Tag Archives: MLB

15 Apr

just stuff

As Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, here’s a tip of the cap to Luke Easter, the first black Mississippi native to play in an MLB game. The Jonestown native broke in with Cleveland on Aug. 11, 1949, at the age of 34. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-handed hitter belted 93 homers for the Indians over parts of six seasons. He also played in the Negro Leagues and in the minors for many years, hitting 351 homers all told, per baseball-reference.com. … The Columbus Clingstones, Atlanta’s Double-A team that previously played in Pearl, will make their home debut tonight at Synovus Park in Columbus, Ga. Quite a few familiar names populate the roster, including former Southern Miss and Mississippi Braves standout Landon Harper and M-Braves alum Craig Kimbrel, the erstwhile big league star who is launching his 2025 season in Double-A. … After a weak start this season, former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley is coming on strong for Atlanta. The M-Braves alum hit two homers in Monday’s win at Toronto and is batting .452 with eight RBIs and seven runs over his last seven games. … Jake Mangum, the rookie out of Jackson Prep and Mississippi State, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs Monday for Tampa Bay, which saw every starter get at least one RBI and score at least one run in a 16-1 win against Boston. Mangum has cooled after his sizzling start but is still batting .311 over 13 games and making great plays in the outfield. … Hunter Renfroe, MSU alum from Crystal Springs, needs to step it up for Kansas City. He is batting .128 with no homers in 39 at-bats and is no longer playing regularly. A .236 career hitter with 192 bombs, the 33-year-old outfielder is coming off a poor year. … Ole Miss product Kemp Alderman, who had a two-homer game last week for Double-A Pensacola (Miami system), and ex-MSU star Khal Stephen, who had a nine-strikeout game for Low-Class A Dunedin (Toronto), were named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week. … Konnor Griffin got his first pro homer and triple in a game last week and continues to fill out the stat sheet for Low-A Bradenton (Pittsburgh). The ninth overall pick last summer from Jackson Prep, Griffin is batting .258 with six RBIs, seven runs and five steals. … Sad to see Justin Steele, the lefty from Lucedale, lost for the season to elbow surgery; he was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four starts. That’s a blow for the first-place Chicago Cubs. Also going on the IL last week was Ole Miss alum Nick Fortes (oblique), who was batting .300 in 20 at-bats as Miami’s starting catcher. … Kudos to Will Warren, the Jackson Prep grad who notched his first MLB win in his eighth career start for the New York Yankees last week. The 25-year-old right-hander went five innings Saturday to beat red-hot San Francisco. … Ex-MSU star J.T. Ginn got his second MLB win Saturday in his 2025 debut as the A’s beat the Mets; Ginn was recalled from Triple-A that same day. … Former MSU standout Brandon Woodruff threw 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday in his first rehab start as he aims to return to Milwaukee’s rotation. The righty from Wheeler is 46-26 in his MLB career; the Brewers sorely need him. … Ex-Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull, still unsigned for 2025, has been throwing for various teams, per reports. The veteran right-hander put up a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for Philadelphia in 2024.

06 Apr

minor matters

A pair of 2024 first-round draftees with Mississippi connections strutted their potential on Saturday. Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher out of Mississippi State, threw four scoreless innings in his pro debut for High-Class A Everett (Seattle system), and Braden Montgomery, the Madison Central High alum drafted out Texas A&M, hit his first pro home run for Low-A Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox). Cijntje, 15th overall pick, faced 14 batters, pitching righty 11 times, lefty three times. He allowed just one hit (to a righty), two walks (both to lefties) and struck out six against Spokane (Colorado affiliate) in the Northwest League contest. Cijntje was 11-7 with a 5.25 ERA in two years at MSU but has much better stuff, from both arms, than those numbers would indicate. Montgomery, the 12th overall pick (by Boston), belted 62 homers in three college seasons, 27 in 2024 at A&M. A broken ankle delayed his pro debut to 2025, and in his second game in the Carolina League, the switch-hitting slugger went yard. A Gatorade player of the year while at Madison Central, he is off to a 2-for-8 start with four RBIs and a stolen base for Kannapolis. … In a High-A Midwest League game of some local interest, former Mississippi State standout Brooks Auger faced ex-Ole Miss star Dylan DeLucia, with Auger and the Great Lakes Loons beating Lake County 6-1. Auger, who famously shut down Ole Miss in that dramatic SEC Tournament game last year, went 5 2/3, allowing one unearned run in his pro debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a sixth-round pick last summer. DeLucia, a hero on UM’s national title team in 2022, yielded four runs in three innings and took the loss. A sixth-rounder by Cleveland in ’22, he has been limited by injuries to 14 pro games. P.S. In MLB on Saturday, Brent Rooker, ex-MSU star, hit his fourth homer of the season, helping the A’s set a franchise record. The team has homered in its first nine games for the first time. The A’s won 7-4 at Colorado to improve to 4-5.

