Tag Archives: MLB

21 Feb

boys of spring

Louis Coleman seems to have landed on his feet. Released by Kansas City – after reportedly agreeing to a contract for 2016 – the Greenwood native signed last week with the Los Angeles Dodgers, another club that figures to contend this season and has more room in its bullpen. Coleman, who spent most of 2015 in Triple-A, has a 3.20 career ERA in 152 big league games. He is in spring training camp with a host of other Mississippians. Here’s the list:

40-man roster members
Position players
Joey Butler (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC), Cleveland; Chris Coghlan (Ole Miss), Chicago Cubs; Zack Cozart (Ole Miss), Cincinnati; Brian Dozier (Southern Miss), Minnesota; Corey Dickerson (Meridian CC), Tampa Bay; Jarrod Dyson (Southwest CC), Kansas City; Billy Hamilton (Taylorsville), Cincinnati; Desmond Jennings (Itawamba CC), Tampa Bay; Tyler Moore (Mississippi State), Washington; Mitch Moreland (MSU), Texas; Seth Smith (Ole Miss), Seattle

Pitchers
Aaron Barrett (Ole Miss), Washington/injured; Louis Coleman (Greenwood/Pillow Academy), Los Angeles Dodgers; David Goforth (Ole Miss), Milwaukee; Kendall Graveman (MSU), Oakland; T.J. House (Picayune High) Cleveland; Jacob Lindgren (MSU), New York Yankees; Lance Lynn (Ole Miss), St. Louis/injured; Jonathan Papelbon (MSU), Washington; Drew Pomeranz (Ole Miss), San Diego; Tony Sipp (Gulf Coast CC), Houston; Chris Stratton (MSU), San Francisco

Non-roster invitees
Position players
Anthony Alford (Petal), Toronto; Tim Anderson (East Central CC), Chicago White Sox; Ed Easley (MSU), Pittsburgh; Adam Frazier (MSU), Pittsburgh; JaCoby Jones (Richton), Detroit; Alex Presley (Ole Miss), Milwaukee; Hunter Renfroe (MSU), San Diego; Kade Scivicque (Southwest CC), Detroit; Stuart Turner (Ole Miss), Minnesota; Wade Wass (Meridian CC), Los Angeles Angels; Alex Yarbrough (Ole Miss), Los Angeles Angels

Pitchers
Scott Copeland (Southern Miss), Toronto; Chris Ellis (Ole Miss), Atlanta; Chad Girodo (MSU), Toronto; Cody Reed (Northwest CC), Cincinnati

02 Feb

lists and stuff

Former Petal High star Anthony Alford leads a group of five Mississippi-connected players appearing in MLBPipeline’s Top 100 minor league prospects list for 2016. Alford, an outfielder in the Toronto system who gave up football at Ole Miss last year to focus on pro baseball, is ranked No. 42. East Central Community College product Tim Anderson (shortstop, Chicago White Sox) is No. 47; Horn Lake High and Northwest Mississippi CC alum Cody Reed (left-hander, Cincinnati) is No. 66; former Copiah Academy and Mississippi State standout Hunter Renfroe (outfielder, San Diego) is No. 92; and Harrison Central High product Bobby Bradley (first baseman, Cleveland) is No. 93. Renfroe is the only one among the five that has reached the Triple-A level. The full Top 100 list is on mlb.com. … Ex-Pillow Academy star Louis Coleman has been taken off of Kansas City’s 40-man roster and designated for assignment. … Ole Miss is ranked 16th in the Sporting News preseason poll that appears in the magazine’s 2016 Baseball Yearbook. The Rebels are the only state school appearing in that poll. … Defending MHSAA Class 5A champion Oxford High (35-1 in 2015) is ranked No. 3 in the Perfect Game preseason prep poll that appears in the Sporting News yearbook. Senior Jason Barber, the state’s 2015 Gatorade player of the year and a MaxPreps preseason All-America pick, is the star on a loaded club that also includes Grae Kessinger (grandson of ex-big leaguer Donnie) and Ben Bianco (son of Ole Miss coach Mike). Oxford plays Amory and Center Hill on Feb. 20 in a home jamboree. … Walker Robbins of George County is a third-team All-America pick by Perfect Game.

29 Jan

no place like home?

For a major league hitter, there’s no place like Coors Field. Corey Dickerson certainly seemed to enjoy playing there, batting .355 with 24 home runs in 122 games at Coors for the Colorado Rockies. Traded by the Rockies to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, the former Brookhaven Academy and Meridian Community College star is now entering a brave new world. His new home, Tropicana Field, is a much more pitcher-friendly park. The left-handed hitting left fielder is a .249 hitter with 15 homers (in 143 games) away from Coors Field. But the Rays, who gave up reliever Jake McGee to get Dickerson, don’t seem overly concerned. As Matt Silverman, Rays president of baseball operations, told mlb.com: “We believe in the skill set that Corey has and that it will translate to our ballpark and will really play to any ballpark in the league.” The trade also gives Tampa Bay a glut of outfielders, including three others that have played primarily in left: ex-Itawamba CC star Desmond Jennings, Brandon Guyer and Steve Pearce. There has been chatter for weeks that Jennings, coming off two injury-plagued seasons, might be moved. He is a career .249 hitter with 48 homers and 93 steals. P.S. Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton, who had surgery on a torn labrum last fall, recently told mlb.com: “I’m not 100 percent yet, but close to it. We had a schedule to be ready right around spring training. As of right now, we’re on track to make that happen.” Hamilton, perhaps the fastest player in the game, stole 57 bases for Cincinnati but hit just .226 and lost his leadoff role last year. Injuries limited him to 114 games. … There have been reports that Miami is interested in 37-year-old left-hander Cliff Lee, the former Meridian CC standout who missed all of last season with an arm problem.

