MLB Network Archives - All Mississippi Baseball

14 Jul

pick five

As the eighth overall pick in the MLB draft, Purvis High product JoJo Parker is in elite company. Only three other high school players from Mississippi have been drafted at No. 8 or higher in the 60-year history of the draft. Ted Nicholson was taken third overall in 1969 out of Oak Park in Laurel by the Chicago White Sox, Donny Castle went eighth in 1968 out of Coldwater High to the Washington Senators and Kirk Presley was selected No. 8 in 1993 out of Tupelo High by the New York Mets. Only Castle made it to the big leagues. Parker, a lefty-hitting shortstop, was the state Gatorade player of the year and is regarded as one of the best pure hitters in the 2025 draft class. He was picked by Toronto; the slot value of the eighth pick is $6.81 million, according to mlb.com. (Konnor Griffin, the ninth overall pick last year out of Jackson Prep, signed with Pittsburgh for approximately $6.5M; he already has reached the High-Class A level.) Interestingly, 11 of the top 24 picks, including No. 1 Eli Willits, are high school shortstops. … Southern Miss’ J.B. Middleton was the 45th overall pick — the second pick of the second round — by Colorado. The right-hander was a 2025 All-America selection and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner. On MLB Network’s draft coverage, he was described by Tennessee coach Tony Vitello as “the ultimate competitor” and “a truly tough kid,” qualities a player would need to pitch at Colorado’s Coors Field. Vitello said he recruited Middleton out of Benton Academy. … In the third round, East Union High pitcher Landon Harmon, who can throw 99, went to Washington at No. 80 overall; Jake Cook, an unsung speed demon at Southern Miss, was picked at No. 81 by Toronto; and Ole Miss righty Mason Morris went at No. 83 to Cincinnati. … All told, five players from Mississippi schools, all natives of the state, were drafted on Day 1, which covered the first three rounds and 105 picks. … Of note: Milwaukee took with the 20th overall pick Tennessee third baseman Andrew Fischer, who played at Ole Miss in 2024 and hit 20 home runs, then popped 25 for the Vols this season. He could be at Double-A Biloxi in short order.

