Tag Archives: MLB draft

02 Aug

eye on …

Walker Robbins. The former George County High star is starting to rake. A fifth-round pick by St. Louis in June, the lefty-hitting outfielder has nine hits in his last four games, boosting his average to .232 in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He has six RBIs and six runs in 18 games. Robbins started his pro career 2-for-29. … Bobby Bradley. The ex-Harrison Central High standout hit his 20th home run on Monday for Class A Lynchburg. The lefty-hitting first baseman, a third-round pick by Cleveland in 2014, is batting .251 with 79 RBIs as a 20-year-old in a high-A league. … Colin Bray. The Vancleave High product is 9-for-22 with a homer and four RBIs since his return to high-A Visalia in the Arizona system. The switch-hitting outfielder started the season in the Cal League but was sent down in early July. His Visalia numbers are .242, four homers, 31 RBIs. … Blake Anderson. The ex-West Lauderdale High star, a supplemental first-round pick by Miami in 2014, remains on the disabled list with a reported shoulder injury. The catcher was 0-for-4 in his only game this year at short-season Class A Batavia and is batting .173 in 58 pro games overall.

01 Aug

history lesson

Ran across an interesting tidbit while reading a story about the Laurel Black Cats’ first appearance in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan. You might know of the semi-pro team’s rich history. It traces its roots to an independent Negro League franchise founded in the 1930s and claims the great Satchel Paige as an alumnus. Also mentioned in The Wichita Eagle article is a player named Ted Nicholson. Ever heard of him? In addition to playing for the Black Cats, Nicholson apparently played a little ball at Oak Park, the pre-integration black high school in Laurel. (Olympic gold medalist Ralph Boston also went there.) Nicholson was impressive enough to be drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1969. In the first round. Third overall. A third baseman at Oak Park, the 6-foot-4, 197-pound Nicholson was moved to the outfield in pro ball. He played parts of three seasons in the minors – his career was interrupted by military commitments, according to some sources – and hit a respectable .252 with 12 home runs and 68 RBIs. But he never got past the Class A Midwest League and never played another game in affiliated ball after 1973. As the third overall pick – behind Jeff Burroughs and J.R. Richard in that ’69 draft – Nicholson would have to be deemed a bust as a pro. Still, he owns the distinction of being the highest draftee ever out of a Mississippi high school over 52 years of MLB drafts. Seems like Ted Nicholson would be – or should be — more well-known.

27 Jul

transition game

The adjustment to pro ball can’t be a snap for any player, but some make it look that way. Among the position players drafted out of the Magnolia State this year, none has come out swinging – and connecting – quite like Chuckie Robinson. The Southern Miss product, a catcher picked in the 21st round by Houston, is batting .355 through 17 games at short-season Class A Tri-City. He is in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak that includes six multi-hit games. Also on a tear is Ole Miss alum Errol Robinson (sixth round, Los Angeles Dodgers), who is batting .378 over his last 10 games and is at .261 with a homer and 13 RBIs at rookie-level Ogden. Ex-UM standout J.B. Woodman, the first position player picked out of the state (second round, Toronto), is hitting .289 with 15 RBIs and 15 runs in 32 games at short-season Vancouver. Former Mississippi State slugger Nathaniel Lowe (13th round, Tampa Bay) went 23 games without a home run at short-season Hudson Valley but has two in his last nine games and is batting .274 with 21 RBIs. And another ex-Bulldogs star, Gavin Collins (13th round, Cleveland), has gotten hot and boosted his average to .276 at short-season Mahoning Valley. Pearl River Community College alum Zach Clark (19th round, Milwaukee), who signed at the deadline, is batting .281 with two homers in eight games in the rookie Arizona League. Former Northwest Rankin High standout Daniel Sweet, picked out of Dallas Baptist in the 29th round by Cincinnati, is hitting a delicious .333 in 24 games at rookie-level Billings. There are those who have struggled. USM product Tim Lynch (ninth round, New York Yankees) is hitting .212 without a homer in 24 games at rookie-level Pulaski. Ex-UM star Henri Lartigue (seventh round, Philadelphia) is at .230 for short-season Williamsport. And Walker Robbins, the former George County High All-America who was drafted in the fifth round by St. Louis, is off to a .135 start in 14 games in the rookie Gulf Coast League.

