Tag Archives: Mitch Moreland

12 Jul

on a good track

While the Texas Rangers’ season might be in danger of running off the rails, Mitch Moreland remains on track for the best year of his career. The Mississippi State product from Amory hit two homers on Saturday, running his season total to 16. He has had three two-homer games in the last 13 days. He is batting .289, 32 points above his career average. He has 46 RBIs, 14 shy of his career-high from 2013, when he hit 23 homers. This is good timing for Moreland, 24, in his sixth MLB season. He is eligible for salary arbitration next year. Moreland’s bombs on Saturday couldn’t lift the host Rangers past San Diego, which won 6-5. Texas has lost 14 of 19 to fall to 42-45, third place and 5.5 games off the pace in the American League West. P.S. Nice moment at Target Field in Minnesota on Saturday when it was announced between innings that Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier would be going to the All-Star Game as a replacement for the injured Jose Bautista of Toronto. Dozier, who got a much-deserved standing O, will be USM’s first All-Star representative since Jim Davenport in 1962. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton swiped two bases on Saturday – including third base on a throw from the catcher back to the pitcher — to push his MLB-leading total to 44. But his Cincinnati team got pounded by Miami 14-3 and fell to 39-46 in what has been a lost season for the All-Star Game host.

27 May

powering the rangers

Texas is on fire, and Mitch Moreland is providing a lot of the fuel. The former Mississippi State standout from Amory has a 10-game hitting streak going during which he has batted .341 with four home runs and nine RBIs. The Rangers have won seven straight — eight of the last 10 — to reach 23-23 on the year. Since Moreland returned from the disabled list following minor surgery on his left elbow, the Rangers are 9-4. They were 7-7 while their lefty-hitting first baseman was out. Moreland hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning on Tuesday night as the Rangers beat Cleveland 4-3. It was his fifth of the year – the Rangers are 5-0 when he homers — and 70th of his career. He is batting .306 with 18 RBIs. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler is actually hotter than Moreland, hitting .423 over his last 10 games for Tampa Bay. Butler was 3-for-4 with two runs in a 7-6 loss to Seattle on Tuesday; the Rays have dropped four straight. In 57 at-bats, Butler is hitting .333 with two homers and seven RBIs. He had only 17 MLB at-bats before this season, his eighth in pro ball. He was drafted out of UNO in 2008 by Texas. … Ole Miss product David Goforth got two outs on three pitches in his big league debut for Milwaukee on Tuesday. … Ex-State star Jacob Lindgren, who debuted with two scoreless innings on Monday, became only the second New York Yankees draft pick to make the majors in less than a year. The other was Deion Sanders.

07 May

doing it all

Mitch Moreland got a hit in his first major league at-bat in 2010. On Tuesday night, the former Mississippi State standout made another debut and enjoyed another thrill. Moreland, an outfielder/DH for Texas, pitched in an MLB game for the first time, throwing a clean inning during the Rangers’ 12-1 loss at Colorado. Moreland, who went 3-0 with two saves and a 3.20 ERA as a junior at MSU in 2007, said pitching in the majors was a dream. “I’ve begged skip (Ron Washington) for years in situations like that,” the left-hander told mlb.com. Moreland, who last pitched in low-A ball (two innings) in 2008, threw 10 of 15 pitches for strikes and reportedly hit 94 mph on the gun. He also singled as a pinch hitter before he took the mound. P.S. Pittsburgh has recalled Ole Miss product Phillip Irwin, a right-hander who made one start early last season for the Pirates.

03 Apr

tale of two dogs

Mitch Moreland was diplomatic in his comments after his Texas team rallied to beat Philadelphia and closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning on Wednesday night. “That’s a good team over there and Papelbon has definitely had a lot of success,” Moreland told mlb.com. Moreland — like Papelbon, a former Mississippi State star — had one of the four hits and scored one of the three runs the Phillies right-hander allowed in a jolting 4-3 loss. There is some serious heat on Papelbon, who is in the third year of a 4-year, $50 million contract with Philly. He blew seven of 36 save chances last year, his ERA over the last couple months jumped over 4.00 and his velocity reportedly was down. He got just one out Wednesday and wound up walking in the winning run. “One of the strong points of my game is being able to bounce back …,” Papelbon told mlb.com. Stay tuned. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn, who won 15 games for St. Louis last season, starts today against Cincinnati and ex-Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton, 0-for-8 in two games so far.

18 Dec

wait and see

Jonathan Papelbon, the outspoken former Mississippi State standout, was a phone guest on MLB Network’s Hot Stove this morning, but he offered no news on rumors that Philadelphia is shopping him. “I haven’t heard a whole lot,” Papelbon said. “Right now, I’m a Phillie. … If it happens, it happens.” Papelbon had a solid second season with the Phillies (5-1, 29 saves, 2.92 ERA) but wrankled some with comments about being unhappy playing for a non-contender. The New York Yankees are among teams reported to be interested in Papelbon, who has a big contract and a limited no-trade clause. … Another former Bulldogs star, Mitch Moreland, is still being mentioned as a trade piece in Texas, which now has Prince Fielder to play first base. … Also in limbo are ex-MSU left-hander Paul Maholm, Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan, Weir’s Roy Oswalt and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product Tony Sipp, all free agents. … Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton may also be having an anxious winter as he waits, with the rest of us, to see whether Shin-Soo Choo re-signs with Cincinnati or goes elsewhere. (Choo reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from the Yankees.) If Choo leaves, Hamilton figures to get a long look in center field by the Reds in the spring. … Mississippians who already have changed places in the off-season include UM alum Seth Smith (Oakland to San Diego), ex-Rebels pitcher Drew Pomeranz (Colorado to Oakland) and Hattiesburg’s Robert Carson (New York Mets to Los Angeles Angels).

21 Nov

who’s on first?

The somewhat surprising acquisition of the high-priced Prince Fielder by Texas doesn’t necessarily mean Mitch Moreland’s days as a Ranger are done. Fielder, acquired from Detroit for second baseman Ian Kinsler, will be the Rangers’ starting first baseman, taking the position former Mississippi State standout Moreland has held for three seasons. But, Texas GM Jon Daniels told mlb.com, “Mitch is still in our plans.” Moreland, a left-handed hitter (like Fielder), can play the outfield and DH. For what it’s worth, he is a better defensive first baseman than Fielder. Moreland batted just .232 in 2013, though he did belt a career-high 23 home runs. Texas apparently wanted more power from that spot. For his career, Moreland, who debuted in 2010, is hitting .253 with 63 homers and 186 RBIs. There were reports earlier this month that some teams had expressed an interest in Moreland, so it wouldn’t be a shock to a see him moved despite what the Texas GM said on Wednesday.