13 Jul

draft watch

Four players from Mississippi schools were picked on Day 1 in the 2024 MLB draft, two among the first 15 picks. Impressive, but … if MLB Pipeline’s current rankings mean anything, there are five from state schools who could go today when the 2025 draft begins (5 p.m., MLB Network). Rounds 1-3 cover 105 picks, including supplementals. MLB Pipeline has five state products ranked in the top 98. Purvis High’s JoJo Parker is the No. 9 prospect, Southern Miss’ J.B. Middleton No. 41, East Union High’s Landon Harmon No. 48, Lewisburg High’s Talon Haley No. 91 and Ole Miss’ Luke Hill No. 98. … The most intrigue surrounds Parker and how high he might go. A lefty-hitting shortstop and the state’s Gatorade player of the year, he is a consensus first-round talent, buoyed mainly by his hit tool. Baseball America has him at No. 10. Middleton rode a sinker/slider combo to a 10-1 record, first-team All-America recognition and the state’s Ferriss Trophy. MLB Pipeline notes that Middleton could become the highest-drafted pitcher from USM; Brandon Parker went 55th overall in 1997. Harmon, dominant in high school, goes 6 feet 5 and throws 99. Haley, a lefty and a Vanderbilt commit, has overcome cancer and arm surgeries; he had an 0.55 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 38 innings this season, per MaxPreps. Hill, an infielder and second-team All-SEC pick this season, hit .336 with eight homers and 18 steals. … Four other state players are ranked in the top 122 by MLB Pipeline: USM’s Jake Cook, whose speed turned heads in the MLB Combine; JoJo Parker’s twin Jacob, whose raw power stands out; Ole Miss’ 6-4, 225-pound right-hander Mason Morris; and Mississippi State’s crafty lefty Pico Kohn. (Of note: Former Ole Miss players Liam Doyle, a lefty, and Andrew Fischer, a third baseman, both of whom played at Tennessee this past year, are also regarded as first-round prospects. Doyle is one of the hardest throwers in the draft.) … Last year, Konnor Griffin was the ninth overall pick out of Jackson Prep and Mississippi State’s Jurrangelo Cijntje went 15th. MSU’s Khal Stephen was picked in the second round and Nate Dohm in the third, No. 84 overall. In addition, Braden Montgomery, a Madison Central grad, was picked 12th overall out of Texas A&M. Five players from state schools went in Rounds 4-9 and 21 were drafted overall in 2024. … The Athletic/New York Times singles out Cook and Ole Miss lefty Hunter Elliott as players outside its top 100 who might go higher than expected. P.S. Tens were wild for Mississippians in MLB on Saturday: 10 wins for Garrett Crochet, 10 homers for Matt Wallner and 10 strikeouts for Brandon Woodruff. Crochet, from Ocean Springs, threw a three-hit, nine-strikeout shutout — his first complete game — for his 10th win for surging Boston, which beat Tampa Bay for its ninth straight win. (Props to Mississippi State alum Jake Mangum, who went 0-for-4 but did not punch out for the Rays.) Ex-Southern Miss star Wallner hit his 10th homer — fourth in 14 games — as resurgent Minnesota drilled Pittsburgh 12-4 for its seventh win in nine games. Woodruff, former MSU standout from Wheeler, struck out 10 batters in 4 1/3 innings in just his second start of the year for Milwaukee, which beat Washington 6-5 for its sixth straight victory. … In case you missed it in Saturday’s All-Star Futures game, Griffin went 1-for-2 with an HBP (his right hand reportedly is OK); Montgomery was 0-for-3 with an RBI; and Cijntje, pitching both righty and lefty, struck out two and yielded an infield hit in his one inning.

10 Jul

here it comes

Strap in, seamheads. An action-packed stretch of star-quality baseball is coming up, and Mississippi connections abound. The rundown:
Friday: The HBCU Swingman Classic at Truist Park in Atlanta features Jackson State’s Robert Tate Jr., Jordan McCladdie, Joseph Eichelberger, Eric Elliott, Nkosi Didder and Erick Gonzalez, Jaylon Burrell of Alcorn State and Kade Wood of Mississippi Valley State. They are among the 50 HBCU players chosen for the third annual all-star game, set for 6 p.m. CDT and televised on MLB Network. Former Alcorn star Corey Wimberly is one of the coaches for the game.
(Also on Friday in Niigata, Japan, are Games 3 (and 4) of the USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Championship Series. Mississippi State’s Ace Reese and Ryan McPherson are on the Team USA roster.)
Saturday: The All-Star Futures Game (3 p.m., MLB Network) at Truist Park. Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep), Braden Montgomery (Madison Central) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU) are among the highly rated minor league prospects invited to this annual showcase. Former Jackson State star Marvin Freeman is a coach on the AL staff.
Sunday: The MLB draft begins with Rounds 1-3 (5 p.m., MLB Network). Mississippians JoJo Parker, J.B. Middleton and Landon Harmon, all ranked in the top 48 of MLB Pipeline’s latest draft prospect chart, are potential first-round picks. Former Ole Miss players Liam Doyle and Andrew Fischer, who played at Tennessee in 2025, could also be first-rounders.
(Game 5 of the USA-Japan collegiate series will played in Tokyo.)
Monday: The Home Run Derby at Truist Park (7 p.m., ESPN). Ex-MSU slugger Brent Rooker is in the field, along with former Mississippi Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., who’ll be hitting in his home park in the ATL.
(The MLB draft continues — and if past is prologue, a slew of Mississippi products will be picked on Day 2.)
Tuesday: The 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park (7 p.m., Fox). Rooker and Ocean Springs’ Garrett Crochet are on the American League roster. Acuna and fellow former M-Braves alum Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers) were voted in as starters for the National League, and former Biloxi Shuckers Josh Hader (now with Houston) and Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee) and M-Braves alum Max Fried (New York Yankees) will also be there.
Wednesday: The Frontier League All-Star Game at Troy, N.Y. Brian Williams, Victor Diaz and Travis Holt of the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters have been invited.