20 Jul

odds and ends

Interesting matchup in Cincinnati on Tuesday night: Cody Reed, the former Northwest Mississippi Community College star, vs. Tyrell Jenkins, the Mississippi Braves ace of 2015, both rookies seeking their first major league win. Both pitched relatively well, though neither was involved in the decision as Atlanta won in 11 innings. Jenkins went six innings and allowed two runs for the Braves. Reed also went six and allowed two unearned runs. The lanky left-hander with the trademark specs reduced his ERA to 6.75. … Former Ole Miss star and 2016 All-Star Drew Pomeranz is slated to make his Boston debut tonight against San Francisco at Fenway Park. Pomeranz won eight games for lowly San Diego before he was traded. … Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson went 3-for-5 on Tuesday in his return to Coors Field, where he was a career .354 hitter while with Colorado. He is batting .230 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs for Tampa Bay. … Ex-Southern Miss standout Brian Dozier hit his 16th home run for Minnesota; he leads Mississippians in the majors in homers. … Baltimore has brought up Starkville native Julio Borbon, a career .272 hitter who last appeared in the big leagues in 2013. The former Tennessee star was playing at Double-A Bowie. … Former State star Kendall Graveman has won five straight decisions for Oakland to even his record at 6-6. … MSU product Hunter Renfroe homered on Sunday and Monday for Triple-A El Paso (San Diego) and now has 23 bombs on the season. … USM alum Mason Robbins is bobbin’ along at .305 for Class A Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox), while brother Walker Robbins, also a Leakesville native, has lifted his average to .125 with a three-game hit streak in the rookie Gulf Coast League (St. Louis). … Former State All-America Dakota Hudson, the 34th overall draft pick by St. Louis last month, made his long-awaited debut on Monday and struck out three in one inning of work for the GCL Cardinals. … USM product Chuckie Robinson, a 21st-round pick by Houston, is hitting .388 with a homer and six RBIs at short-season Class A Tri-City.

14 Jul

touching the bases

With the trade winds starting to intensify in the major leagues, it looks as if ex-Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz will soon be on his way to a new club. MLB.com reports there is a lot of interest in the San Diego left-hander, who just appeared in his first All-Star Game. Boston, Baltimore, Texas, the New York Mets and Miami are among the teams that could be in the bidding. Former Mississippi Braves Arodys Vizcaino (now Atlanta’s closer) and Yunel Escobar (the Los Angeles Angels’ third baseman) are also mentioned as hot commodities. … Former Mississippi State standout Hunter Renfroe went 0-for-2 in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday night. His Pacific Coast League team, which also included former Mississippi Braves reliever James Hoyt, lost to the International League 4-2. Former Jackson Mets star Wally Backman managed the PCL stars. … Jackson native and ex-big leaguer Stan Cliburn managed the Freedom Division to a 3-1 win in the independent Atlantic League’s All-Star Game on Wednesday night at Lancaster, Pa. Cliburn’s Southern Maryland team won the Freedom Division title in 2015, which earned him the managerial honor, though he now skippers the New Britain Bees, who play in the Liberty Division. … Former Ole Miss star J.B. Woodman, the first position player picked out of the state in this year’s MLB draft, is heating up after a chilly start to his pro career. Woodman, a lefty-hitting outfielder with Toronto’s short-season Class A Vancouver team, has hit .290 with eight RBIs over his last 10 games. His average has jumped some 70 points in that span. … Alex Gunn, a Clinton High and Hinds Community College product, got the win in his first appearance for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ rookie Arizona League team. Signed late last week out of the independent American Association, Gunn went 5 2/3 innings, yielding four hits, two walks and two earned runs on Wednesday. Gunn, who also pitched at the University of Memphis, was 2-0 with a 3.37 ERA this season for the Gary South Shore RailCats. … Pearl River CC product Zach Clark has signed with Milwaukee, which drafted the shortstop/outfielder in the 19th round last month. Clark, who had been an Alabama commit, batted .325 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs for the Wildcats.

30 Jun

starting line

Dakota Hudson, whose name just keeps popping up on All-America teams, has yet to pop up in a pro box score. The first Mississippian picked in the 2016 draft (34th overall), the right-hander out of Mississippi State has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and is on their Gulf Coast League roster. So is Walker Robbins, the Cardinals’ fifth-round pick out of George County High. Robbins is off to a 2-for-12 start. Ole Miss alum J.B. Woodman, picked in the second round by Toronto, is hitting .138 in eight games at the short-season Class A level. Playing in that same league (Northwest), ex-Delta State star Trent Giambrone (Chicago Cubs, 25th round) homered on Wednesday; he is 3-for-8 as a pro. Also in the great Northwest is Southern Miss alum Jake Winston (Arizona, 17th round), who got a win on Wednesday and has a 3.00 ERA in five appearances. UM product Errol Robinson (Los Angeles Dodgers, sixth round) is off to a .212 start (with four RBIs and four runs) in rookie ball. Ex-USM standout Chuckie Robinson (Houston, 21st round) is 3-for-15 on a short-season A club, while fellow former Golden Eagle Tim Lynch (New York Yankees, ninth round) — the noted former baseball autograph hound – is 4-for-15 in rookie ball.