26 Jan

who’s next?

It’s a good question for a rainy day: Who’ll be the next Mississippian to break into the major leagues? A lot of unpredictable factors that impact opportunity come into play over the course of a season. Still, it’s a good bet that the next Magnolia State big leaguer will come from among this group:
Chris Stratton, San Francisco. The former Mississippi State ace reached Triple-A in his fourth pro season and made the Giants’ 40-man protected roster. A right-handed starter, he went 5-10 with a 3.95 ERA at two levels in 2015, pitching better at Triple-A Sacramento than in Double-A. The Giants have a deep rotation, so it might take an injury for Stratton to get a shot this year.
Chris Ellis, Atlanta. The Ole Miss alum hasn’t pitched above Double-A, but reports are the 6-foot-5 right-hander will get a long look in Atlanta’s spring camp. Ellis, described as “polished” and “athletic,” went 7-4 with a 3.92 ERA at Double-A Arkansas in 2015, his second pro season. Acquired by Atlanta from the Los Angeles Angels this off-season, he is rated the Braves’ No. 11 prospect by mlb.com.
Hunter Renfroe, San Diego. The Mississippi State product, ranked as the Padres’ No. 2 prospect by mlb.com, is not on the 40-man roster but will be in camp. At Triple-A El Paso last year, Renfroe batted .333 with six homers, and he totaled 24 bombs for the year. He also has a right fielder’s arm. Matt Kemp is penciled in as San Diego’s right fielder but could be moved to center if (when?) Melvin Upton struggles.
Cody Reed, Cincinnati. The former Northwest Mississippi Community College standout has been labeled a player to watch in the Reds’ camp this spring. A power left-hander who goes 6 feet 5, 225 pounds, Reed posted a 6-2 record and 2.17 ERA at Double-A Pensacola after the Reds got him in a mid-summer trade with Kansas City. Baseball America rates Reed the No. 2 prospect in Cincy’s system.
Bobby Wahl, Oakland. The ex-Ole Miss star may contend for a bullpen role this spring as a non-roster player. Wahl, who has had some injury issues, made Double-A in 2015 and put up a 4.18 ERA with four saves in 24 appearances at Midland. Scouts rave about his stuff, which is better than his numbers might suggest.
Chad Girodo, Toronto. The lefty reliever out of Mississippi State reached the Triple-A level last year and has popped up in some of the Blue Jays’ prospect charts. He has a 2.30 ERA in 160 2/3 minor league innings and pitched well in the Arizona Fall League. He’ll be in the Jays’ camp as a non-roster invitee. And again, he’s a lefty.

12 Jan

from the stove

Having agreed to terms with free agent Gerardo Parra, Colorado may look to deal an outfielder, and Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson is a candidate to be moved. Not only is Dickerson a quality left-handed bat, but he is four years from free agency. Baltimore, where Parra finished 2015, is a possible destination. … Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan, who figures to see limited playing time with the talent-laden Chicago Cubs, might be a fit in Baltimore, some have speculated. Coghlan has enjoyed a career resurgence with the Cubs the last two years. … Former Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart’s time in Cincinnati could be coming to an end soon. The Reds are in the process of signing 21-year-old Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, the 2014-15 Serie Nacional rookie of the year. Rodriguez is labeled “a glove-first prospect with good speed” whose bat still needs some polish. He’ll likely start 2016 in the minors but could eventually push Cozart out of his starting role. There already had been rumors that Cozart might be dealt this season by the rebuilding Reds. … Southern Miss and William Carey alum Dan Jennings, the ex-Miami Marlins GM and manager, is now a special assistant to the president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals. (Can he help concoct a trade involving closer Jonathan Papelbon, the controversial ex-Mississippi State standout? Probably not.) … Months of wheeling and dealing by Atlanta’s front office has left just 11 Mississippi Braves alumni on the Braves’ current 40-man roster. Only three of those are position players: Freddie Freeman, Daniel Castro and Mallex Smith. The latest to go was power-hitting outfielder Joey Terdoslavich, put on waivers last week and claimed by Baltimore, which really must have a need for outfielders.