02 Apr

numbers to crunch

From April 1, no foolin’:
.636 — Jake Mangum’s batting average through three MLB games after a 3-for-4 effort in Tampa Bay’s 7-0 win Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Today, the Mississippi State product gets to face Paul Skenes.
5 — RBIs by both Nick Monistere and Ozzie Pratt in Southern Miss’ 13-6 win over Tulane.
5 — RBIs by Judd Utermark in Ole Miss’ 18-7 romp past Jackson State.
2 — RBIs by Owen Abney on a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, putting Belhaven ahead in its 4-1 victory vs. Millsaps in the Maloney Trophy Series.
4 — Stolen bases by Hayden Redding in Blue Mountain Christian’s 7-6, 10-inning win at Williams Baptist. Redding leads NAIA in steals with 41 in 43 attempts.
0 — Hits allowed by K.K. Clark over five innings for Pearl River Community College in a 14-0, run-rule win against Meridian CC. No. 2-ranked PRCC swept the doubleheader to move to 31-5, 11-1 MACCC.
1 — Hit allowed by Will Warren over five innings for the New York Yankees, who blew a late lead and cost the ex-Jackson Prep star his first big league win.
10 — Strikeouts in 22 at-bats by former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley, reflective of Atlanta’s offensive woes in an 0-6 start.
7 — Strikeouts recorded over five innings by Hurston Waldrep, the Southern Miss alum who won his season debut for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta system.
90 — Career minor league homers by ex-MSU star Justin Foscue, who went deep for Triple-A Round Rock (Texas affiliate) in a win over Toledo.

01 Apr

on the docket

This promises to be a terrific Tuesday. Among the numerous compelling matchups is Game 2 of the Maloney Trophy Series, with Millsaps College visiting Belhaven University at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The Majors won the first game and can clinch the trophy with a victory. Both of these NCAA Division III teams are good: Millsaps is 19-7, Belhaven 17-9. The Blazers are 13-3 at Trustmark. … In Oxford, Ole Miss, 21-6 and ranked 10th by Baseball America, hosts Jackson State, which is 16-10 but likely doesn’t have the pitching depth (5.65 ERA) to subdue the Rebels’ bats. The Tigers lost to Mississippi State 16-3 two weeks ago. … Southern Miss (20-8, ranked 24th by BA) plays host to old rival Tulane in Hattiesburg. Going back to 2005, the Golden Eagles lead the series 26-23. USM is coming off a gritty Sun Belt series win over South Alabama, while the Green Wave (17-11) was just swept by AAC rival South Florida. … Mississippi State, reeling from a sweep at LSU, visits Memphis, reeling from an eight-game losing streak. The Bulldogs are 16-12. Memphis — coached by Mississippi native Matt Riser and listing numerous state prep products on its roster — is 11-16, including a loss to Ole Miss. … In the junior colleges: No. 2-ranked Pearl River Community College (29-5, 9-1 MACCC) might be tested in a trip to Meridian CC, which has been ranked this season and sits at 21-13, 8-4. Of note: PRCC will play an exhibition game Wednesday against the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi. East Central CC (27-7, 9-3), ranked fourth in NJCAA Division II, visits Hinds on Tuesday, and No. 8 Jones College (23-8, 9-3) hosts Copiah Lincoln. … In the big leagues, former Jackson Prep star Will Warren will make his 2025 debut for the New York Yankees, starting against Arizona at Yankee Stadium. At West Sacramento, new home of the A’s, George County High product Justin Steele (1-1, 8.00 ERA) will pitch for the Chicago Cubs against the A’s and ex-MSU slugger Brent Rooker. P.S. Jake Mangum (see previous posts) delivered a 4-for-4 performance — three singles and a double — in his second big league game, driving in two runs, scoring one and stealing two bases in Tampa Bay’s 6-1 win Monday night against Colorado. Ex-Mississippi State star Mangum even had two hits from both sides of the plate. “I can’t wrap my head around it still,” the 29-year-old rookie, already a fan favorite in Tampa, said in an mlb.com story. … Ex-Ocean Springs High standout Garrett Crochet has received a 6-year, $170 million extension from Boston. The 25-year-old lefty, acquired from the White Sox in an off-season trade, has a 3.29 ERA in 105 MLB games, 33 as a starter the last two years. He was an All-Star in 2024.