16 Jun

showtime in phoenix

JoJo Parker, the Purvis High star and projected first-round draft pick, is on the list of players from Mississippi schools who have accepted invitations to attend the MLB Draft Combine, which runs Tuesday through Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Tuesday workout will be televised from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. CDT by MLB Network, with former Mississippi State standout and big league manager Buck Showalter among the crew that will provide analysis. Parker, rated the No. 10 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, is among the players slated to participate in on-field events that will include batting practice and bullpen sessions. A game for the prep players is on tap for Tuesday night. Also scheduled to attend the showcase are Southern Miss’ Jake Cook and J.B. Middleton; Mississippi State’s Pico Kohn and Ben Davis; Ole Miss’ Mason Morris and Luke Hill; and high school grads Jacob Parker (JoJo’s twin from Purvis), Landon Harmon (East Union), Talon Haley (Lewisburg) and Griffin Enis (Corinth). Middleton, a first-team All-America pick and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner, and Harmon, the ace of East Union’s MHSAA Class 2A state title club, are top 50 draft prospects. In 2024, per an mlb.com story, 224 of the 305 players who participated in the Combine were drafted, including 75 of the first 100 picks. P.S. Austin Riley, Colt Keith and Brent Rooker are among the top 10 vote-getters at their positions in the MLB All-Star Game ballot standings released today. Ex-DeSoto Central High star Riley is seventh in the National League third base voting, while Biloxi High product Keith is sixth and ex-MSU standout Rooker seventh in the voting for American League DH. The All-Star Game is July 15 in Atlanta.

13 Mar

breaking out

The Spring Breakout games, featuring most of the best minor league talent, begin today with Boston’s squad taking on Tampa Bay (MLB Network, 6:05 p.m.). On the Red Sox’s roster is former DeSoto Central High star Blaze Jordan, while the Rays’ roster includes Mississippi State product Colton Ledbetter. The games, 16 all told, will run through Sunday. Among the Mississippians who could be featured are Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh), Braden Montgomery (Chicago White Sox), Tim Elko (White Sox), Cooper Pratt (Milwaukee), Dakota Jordan (San Francisco), Jurrangelo Cijntje (Seattle) and Tanner Hall (Minnesota). MLB Pipeline has pegged David Mershon, former All-SEC shortstop out of MSU, as a sleeper prospect on the Los Angeles Angels team. Though not ranked among the Angels’ Top 30, the 5-foot-7, 175-pound Mershon’s star appears to be ascending. From mlb.com: “He’s a switch-hitter with on-base skills and speed who can play excellent infield defense.” Drafted in the 18th round last summer after two years at State (.347, 27 steals last year), the South Carolina native went straight to Double-A and hit .254. The Angels then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, another high-talent loop, and Mershon batted .263 there. Invited to big league camp, he is 3-for-14 in A-games. The Angels’ Spring Breakout game is slated for Saturday (MLBN, 8:05 p.m.) against the Cubs. P.S. Justin Foscue, another former MSU infielder, was optioned to Triple-A by Texas on Wednesday. Foscue, batting .235 in big league games this spring, made his MLB debut in 2024 but hit just .048 (2-for-42). The 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, he has a .278 career average in the minors with 60 homers. … MSU alum Kendall Graveman, recently signed by Arizona as a free agent, has not pitched this spring because of a reported back issue. He missed all of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery.

