Tag Archives: MLB draft

09 Jun

there and here

Corey Dickerson slugged two homers for Tampa Bay on Wednesday, giving the former Meridian Community College standout 11 for the year. He leads the all-Mississippi home run derby by two over Ole Miss product Zack Cozart, who hit his ninth for Cincinnati. Ex-Southern Miss star Brian Dozier (Minnesota) has seven, and State alum Mitch Moreland (Texas) and UM’s Seth Smith (Seattle) have six each. … Dakota Hudson may be the only Mississippian picked on Day 1 of the MLB draft, which will go through 77 picks today. The Mississippi State right-hander, who has been garnering all types of honors of late as he also preps for the Super Regional showdown with Arizona, is rated 13th on Baseball America’s draft prospects list and 15th on mlb.com’s. Others who might get called today include Ole Miss’ J.B. Woodman, State’s Daniel Brown, Reid Humphreys and Jacob Robson, George County High’s Walker Robbins and Oxford High’s Thomas Dillard and Grae Kessinger. … Atlanta has the third overall pick – surely the Braves will take a college bat – and Milwaukee has the fifth. … Dansby Swanson, the Braves’ top prospect, has seen his average drop 30 points the last two weeks. The shortstop, one of four Mississippi Braves named to the Southern League All-Star Game, is batting .269 with four homers and 17 RBIs after an 0-for-4 on Wednesday night. … Mason Robbins, Walker’s brother, is on a tear at Class A Winston-Salem in the Chicago White Sox’s system. The ex-USM star, a lefty-hitting outfielder, has batted .410 over his last 10 games and is at .314 with two homers and 19 RBIs for the season. … Pearl River Community College will have a new coach in place soon. Michael Avalon, formerly of Mississippi Delta CC, is expected to be approved next week. The Wildcats went 25-21 in 2016, the last of Josh Hoffpauir’s six seasons as coach. … Robert Carson, the much-traveled former Hattiesburg High star, is now pitching for Southern Maryland, the independent Atlantic League club that Stone County High product Fred Lewis also plays for.

08 Jun

caught in a draft

On the eve of the MLB draft, a flashback to the 2006 draft gives a little perspective on how hard it is to get to the big leagues. Three Mississippi-connected players who were selected that year and signed made The Show, and all three are there now: Chris Coghlan, Alex Presley and Jarrod Dyson. Coghlan was a supplemental first-round pick by Florida, fellow Ole Miss product Presley went in the eighth round to Pittsburgh and Dyson, from Southwest Mississippi Community College, was taken in the 50th round, 1,475th overall, by Kansas City. (Tyler Moore was drafted by Washington in 2006 out of Meridian CC but didn’t sign; he was drafted again by the Nationals in 2008 out of Mississippi State and signed.) According to Baseball America’s draft database, 30 Mississippians were picked in 2006, including Hillcrest product Justin Reed (fourth round), UM’s Garrett White (sixth) and Southern Miss’ Marc Maddox (ninth). Maddox made it to Triple-A, the other two never got past A-ball. Other notable names in that draft: Mississippi Valley State’s Zach Penprase, Millsaps’ Garner Wetzel and State’s Jeffrey Rea (who didn’t sign). P.S. So sad to hear about the passing of Bill Marchant, who succeeded the legendary Boo Ferriss as Delta State coach in 1989 and proceeded to leave his own stamp on the program. Marchant, who coached the last three years of his eight-year tenure in a wheelchair after a 1993 car accident, posted a 283-127-1 record with the Statesmen. His final team, in 1996, went 53-8, the winningest season in DSU history, and made the NCAA Division II World Series. Marchant also played at Delta State (for Ferriss) and taught there after he retired from coaching. “Being here was a dream come true for me, and the coaching part was something that I always wanted to do, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” he told gostatesmen.com in a 2015 interview.

