and Vicksburg native Dmitri Young in 2007. Three Mississippians also have won the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, which went to Shohei Ohtani this year. Vicksburg’s Ellis Burks got it in 2002, ex-Mississippi State star Rafael Palmeiro in 1999 and Grenada native Dave Parker in 1989 and ’90. No Mississippian has won the Hank Aaron Award for best overall hitter in each league or the Reliever of the Year Award. Mississippi products have won a handful of Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards over the years, including ex-MSU star Brent Rooker taking the AL award at DH this year. … The “major” individual awards will be handed out next week: Rookie of the Year on Monday, Manager of the Year on Tuesday, Cy Young on Wednesday and MVP on Thursday. Mississippi has produced winners in each of those categories. Former Ole Miss standout Chris Coghlan was the National League’s ROY in 2009, and Columbus native Sam Jethroe won the award in 1950. Former MSU star Buck Showalter is a four-time winner of the top manager award, each time with a different club, the most recent with the New York Mets in 2022. Lee is the state’s lone Cy Young winner, taking the honor in 2008 when he went 22-3 for Cleveland, and Parker is the only MVP winner, picking up the award in 1978, when he won the second of his two batting titles with Pittsburgh. (Adopted Mississippian Dizzy Dean, who was born in Arkansas, won the NL MVP in 1934 with St. Louis.) Of note: MSU product Will Clark was second (to Jackson Mets alum Kevin Mitchell) in the NL MVP voting in 1989, and Starkville native Hughie Critz was second (to St. Louis’ Bob O’Farrell) back in 1926. Weir’s Roy Oswalt was second (to Albert Pujols) in the NL rookie of the year voting in 2001.

04 Nov

run it back

Before we get too deep into the Hot Stove season, take a look back at a few highlights from Mississippians in the majors in 2024:
April 1 — Jordan Westburg (Mississippi State alum) hits his first MLB walk-off homer for Baltimore.
April 7 — Justin Foscue (MSU) gets an RBI hit in his second MLB at-bat for Texas.
April 19 — Spencer Turnbull (Madison Central High) starts a game with six no-hit innings for Philadelphia.
May 4 — Brent Rooker (MSU) hits two homers in one inning for Oakland.
May 4 — Nathaniel Lowe (MSU) notches a four-hit, two-RBI, two-run game for Texas.
May 17 — Nick Fortes (Ole Miss) goes 3-for-4 with a homer and catches a third straight shutout for Miami.
May 24 — Colt Keith (Biloxi High) blasts his first big league homer for Detroit.
May 31 — Dakota Hudson (MSU) yields one run in seven innings to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for Colorado.
June 13 — Garrett Crochet (Ocean Springs) fans 13 over seven innings for the Chicago White Sox.
June 21 — Tim Anderson (East Central Community College) gets his first walk-off knock for Miami.
July 5 — Justin Steele (Lucedale) throws a two-hitter for his first win of 2024 with the Cubs.
July 8 — Matt Wallner (Southern Miss) hits a 116.7 mph home run for Minnesota.
July 13 — Rooker hits a 452-foot homer for Oakland.
July 16 — Crochet throws a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game.
July 23 — Lance Lynn (Ole Miss) registers his 2,000th career strikeout for St. Louis.
July 29 — Wallner notches 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his pitching debut for Minnesota.
Aug. 1 — Austin Riley (DeSoto Central High) hits career homer No. 150 for Atlanta.
Aug. 21 — J.T. Ginn (MSU) throws two hitless innings in his MLB debut for Oakland.
Aug. 23 — Hunter Renfroe (MSU) gets his 500th career RBI for Kansas City.
Aug. 24 — Rooker reaches the 30-homer mark for the second straight year with Oakland.
Sept. 13 — Adam Frazier (MSU) homers in his return to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park for Kansas City.
Sept. 26 — Ginn starts the last game at Oakland Coliseum; Rooker and Lowe also play.

26 Aug

all in a day

On this date in 1934, at old Comiskey Park in Chicago, Starkville native and Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell scored the only run in the East-West Game, the Negro Leagues’ All-Star classic. Bell drew a walk to lead off the eighth inning against Alcorn State alum and Hall of Famer Bill Foster, stole second and ultimately scored on a two-out hit by Jud Wilson. Bell, one of the fastest players in the history of the game, was with the Pittsburgh Crawfords at the time, Foster with the Chicago American Giants. … On this date in 1939, at Ebbets Field in Brookyln, Columbus native and broadcasting Hall of Famer Red Barber was at the mic for the first televised major league game. Playing outfield for Cincinnati that day, in both games of a twinbill, was Ellisville native Harry Craft, who was hitless on the day. The Reds won the opener, the Dodgers took Game 2. … On this date in 1946, at Boston’s Fenway Park, Shaw native Boo Ferriss, a rookie with the Red Sox, won his 20th game, beating the Philadelphia A’s 4-3 in 10 innings. Ferriss also doubled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th, boosting his average to .260. … On this date in 1984, at Anaheim Stadium in California, Jackson native Chet Lemon hit the only grand slam of his career, helping Detroit beat California 12-6. Lemon, who won a World Series ring with the ’84 Tigers, belted 215 homers over a 16-year MLB career. … On this date in 2021, at Yankee Stadium in New York, Amory native Mitch Moreland played the final game of his MLB career, going 0-for-3 for Oakland. Moreland went on the injured list with a wrist injury a couple days later. He finished his 12-year career with 186 homers, a World Series ring, an All-Star Game appearance and a Gold Glove.