14 Feb

here and there

Four out of a hundred ain’t bad, all things considered. Little ol’ Mississippi has produced four members of MLB Network’s Top 100 Right Now in the big leagues. Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central High star, is ranked No. 33, Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) No. 46, Garrett Crochet (Ocean Springs) No. 56 and Justin Steele (George County) No. 88. Riley leads a pack of seven former Mississippi Braves in the Top 100, with Freddie Freeman heading that list at No. 8. Ronald Acuna, coming back from injury, is No. 16. Spencer Strider, who missed most of 2024 and will start this season on the injured list, isn’t ranked at all after being No. 17 prior to last season. Three Biloxi Shuckers alumni made the new rankings, topped by Corbin Burnes at No. 35. … Former Ole Miss standout James McArthur had off-season elbow surgery and apparently will not be ready for the start of the season with Kansas City. McArthur, 28, had 22 saves for the Royals in 2023-24, his first two MLB campaigns. … The independent Mississippi Mud Monsters have added four players to their 2025 roster: pitcher/outfielder Tahj Cunningham, right-hander Luis Devers, catcher Nick Hassan and shortstop Travis Holt. The Feb. 12 signings were released on the Frontier League transactions page. Cunningham, 25, has played for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team and in a couple of foreign leagues in addition to a stint at Lake-Sumter State College, a Florida juco. Devers, 24, from the Dominican Republic, spent six seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ system, posting a 3.28 ERA. He was 4-3, 5.33, at High-Class A South Bend last season. Hassan, 25, is a former all-conference player at Kennesaw (Ga.) State (.323 last season) who played briefly in the Frontier League last summer. Holt, 25, played four years at High Point (N.C.) and another at Butler, batting .295 career; he has played a couple of seasons in indy ball.

16 Jan

taking a dip

Austin Riley tumbled in MLB Network’s ranking of the Top 10 Third Basemen Right Now, from No. 1 last year to No. 5. But that ranking ought to come with an asterisk. The former DeSoto Central High standout’s ’24 season was limited by injuries to 110 games — he went down for the year on Aug. 18 with a broken hand — but he still managed to hit 19 home runs while playing top-notch defense. He batted .256 and drove in 56 runs, scored 63 and posted a .783 OPS. He finished behind Jose Ramirez, Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman and Manny Machado in the MLB Network ranking. In 2023, when he was tops on that chart, Riley was an All-Star and batted .281 with 37 homers and 97 RBIs. Atlanta will be counting on a bounce-back year from the 27-year-old Riley, one of several Braves stars who were injured in 2024. … Another former Mississippi Braves star, William Contreras, now with Milwaukee, was ranked as the No. 1 catcher by MLB Network, and Biloxi Shuckers alum Devin Williams, now with the New York Yankees, was ranked No. 1 among relief pitchers. Ex-M-Braves star Michael Harris II checked in at No. 4 on the center field chart. P.S. Ex-Mississippi State standout J.P. France, now with Houston, told mlb.com that he hopes to be back in action in July after having shoulder surgery last summer. Right-hander France went 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA in five starts for the Astros in 2024 after winning 11 games as a rookie in 2023.

