Tag Archives: MLB draft

05 Jun

caught in a draft

Joe DiFabio is the answer to a good – no, make that a great – trivia question. Who was the first Mississippian (native or college alum) to be picked in the first round of the MLB draft? DiFabio, a right-hander out of Delta State, went 20th overall to St. Louis in the very first draft in 1965. Despite a good pro career (45-34 record, 3.28 ERA), DiFabio never made the big leagues. That’s the fickle nature of baseball — and the baseball draft. Being picked high is no guarantee of an MLB job, nor does going in a later round mean you’ve got no chance. Several Mississippians currently in the majors are evidence of that. Brian Dozier, having an All-Star worthy season (.251, 12 homers, 30 RBIs, 13 steals, 48 runs) for Minnesota, was an eighth-round pick out of Southern Miss in 2009. Corey Dickerson, batting .348 with seven homers in his second MLB season with Colorado, was picked in the eighth round in 2010 out of Meridian Community College. Aaron Barrett, having a marvelous rookie season with Washington (0.87 ERA in 22 games), was a ninth rounder from Ole Miss that year. Mitch Moreland, batting .256 with two homers and 17 RBIs in his fifth year as a regular in Texas, was a 17th rounder out of Mississippi State in 2007. And then there’s Jarrod Dyson. He is batting .275 with 10 stolen bases and playing solid defense in center field as a part-timer for Kansas City. Dyson was a 50th-round pick in 2006 out of Southwest Mississippi Community College and made The Show four years later. There might not be a Mississippian selected in today’s first round, but plenty will be called in the next 39. As Dyson and others have shown, all you need is an opportunity. P.S. Belhaven University is ranked 18th in final NAIA poll. The Blazers went 42-21 and made the regionals. Two BU players, Tyler Akins and Paul Pickerrell, were named All-Americans. … Three Mississippi high schools, all state champions, made the top 27 in Baseball America’s final poll. West Lauderdale was No. 10, New Hope No. 24 and Oak Grove No. 27.

02 Jun

think about it …

It’s not too early to start thinking about it. Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss in a Super Regional at Oxford-University Stadium (a.k.a. Swayze Field) next weekend. State is undefeated in the Lafayette Regional heading into a game tonight against host Louisiana-Lafayette. (ULL exacted its revenge on Jackson State today, ending the Tigers’ season.) Ole Miss is undefeated in the Oxford Regional heading into Monday’s play. Don’t bet against both the Bulldogs and Rebels getting through. Pitting those two rivals in a best-of-3 series with a trip to the College World Series hanging in the balance would be some kind of show. State went to the CWS just last year, finishing runner-up to UCLA, and would dearly love to paint Omaha maroon again this summer. Ole Miss hasn’t been to the CWS since 1972. ’Nuff said. Recall that the Rebels beat the Bulldogs two of three in Starkville in early April in their SEC series. UM won the rubber game 12-2, pounding out 20 hits in front of a stunned Dudy Noble Field crowd. The teams played again on April 22 in the Governor’s Cup at Trustmark Park in Pearl. State won 8-3. The atmosphere that night was electric, but it won’t hold a candle to what Oxford will be like if the Super Regional matchup happens. It’ll be Mississippi Madness. Just think about it. P.S. Columbia High shortstop Ti’Quan Forbes is projected to be chosen by the Atlanta Braves with the 32nd pick, according to Baseball America’s latest MLB mock draft. The Braves got that pick as compensation for losing Brian McCann to free agency.

28 May

mission accomplished

Ole Miss product Lance Lynn had made 146 career starts, minors and majors, heading into Tuesday’s turn against the New York Yankees. For the first time, the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander finished what he started. Lynn notched his first complete game, beating the Yankees 6-0 with a five-hitter. “It was definitely one to remember,” Lynn told The Associated Press. “To do it against the Yankees is exciting, especially if it’s your first one as a professional.” Lynn walked three and struck out two, throwing 126 pitches. He had won just one of his previous six starts but is now 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA. For his MLB career, Lynn is 40-20. And his Cardinals have won 10 of 13 to get to 29-23, 1½ games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central. P.S. Another name to watch in the upcoming MLB draft: Justin Steele, a left-hander at George County High. Baseball America ranks the Southern Miss signee as the No. 120 prospect overall. Steele, 6 feet 2, 170 pounds, went 5-1 with a 0.98 ERA, struck out 92 and walked just 12 in 43 innings.

15 May

feeling a draft

The college season is winding down, which can only mean the MLB draft is sneaking up on us. It starts June 5 with the first round. No Mississippians are projected to go in that big-money round in Baseball America’s latest rankings, but things can change and often do. Columbia High shortstop Ti’Quan Forbes remains the top-rated Mississippi prospect, checking in at No. 55. Harrison Central first baseman Bobby Bradley is also on the BA list at No. 84. Two Mississippi college players are rated in the top 100: Ole Miss right-hander Chris Ellis (69) and Mississippi State lefty Jacob Lindgren (89). Last year’s top pick from the state was State’s Hunter Renfroe, 13th overall by San Diego. He is now at high Class A Lake Elsinore and hitting .255 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and eight stolen bases. East Central Community College product Tim Anderson also went in the first round last June, 17th to the Chicago White Sox. He is batting .243 with six RBIs, 17 runs and five steals at high-A Winston-Salem. P.S. Cody Satterwhite, a second-round pick by Detroit out of Ole Miss way back in 2008, is making a nice comeback in the New York Mets’ system. Playing at Double-A Binghamton, right-hander Satterwhite has a 0.89 ERA in 13 appearances. Now 27, Satterwhite has soldiered through injuries and surgeries and a tour of independent ball to get this second chance at making the majors. “The whole process, it’s helped me in the long run,” he told ESPN New York in a recent story.

13 Jan

a name to remember

High school players from Mississippi who go directly to pro ball tend to have a tough time with the transition. (Yes, Billy Hamilton looks like an exception to that rule.) But don’t be surprised if a major league club rolls the dice come draft time on Ti’Quan Forbes, the standout shortstop from Columbia High. Forbes, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound right-handed hitter, could be a first-round pick in June, quite possibly the first Mississippian (prep or college) to be selected. Forbes is showing up on a number of draft prospect lists; Baseball America has him at No. 39 on its most recent Top 50. Forbes batted .391 with six home runs, 39 RBIs and 10 steals in 2013. His is a name to remember.