31 Mar

checking in …

Jake Mangum finally got his name in a major league box score on Sunday, joining the long list of Mississippi natives — and Mississippi State alumni — to make The Show. Barely a minute into the game, the Flowood native and Jackson Prep grad caught a fly ball in right field for the first out of Tampa Bay’s 6-4 victory over Colorado. Mangum was with his Triple-A Durham team in Virginia on Friday when he was told he had gotten “the call,” six years after he was drafted into pro ball. “Heartbeat went up a lot,” he said. He scrambled to get to Tampa on Saturday and completed his long journey on Sunday when he ran out onto Steinbrenner Field in a big league unie. A rookie at 29. Now another quest remains: the first big league hit. He went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut, driving a ball deep to left field in his first at-bat. He struck out in his second, flied out to center in his third and walked in his final plate appearance. He might get another chance today when the Rays host Pittsburgh. Mangum has had a ton of hits over the years: 383 of them at State, another 78 in summer leagues, then 496 in the minors. After all the work he’s put in and all the waiting he’s done since his first pro game in 2019, it’s hard to imagine what that first major league hit will feel like. P.S. A major league opportunity is a cherished thing, never taken for granted. Justin Foscue, a teammate of Mangum’s at MSU, is no doubt itching for another shot with the Texas Rangers. They needed an infielder on Sunday but recalled another player from Triple-A Round Rock, where Foscue is now playing. He made his MLB debut last April and got a hit in his second game before going on the injured list. He got a couple more call-ups over the year but managed only one more knock in 42 at-bats all told, finishing on an 0-for-39 skid. The 2020 first-round draftee is a .278 career hitter — with power — in the minors and is off to a 4-for-11 start in 2025.

30 Mar

worth noting

Mississippi State is in a lot of pain. The Bulldogs lost 17-8 Saturday night at LSU, which scored eight times in the first inning. State fell to 1-8 in the SEC and 16-12 overall. Six Bulldogs pitchers allowed 19 hits and seven walks. … Southern Miss is in a little pain. Closer Colby Allen blew a save, allowing four runs in three innings as South Alabama took a 6-3 victory at Taylor Park in Hattiesburg. Allen (3-2), who has six saves, saw his ERA jump to 2.73. USM is 19-8, 6-2 Sun Belt, heading into today’s rubber game vs. USA. … Former MSU star Jordan Westburg went 4-for-5 Saturday with two homers — one off Max Scherzer — two RBIs and three runs in Baltimore’s 9-5 win against Toronto. Westburg, batting .462 in three games, also homered on opening day. … Ex-MSU standout Nathaniel Lowe hit his first homer as a member of the Washington Nationals — the 90th of his MLB career. … USM alum Matt Wallner is 0-for-8 with a walk in his first two games as Minnesota’s leadoff batter; the Twins are 0-2. … Former Mississippi Braves star Drake Baldwin, now Atlanta’s starting catcher, got his first major league hit Saturday in the winless Braves’ loss at San Diego. … M-Braves alum Spencer Strider threw three innings (one run, six strikeouts) in a rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett. … Mississippi Valley State’s Jace Jones put up an eight-RBI game in a win over Alcorn State on Friday. There were 80 runs scored in that three-game SWAC series, swept by the Delta Devils (8-10, 4-5) at Magnolia Field in Itta Bena. Alcorn fell to 4-19, 0-8. … In a matchup of top 10 NAIA teams, No. 3 Georgia-Gwinnett swept No. 8 William Carey 9-7 and 10-9 in a couple of wild affairs Friday at Hattiesburg. The Crusaders’ power-hitting lineup did not manage a home run in either game. … Here’s a name to know: Cannon Hensarling. The Ocean Springs senior went 7-for-11 with four RBIs and seven runs and threw a four-hitter with 12 strikeouts in three games last week, per an si.com piece. P.S. In the current issue of Sports Weekly, USA Today writers rank a top 100 Names to Know of rising stars based on their “anticipated impact” in MLB in 2025. Among the group are three Mississippi college products now in Triple-A: Ole Miss alum Doug Nikhazy (Cleveland), USM’s Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta) and UM’s Gunnar Hoglund (A’s).