12 Nov

ring the bell

It’ll come as no surprise if Brent Rooker is awarded the Silver Slugger at DH in the American League. The former Mississippi State star hit .293 with 39 homers, 112 RBIs, 82 runs, 26 doubles, 11 steals, a .927 OPS and a 5.6 WAR for the (no longer Oakland) Athletics. All of those numbers were easily career-highs for the fifth-year big leaguer. He was tied for fourth in the AL in homers and ranked third in RBIs. No other Mississippian (native or school alum) came close to Rooker’s production this season, making Rooker a slam-dunk choice for the Cool Papa Bell Award. Other winners of the Bell — given here for the best performance by a Mississippian in MLB — include Justin Steele, Austin Riley, Tim Anderson, Corey Dickerson, Mitch Moreland, Brian Dozier, Desmond Jennings, Lance Lynn, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Chris Coghlan. For the record, Rooker made $750,000 this past season; he is due for a big jump in salary arbitration. P.S. Vicksburg native Dmitri Young was a guest on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show today and did an engaging interview ranging from his baseball card collection to his rising star nephew Quentin to his first MLB game against studio host Al Leiter. Young hit 171 homers in a 13-year big league career. … Jared Johnson, who powered Class 1A Smithville High to a state championship back in 2019, has been traded by Atlanta to the A’s for infielder Nick Allen. Johnson, 23, posted a 2.60 ERA as a reliever at High-Class A Rome in 2024 and has a 3.98 over his five minor league campaigns. The 6-foot-2 right-hander has 225 strikeouts in 183 1/3 career innings. Allen is a good defensive shortstop who hasn’t hit in limited big league time. … Former Biloxi Shuckers star Jackson Chourio, now with Milwaukee, was named a finalist for National League rookie of the year. He hit .275 with 21 homers and 22 steals. … Shuckers alum Brice Turang, a Gold Glove winner at second base, won the NL’s Platinum Glove as the best overall defensive player in the league. Turang was a first-round pick by Milwaukee in 2018 and played for the Double-A Shuckers in 2021. He posted a .989 fielding percentage with just seven errors at second base in 2024. He had 379 assists and a hand in 78 double plays. He led all major league players with 22 Defensive Runs Saved in 2024 per mlb.com and all NL fielders in Baseball Reference’s Defensive Wins Above Replacement stat. … Louisville native Marcus Thames apparently will be retained as hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox, who recently named Will Venable as their manager for 2025. The ChiSox went 41-121 last season, worst record in modern MLB history. … Brett Wellman, son of former Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman, has been named manager of the Down East Bird Dawgs, who’ll join the Mississippi Mud Monsters as an expansion team in the independent Frontier League next year. Brett Wellman, a bullpen catcher for the M-Braves when his dad was manager, played three years in the Toronto system.

08 Nov

odds and ends

Former Ole Miss standouts Derek Diamond and Kemp Alderman made the National League roster for Saturday’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game (7 p.m., MLB Network), though Alderman will not participate. Right-hander Diamond, a 2022 draftee by Pittsburgh, has a 2.45 ERA in seven AFL games; he pitched at the High-Class A level this past season. Alderman, a Miami prospect drafted in 2023, is second in the league with six homers but is not currently active. The list of Mississippians who have participated in the AFL’s showcase game en route to the big leagues over the years includes Austin Riley, Hunter Renfroe, Colt Keith, Brian Dozier, Chris Stratton, Billy Hamilton, Zack Cozart, Anthony Alford and Braxton Lee. … Also on Saturday, Ole Miss product Tim Elko will suit up for Team USA in the opener of the World Baseball Premier 12 Tournament in Mexico. The U.S. plays Puerto Rico. Elko had been playing in the AFL following a strong season in Double-A and Triple-A for the Chicago White Sox. Mississippi Braves alum Drake Baldwin, a touted catching prospect, is also on the Team USA roster. … Former Mississippi State stars Brent Rooker and Jordan Westburg along with Biloxi High alum Colt Keith are among the American League finalists for Silver Slugger Awards, honoring the top hitters at each position in each league. The winners will be announced on Tuesday. Rooker, who hit 39 home runs this year with the Athletics, is a finalist at DH; Westburg, a 2024 All-Star with Baltimore, is up for the award as a utility player; and Keith, who batted .260 as a rookie with Detroit, is one of three candidates at second base. Other finalists include former M-Braves Freddie Freeman (first base, Los Angeles Dodgers), William Contreras (catcher, Milwaukee) and Shea Langeliers (catcher, A’s). … Cooper Pratt, the former Mississippi prep player of the year at Magnolia Heights, won a Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove award at shortstop, one of just nine honorees from all of the minors. The second-year pro made only eight errors in 338 chances at two levels of A-ball in Milwaukee’s system. The Brewers’ No. 2-rated prospect by MLB Pipeline, he also batted .277 with eight homers, 45 RBIs and 27 steals. … Former Madison Central standout Regi Grace was among the 500-plus players who became minor league free agents this week. Grace, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, was 1-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 31 games at the Double-A level in Minnesota’s system. Drafted by the Twins in 2018, Grace has a 3.94 career ERA. Onetime big league pitchers Konnor Pilkington, a Mississippi State alum, and Michael Rucker, a Columbus native, also hit the market, as did ex-MSU standout Hunter Stovall. Stovall, 28, is a .277 career hitter who spent the last two seasons with Colorado’s Triple-A team. … Former Biloxi Shuckers Sal Frelick, Milwaukee’s right fielder, and Brice Turang, Brewers second baseman, won 2024 Gold Gloves in the National League, while Mississippi Braves alum Dylan Moore, who played six different positions for Seattle, picked one up as a utility player in the American League. All three were first-time winners. … Dave Parker, the Grenada native and seven-time MLB All-Star, is up for the National Baseball Hall of Fame again as part of the Classic Baseball Era ballot. The electees will be announced Dec. 8. MLB Network’s Dan Plesac, who played with Parker in Milwaukee, says “The Cobra” should be in the Hall, calling him a “marvelous teammate” who was “full of life” and “brought energy to the clubhouse.” Over a 19-year career (1973-91), Parker batted .290 with 339 home runs, 1,493 RBIs, 154 stolen bases and 143 outfield assists. Parker “knew he was good,” Plesac said in a recent broadcast, “and he was good.”