28 May

lonely at the top

Seven Mississippi-connected players show up in Baseball America’s latest list of the top 200 draft prospects – but only one of them rates among the top 100. Mississippi State’s Dakota Hudson checks in at No. 14, though that doesn’t necessarily mean the right-hander will be a first-round pick next month. The rankings are an assessment of talent, not a draft projection. You have to scroll all the way down to No. 113 to find George County High star Walker Robbins, a lefty-hitting first baseman. Oxford High products Thomas Dillard (catcher) and Grae Kessinger (shortstop) are listed at 141 and 144. Outfielder J.B. Woodman, who has had a huge year for Ole Miss, is No. 171, while teammate and shortstop Errol Robinson, having an off year, is rated 182. No. 199 is State outfielder/pitcher Reid Humphreys. Hudson will likely be the first Mississippian picked; an mlb.com mock draft has him going 13th to Tampa Bay. But you never know. Some team might take a shine to Kessinger’s defense — he is the grandson of ex-big leaguer Don Kessinger — or Humphreys’ power — he is the brother of erstwhile big leaguer Tyler Moore — or the athletic ability of some junior college player no one’s talking about. The surprises — that’s the coolest aspect of the MLB draft. P.S. BA’s draft prospects list runs 500 deep on its web site. Pearl River Community College’s Zach Clark (shortstop/pitcher), Itawamba CC’s Delvin Zinn (shortstop), Ole Miss’ Henri Lartigue (catcher) and State’s Daniel Brown (lefty pitcher) rank in the 200s. … The top pick from Mississippi last year was Austin Riley, taken 41st overall by Atlanta out of DeSoto Central. Riley, recently featured in BA (June 3-17 issue), is batting .229 with three homers and 19 RBIs at Class A Rome.

29 Apr

feeling a draft

Mississippi State’s Dakota Hudson, who notched his sixth win of the year on Thursday, is ranked No. 10 on MLBPipeline’s latest list of the Top 100 draft prospects. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-hander has “the look of a frontline starter.” He wasn’t razor sharp against Alabama but went five innings, yielding six hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts in the Bulldogs’ 12-5 win. Hudson, who emerged as a prospect last summer in the Cape Cod League, is 6-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 74 K’s in 72 innings. Ole Miss ace Brady Bramlett, who is actually having a better year than Hudson, didn’t make the MLBPipeline list. Bramlett left after 3 1/3 innings of the Rebels’ 7-6 win against LSU on Thursday, having yielded seven hits and three earned runs, but for the season is 6-2, 2.61 with 73 K’s in 58 2/3 innings. Bramlett was drafted in the 22nd round by Oakland in 2015; he should go higher this summer. The only other Mississippian on the MLBPipeline list is George County High’s Walker Robbins, who checks in at 91. The State signee, a lefty-hitting first baseman who also pitches, is batting .469 with three homers and is 5-1, 0.46 on the mound. … Hudson was rated No. 19 by Baseball America in its March 10 draft prospect list. Ole Miss shortstop Errol Robinson, who has had a down year, was No. 57 and Oxford High catcher Thomas Dillard was No. 82.

05 Jan

on draft board

After two standout seasons at Ole Miss and an All-Star summer in the Cape Cod League, Errol Robinson has emerged as a top draft prospect for 2016. Baseball America rates the junior shortstop No. 21 among eligible college players. Robinson batted .297 with 31 runs and 30 RBIs in 58 games for the Rebels in 2015, then hit .312 with 15 steals in the Cape. He is the highest ranked shortstop on the college board. Mississippi State right-hander Dakota Hudson is rated No. 20 on BA’s recently released list, fellow Bulldogs pitcher Zac Houston is No. 67 and UM righty Chad Smith is No. 68. P.S. Former Mississippi State stars Ed Easley and Adam Frazier will be in Pittsburgh’s major league spring training camp next month, along with Mississippi Braves alumnus Antoan Richardson. Catcher Easley, 30, a former first-round pick, got six at-bats with St. Louis last summer. He spent most of the year at Triple-A Memphis, batting .251 with four homers. He is a career .264 hitter. The Pirates signed Easley as a minor league free agent on New Year’s Day. Frazier hit .324 in Double-A in 2015, his third pro season. The infielder also played in the Arizona Fall League and the Premier 12 international tournament in the off-season. Richardson, a fleet outfielder who was injured much of last season, is getting an opportunity with a seventh organization. He has some limited MLB time.