19 Jun

birthday treats

Former Vancleave High star Colin Bray, a birthday boy on Saturday, celebrated with a pair of home runs for Class A Visalia in the Arizona organization. Bray, a 23-year-old center fielder, has scuffled a bit this year at the high-A level. He told milb.com it has been a good test and he’ll be better for it. Considered a rising prospect, Bray now has a four-game hit streak that has lifted his average to .241, with three homers, 26 RBIs and 34 runs in 64 games. He is a .283 hitter over his four-year pro career. Arizona picked Bray in the sixth round out of an Alabama junior college in 2013. P.S. St. Louis has signed all three of its picks from Mississippi in this year’s draft. Mississippi State’s Dakota Hudson, drafted 34th overall as the first Magnolia State player to be called, signed for a cool $2 million, it was announced on Saturday. The Cardinals also signed Hudson’s teammate Austin Sexton (18th round) on Saturday and earlier in the week inked Walker Robbins (fifth round) from George County High. All three figure to debut in the rookie Gulf Coast League. … Last year’s top pick from the state, DeSoto Central product Austin Riley, is batting .256 with three homers at 26 RBIs for Rome, Atlanta’s low Class A club. The top pick from 2014, Blake Anderson out of West Lauderdale, made his 2016 debut on Saturday, going 0-for-4 for Batavia, a short-season Class A team in Miami’s system. Anderson batted .220 with two homers at Batavia in 2015.

12 Jun

draft doodles

There were 29 players picked from state schools over the three days of the MLB draft, 11 of them from Mississippi State, including the only first-rounder, right-hander Dakota Hudson. Ole Miss saw six players drafted, Southern Miss and Delta State three each. Four high school players were selected, and two junior college players, a surprisingly low number. … St. Louis, which drafted Hudson, and the Chicago Cubs picked three each from the state, and several organizations made two picks, including San Diego, which chose two of the high school players, Oxford’s Grae Kessinger and Starkville’s A.J. Brown. Both are likely to be at Ole Miss this fall, Brown to play football. … Milwaukee, whose Double-A club is in Biloxi, also picked two, including MSU lefty Daniel Brown and Pearl River Community College outfielder Zach Clark, who had great numbers this season. Atlanta, parent organization of the Mississippi Braves, didn’t chose any Magnolia Staters. … Five catchers were picked, including State’s Gavin Collins, who played mostly third base this year, by Cleveland. The Bulldogs’ Jack Kruger, who shared catching duties with freshman Elih Marrero, was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. … USM catcher Chuckie Robinson was drafted in the 21st round, 637th overall, by Houston. He might be a player to watch. A sturdy 5 feet 11, 225 pounds, the Illinois native batted .288 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in 2016, helping the Golden Eagles win the C-USA Tournament. More good numbers: He struck out only 33 times in 208 at-bats and threw out 23 of 36 runners trying to steal. And there’s this: Robinson’s father and grandfather played pro ball.

11 Jun

watch for it …

Monitoring the MLB draft online for Mississippians on Friday was a bit like watching the night sky for shooting stars. Long stretches of nothing, blurry vision, stiff neck … and then, suddenly, there they were. Rounds 3 and 4 passed with no sightings and Round 5 was almost done when St. Louis picked Walker Robbins, the first baseman from George County High, at No. 166. Round 6 was almost done when, at 191, the Los Angeles Dodgers took Ole Miss shortstop Errol Robinson, who had once been projected as a potential first-rounder. Six picks later, Ole Miss catcher Henri Lartigue went to Philadelphia. Then at 200, Mississippi State’s Reid Humphreys was tabbed by Colorado. Pick 201 was another Bulldogs star, Daniel Brown, chosen by Milwaukee. Four draftees in a span of 11 picks. Then, more waiting. At 235, in the eighth round, Detroit took State’s Jacob Robson. And 43 picks later, the New York Yankees – who could sure use a first baseman in the big leagues – drafted Southern Miss’ Tim Lynch. Seven picks from the state on Day 2. Blink, blink. Fade to black. P.S. It’s good to be a Robbins these days. Mason, Walker’s brother and an outfielder in the Chicago White Sox’s system, is playing very well in A-ball (see previous post), and another brother, Logan, went 6-0 this season for national champion Jones County Junior College.

10 Jun

look who’s back

Chris Coghlan must be one happy dude. When Thursday dawned, the former Ole Miss standout was batting .146 for a last-place team. By day’s end, he was a member of the team with the best record in baseball. Coghlan, who recharged his sagging career with the Chicago Cubs in 2014-15, was reacquired by the club from Oakland, where he had been shipped in February. Injuries have struck the Cubs, and Coghlan can play a lot of positions. He wasn’t hitting much for the A’s, but perhaps he’ll recapture some magic with Chicago. He batted .250 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs last season and .283 with nine and 41 in 2014. The Cubs are in Atlanta tonight. P.S. It was, as expected, a rather quiet first day of the MLB draft for Mississippians. Mississippi State right-hander Dakota Hudson went at the end of Round 1, 34th overall, to St. Louis, and Ole Miss outfielder J.B. Woodman was picked in the second round, 57th overall, by Toronto. Things should pick up today for Magnolia State players.