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.

16 Nov

hardware store

Eleven years ago today, Chris Coghlan became the first and so far only Mississippi native or college alumnus to win an MLB rookie of the year award. Coghlan, a former Ole Miss star, claimed the trophy with the Florida Marlins in 2009. He is one of only three Magnolia State natives or college alums to win one of baseball’s three big individual player awards. Grenada native Dave Parker won the National League MVP trophy in 1978, and Meridian Community College product Cliff Lee was the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 2008. … Former Mississippi minor league players raked in a nice haul of awards this year, including former Mississippi Braves standout Freddie Freeman winning NL MVP and Biloxi Shuckers alum Devin Williams NL rookie of the year. Williams also won the league’s Trevor Hoffman Award as reliever of the year. Freeman won a Silver Slugger, as did M-Braves alum Ronald Acuna. Former M-Braves pitcher Max Fried and ex-Shuckers outfielder Trent Grisham, who plays for San Diego, picked up Gold Gloves. … Freeman is the first M-Braves product to win an MVP but not the first former Jackson area Double-A player to do so. Former Jackson Mets star Kevin Mitchell was NL MVP in 1989 with San Francisco, narrowly beating out former Mississippi State star and Giants teammate Will Clark. The M-Braves have produced two rookies of the year, Acuna in 2018 and Craig Kimbrel in 2011, and Jackson Mets alum Darryl Strawberry took that honor in 1983. Mike Scott, a former JaxMets pitcher, won the Cy Young Award in 1986.

13 Nov

it’s awards season

The MLB Manager of the Year awards will be announced today, and there’s a good chance former Mississippi Braves manager Brian Snitker will win the National League honor. Snitker, skipper of the first M-Braves team in 2005, guided the 2018 Atlanta Braves to a division championship, exceeding most expectations. Ronald Acuna, a former M-Braves player, was a key piece on this year’s Braves club and won NL rookie of the year honors on Monday. Acuna is the third former Jackson area Double-A player to win the top rookie honor, following M-Braves alumnus Craig Kimbrel (2011) and former Jackson Mets star Darryl Strawberry (1983). Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan took that award in 2009. Four other Mississippi-connected managers have won the top managerial award. Ex-Mississippi State star Buck Showalter has won three American League awards; former Jackson Mets manager Davey Johnson owns two trophies (one from each league); and Clint Hurdle, another JaxMets manager, and former JaxMets player Ron Gardenhire have won once each. Former Meridian Community College star Cliff Lee and JaxMets alum Mike Scott won the Cy Young Award, which will be handed out on Wednesday. The MVP awards go out Thursday. Mississippi native Dave Parker claimed one of those, as did ex-JaxMets star Kevin Mitchell. For the record, adopted Mississippian Dizzy Dean also won an MVP, back in 1934.