04 Jan

the road ahead

In the 2014 MLB draft, major league clubs plucked the likes of Jacob Lindgren, Chris Ellis, Bobby Bradley, Justin Steele, Auston Bousfield and Jonathan Holder out of the Magnolia State. Lindgren has already made it to The Show, and the others have shown nice progress. Blake Anderson, drafted ahead of all of them at 36th overall by Miami out of West Lauderdale High, has lagged. Anderson, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound catcher, spent his second pro summer in short-season A-ball and batted .220 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 31 games. The Marlins are very high on Anderson’s defense, especially his arm, and he is rated their No. 23 prospect by mlb.com. But he still has some things to figure out at the plate. To wit: He struck out 42 times and drew three walks in 118 at-bats. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” Anderson tweeted that last summer. He turns 20 in January, still very young, but the 2016 season could be a pivotal one for him. P.S. Wonder how the New York Yankees’ acquisition of Aroldis Chapman will impact Lindgren’s future with the club. Lindgren, a lefty reliever out of Mississippi State, had a 5.14 ERA in seven games for the Yanks last year before having elbow surgery in June. He is healthy now, but there may not be a spot for him in a stacked bullpen. … Donnie Veal, the well-traveled Jackson native and big league veteran, has signed a minor league deal with Texas. Lefty Veal pitched for Atlanta briefly in 2015 and has been wintering in the Dominican Winter League (1.69 ERA in 17 appearances).

01 Oct

three of a kind

At some point during Instructional League in Florida, the Toronto Blue Jays could trot out an outfield of three Mississippians. (Since no box scores are available from this league, it may already have happened.) The Blue Jays have former Petal High star Anthony Alford, Stone County product D.J. Davis and Mississippi Valley State alum Kalik May in their Dunedin camp this fall. All three have multiple tools and, presumably, bright futures. Alford, a third-round pick in 2012 who gave up football last year, is the most advanced. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-handed hitter batted .298 with four homers, 35 RBIs and 27 steals at two levels of A-ball. He was anointed by Baseball America as the best player in the Toronto system. Not far behind is Davis, 6-1, 180, a left-handed hitter drafted in the first round in 2012. He had a strong second year at low Class A Lansing: .282, seven homers, 59 RBIs and 21 bags. He is rated the No. 12 prospect in the system by mlb.com; Alford is No. 3. May, 6-2, 205, was just drafted in June, in the 33rd round. More project than prospect at this time, the switch-hitter batted .261 with two homers, 12 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in the Gulf Coast League — not a bad start. As a senior at Valley in 2015, May hit .335 with four homers, 33 RBIs and 22 steals. He was a standout at East Central Community College in 2012-13 (where he played with Chicago White Sox prospect Tim Anderson). Obviously, the odds of Alford, Davis and May reaching the big leagues with the Blue Jays at the same time would have to be pretty long. But, hey, stuff like that happens in baseball. The three Alous in San Francisco. The Young, Frank and Stynes outfield in Cincinnati. … Note, also, that the Blue Jays have a fourth Mississippi-connected outfielder in their system but not in the IL: Alcorn State alum Earl Burl III, a 30th-round selection in June who batted .216 at short season Class A Vancouver.