29 Mar

debut watch

Jake Mangum was recalled by Tampa Bay today, opening the door for the ex-Mississippi State star to make his long-awaited big league debut. The Rays’ lineup for today’s home game against Colorado has not been posted. Mangum, 29, a Flowood native, has been in pro ball since 2019 when he was drafted by the New York Mets and spent most of the last three seasons at the Triple-A level. A switch-hitter and outstanding defensive outfielder, he has a .296 career average in 432 games in the minors and was the SEC’s all-time hits leader when he left Starkville. He was optioned out from spring camp to Triple-A Durham last week but recalled today when the Rays put outfielder Josh Lowe on the injured list.

28 Mar

cue the highlights

With one triple to his name over his first four big league seasons, Nick Fortes delivered a second three-bagger Thursday that helped Miami make a little history. The former Ole Miss catcher led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a triple off the center-field wall, and moments later Kyle Stowers knocked in pinch runner Javier Sanoja to give the Marlins their first opening day walk-off win, 5-4 over Pittsburgh. Fortes, whose defense is his real forte, sorta picked up where he left off in 2024, when he batted .290 after the All-Star break. His big hit was one of several highlights for Mississippians in the majors on opening day: Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central High star, hit the first 2025 home run by a Magnolia State product, going yard for Atlanta in its 7-4 loss at San Diego. … Mississippi State alum Jordan Westburg smacked one of the six homers Baltimore hit in a 12-2 rout of Toronto. … After all those fireworks had settled, former Southern Miss star Nick Sandlin pitched a clean ninth inning in his Blue Jays debut. … Garrett Crochet, Ocean Springs High product, threw five innings (two runs, four strikeouts) in his Boston debut and got a no-decision in a game the Red Sox won late, 5-2, at Texas. … Ex-George County High standout Justin Steele allowed three runs in five innings, good enough to get the win for the Chicago Cubs in a 10-6 victory at Arizona. … Biloxi High alum Colt Keith had a chance to be a hero for Detroit but, with two on and two out in the ninth, fouled out against Blake Treinen, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 win in their home opener. Keith went 0-for-5. … A couple of lowlights: Brent Rooker, the former State slugger, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts for the A’s in a 4-2 loss at Seattle, and East Central Community College product Tim Anderson went 0-for-4 with three punchouts in his Angels debut, an 8-1 loss to the White Sox, his original team.

27 Mar

appetizers

Fun facts about MLB’s Opening Day:
Garrett Crochet will make his second straight opening day start when he takes the bump for Boston against Texas. The Ocean Springs native started Game 1 for the Chicago White Sox last year and — perhaps foreshadowing the team’s dismal season — took a loss despite allowing just a lone run in six innings against Detroit, which won 1-0 behind Tarik Skubal. Incidentally, ex-Biloxi High star Colt Keith made his big league debut in that game and got his first hit off Crochet.
The record for consecutive opening day starts by a Mississippi native belongs to Roy Oswalt, the Weir High and Holmes Community College alum who made eight starts for Houston between 2003-10. The right-hander, who won 163 games in his stellar career, was in his third big league season when he got the Day 1 call for the Astros in 2003, and he beat Colorado, yielding one earned run in seven innings.
The record for highest on-base percentage all-time on opening day (at least 10 starts) is .500, according to mlb.com research. Ellisville native and Mississippi State alum Buddy Myer shares that mark with two others. Myer, a leadoff batter most of his career, played from 1925-41 and had a career .389 OBP, in the top 100 all-time.
The record for home runs on an opening day is three, and Vicksburg native Dmitri Young is among the four players to accomplish that feat. “Da Meat Hook” did it 20 years ago for Detroit; he went 4-for-4 and drove in five runs in an 11-2 victory against Kansas City. Young belted 171 career homers and hit two in a game six times.
The only opening day cycle in major league history belongs to Gee Walker, a Gulfport native and ex-Ole Miss star who pulled it off on April 20, 1937, for Detroit against Cleveland. He went 4-for-4 and scored twice in that game, a 4-3 win; he batted .294 in a 15-year career.
Two former Mississippi Braves standouts — Jordan Schafer and Jason Heyward — homered on opening day in their first career at-bat, both for Atlanta, Schafer in 2009 and Heyward in 2010. Schafer would hit only 11 more homers in a brief career. Heyward, still playing, has 184 bombs.
P.S. The Los Angeles Angels optioned Chuckie Robinson, ex-Southern Miss star, to Triple-A on Wednesday. Now in his third organization, the 30-year-old catcher, a good defensive player, has a career .132 average in 51 MLB games.

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.