16 Jun

caught in a draft

A host of Magnolia State products will have the opportunity to enhance their draft stock at the upcoming MLB Draft Combine, which runs Tuesday-Sunday at Chase Field in Phoenix. Jackson Prep’s Konnor Griffin; former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery of Texas A&M; Mississippi State’s Dakota Jordan, Hunter Hines, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Khal Stephen and Nate Dohm; Ole Miss’ Hunter Elliott; Pearl River Community College’s Conner Ware; Lewisburg High’s Samuel Richardson; and former Lewisburg standout Brady Tygart of Arkansas are on the list of scheduled attendees. Griffin, Montgomery, Cijntje and Jordan are ranked among the top 29 draft prospects by MLB Pipeline. The draft is July 14-16. Players will get to participate in technological evaluations of their “cognitive skills, speed of processing, athletic performance and on-field talent,” per a story on mlb.com. A pro-style workout, strength tests and a game for prep players are also on the docket. Of note: Griffin — the Gatorade national player of the year — said in an MLB Central appearance last week that he doesn’t plan to participate in on-field activities. Asked on MLB Central to evaluate himself as a draft prospect, Griffin, in a polite and unassuming manner, said: “I know the skill set that I have. I feel like I’m a five-tool guy … one of the few five-tool guys in this draft.” An LSU commit, he pitched and played shortstop and outfield while at Prep but projects as an outfielder in pro ball. MLB Central’s Mark DeRosa said Griffin also has the “sixth tool,” aka makeup: “It’s beyond real.” … Montgomery’s Texas A&M team is in the College World Series in Omaha, though the first-team All-America outfielder is sidelined with an ankle injury. … Jordan won the Ferriss Trophy as Mississippi’s top college player. … Elliott had elbow surgery earlier this year and did not pitch for Ole Miss this season. … Ware, a Germantown High alum and LSU signee, made only seven appearances for PRCC, posting a 1.80 ERA and two saves. … Richardson, a preseason All-America pick and top draft prospect, had an off year, batting .211 with seven homers, per MaxPreps. … Vicksburg native and former big leaguer Dmitri Young is among the ex-players slated to work with the attendees, and former Mississippi State star and MLB manager Buck Showalter will be part of the MLB Network crew covering the event.