08 Sep

first steps

Austin Riley was the first Mississippian picked in this year’s MLB draft, going higher than projected as a supplemental first-rounder to Atlanta. His performance as a rookie pro makes Braves brass look pretty sharp. The DeSoto Central High product, a third baseman, batted .304 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs over 60 games at two levels; he hit .351 with five homers at Danville. Austin’s debut was easily the best among Mississippians drafted this June. LeDarious Clark, after a spectacular start (see previous posts), faded in rookie ball for Texas. The former East Mississippi Community College standout finished at .276 with eight homers, 24 RBIs and 29 steals, still not a bad first step on what is a long road to the big leagues. Other good starts from 2015 draftees: Southern Miss alum Cody Carroll put up a 1.75 ERA with three saves in rookie ball for the New York Yankees; ex-Ole Miss star Scott Weathersby went 3-1 with a 2.48 in low Class A for Houston; and Northwest Mississippi CC product Dalton Dulin went 4-for-5 in his last game to finish at .273 with 27 runs in short season A-ball for Washington. The second Mississippian drafted, right-hander Jacob Taylor from Pearl River CC, made just one appearance in Pittsburgh’s system, then had Tommy John surgery. Among those who had a tough time on the field, Melvin Rodriguez, the SWAC player of the year from Jackson State, hit .200 with no homers in short season A-ball with Washington; ex-UM slugger Sikes Orvis hit .231 with four homers in 42 games in rookie ball with the Chicago White Sox; and former USM standout James McMahon, the 2015 Ferriss Trophy winner, had a 6.44 ERA at the rookie level for Colorado. P.S. Former Vancleave High star Colin Bray started his pro career in 2013 after Arizona made him a sixth-round pick out of an Alabama junior college. His older brother and fellow VHS alum Tyler was signed a year later by St. Louis, which drafted him in the 23rd round out of Louisiana-Monroe. The Bray brothers, whose father Scott played minor league ball, both were in the Class A Midwest League this summer and crossed paths in a series at Peoria, Ill., in late May/early June. On June 1, with family and friends in the ballpark, Tyler, a pitcher for Peoria, worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning but did not face Colin, who started in right field for Kane County. Colin, 22, had a good full season in the MWL, batting .308 with 52 RBIs, 78 runs and 27 stolen bases. Tyler, 23, had his moments, as well, going 2-2 with two saves and a 4.97 ERA in 24 games after being promoted to Peoria. Perhaps the brothers will hook up again someday, maybe in the big leagues.

28 Aug

field notes

Hunter Renfroe isn’t a one-trick pony – he can run and throw a little, too – but his power just keeps grabbing attention. The ex-Mississippi State star from Crystal Springs launched his fourth homer in nine games for Triple-A El Paso on Thursday. Renfroe, playing right field and hitting second for the Chihuahuas, is 12-for-36 with 11 RBIs and eight runs since San Diego promoted him to the Pacific Coast League on Aug. 19. … Southern Miss product Cody Carroll, drafted in the 22nd round in June by the New York Yankees, has a 1.82 ERA through 13 games for Pulaski in the rookie-level Appalachian League. Carroll notched the save, with three innings of work, in a division-clinching win earlier this week. He was 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA as a starter for USM last season. … Despite a recent slump, former Ole Miss standout Braxton Lee is batting .269 with 21 steals and 44 runs in 108 games for Tampa Bay’s Class A Port Charlotte team. The left-handed hitting center fielder, in his second pro season, got 12 bags in 51 games in 2014. … First-year pro Kalik May, a Mississippi Valley State alumnus, is holding his own in the Gulf Coast League, batting .257 with two homers, 12 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Toronto took May, a switch-hitting outfielder who goes 6 feet 2, 205 pounds, in the 33rd round. The Jays have three other Mississippi-produced outfielders playing at different levels in their system: Anthony Alford (Petal), D.J. Davis (Stone County) and Earl Burl III (Alcorn State).

26 Aug

showing flashes

At MLB draft time in 2014, he was 17 and a strapping 6 feet 3, 180 pounds with a quick bat, good speed and a strong arm. Ti’Quan Forbes, the former Columbia High star, looked like a rough draft of a big league player. He turns 19 today, and his form is still not well-defined. A second-round pick in 2014 by Texas, Forbes is hitting .251 with no homers, 34 RBIs and 11 steals in 96 games over two seasons at the entry levels of the minors. A shortstop at Columbia, he is now playing mostly third base and has made 35 errors. He is ranked the No. 21 prospect in the Rangers’ system, and his estimated time of arrival is listed at 2018 by mlb.com. That would seem optimistic but not unrealistic. “Everything about his game is projection-based because he flashes you things that you want to see,” a scout told Baseball America a few weeks before the 2014 draft. In his debut summer, Forbes hit .241 in the Arizona League with just five extra base hits. At short season Class A Spokane this year, he’s at .260 with 10 extra base hits, 18 RBIs and one stolen base in 48 games. He recently put together a seven-game hit streak and is batting .361 over his last 10 games. A flash, you might say.