11 Jan

tiger tales

There could be some Mississippi flavor coming to the Detroit Tigers’ roster in the near future. Richton’s JaCoby Jones and Madison’s Spencer Turnbull are rated among the top nine prospects in the Detroit system by both Baseball America and mlb.com. And not too far behind is Kade Scivicque, a Southwest Mississippi Community College product who has been labeled a “hidden gem” in the club’s 2015 draft crop. Jones, a shortstop acquired by the Tigers from Pittsburgh in a trade last summer, was rated the No. 5 prospect on Baseball America’s chart, released last week. The former Mr. Baseball, who played at LSU, batted .257 with 16 homers, 80 RBIs and 25 steals in 2015, finishing the season in Double-A. He also played well in the Arizona Fall League before getting slapped with a 50-game drug of abuse suspension that will carry into the 2016 season. That setback notwithstanding, Jones “has the raw tools to be an exciting difference-maker,” reports MLBPipeline, which rates Jones ninth in the Tigers’ organization. Former Madison Central star Turnbull, who pitched at Alabama, was pegged No. 9 by BA (and fifth by mlb.com). Turnbull, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA as a starter in low Class A last season. Wrote BA’s Ben Badler in a website chat, “I do think ultimately his best role will be in the bullpen. … (H)e has the two-pitch mix led by that wicked power fastball that would play well in that role.” Scivicque, an All-America catcher at LSU, was drafted in the fourth round and played at two levels of A-ball last summer, batting .269 with five homers. He is reputed to have outstanding defensive skills.

28 Dec

going camping

Cody Reed is not on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster, but the Northwest Mississippi Community College alum is going to big league camp and should get a long look there. Reed, a left-handed starter from Horn Lake, was acquired by the Reds in a trade last summer and put up shiny numbers at Double-A Pensacola: 6-2, 2.17 ERA. Also on the list of non-roster invitees for this spring are Stuart Turner (Minnesota) and Scott Copeland (Toronto). Former Southern Miss standout Copeland, who went 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA in five games for the Blue Jays in 2015, re-signed with the team as a minor league free agent. Ole Miss alum Turner, a 2013 draftee, was the catcher for Double-A Chattanooga, which won the Southern League pennant last season. Ex-Rebels star Alex Presley, an MLB veteran, is going to Milwaukee’s camp on a minor-league deal (see previous post), and former Itawamba CC standout Tim Dillard, who re-signed with the Brewers as a minor leaguer, could be in the big camp, as well. Dillard, 32, had a 5.50 ERA in 27 games (six starts) at Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2015. P.S. Hinds CC is ranked 14th and Meridian CC 20th in Collegiate Baseball’s NJCAA Division II preseason poll, which has LSU-Eunice (what a shock) at No. 1. MACJC champion Hinds went 43-7 last year and was ranked No. 1 for a time; Meridian was 33-17. Hinds opens on Feb. 10 at Raymond against Bossier Parish (La.), the school that signed left-hander Sarah Hudek, daughter of former big leaguer John Hudek, back in February.

14 Dec

around the horn

Former Ole Miss standout Aaron Barrett made some headlines over the weekend when he blamed his elbow injury on overuse early in the 2015 season. The right-handed reliever, who’ll miss the 2016 season following September Tommy John surgery, worked in 30 of Washington’s first 60 games. “The bottom line was I was literally just throwing too much,” he told The Associated Press. He pitched in only 10 games thereafter, working 29 1/3 innings all told. After a strong start, Barrett did two stints on the disabled list and wound up with a 4.60 ERA. … Houston wanted lefty reliever Tony Sipp back in the fold for 2016, and the feeling apparently was mutual. “You can see the talent on this team. … Just want to be a part of it,” Sipp told mlb.com. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula signed a 3-year, $18M deal with the Astros, for whom he posted a 1.99 ERA in 2015. He yielded one unearned run in five appearances in the postseason, Houston’s first venture there in 10 years. … Jonathan Papelbon, the Mississippi State alum, told WEEI.com (a Boston radio station) that new Red Sox closer (and former Mississippi Braves star) Craig Kimbrel is “a younger version or me.” Papelbon, now with Washington, is Boston’s all-time saves leader but, of course, is also infamous for some episodes of hotheadedness. Red Sox fans must be hoping that Papelbon was only talking about his pitching exploits when he made his comment about Kimbrel. … The Chicago White Sox reportedly discussed a trade with Cincinnati for All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier but did not want to include Tim Anderson, the ex-East Central CC star, in the deal. Shortstop Anderson, the White Sox’s top-rated prospect, hit .312 with 49 stolen bases at Double-A Birmingham this past season. Anderson had a “speed score” of 8.6 in 2015, fifth-best among mlb.com’s Top 100 prospects.

13 Dec

name dropping

Over the last few days, the MLB transactions page has been littered with the names of former Mississippi Braves on the move: Christian Bethancourt, Yunel Escobar, Charlie Morton, Brett Oberholtzer, Ryne Harper and, of course, the big newsmaker, Jason Heyward. To recap: Atlanta, after signing free agent catcher Tyler Flowers, decided to punt (to San Diego) the enigmatic Bethancourt, a once-highly touted prospect who hit .219 in 80 MLB games and had defensive issues, as well. Bethancourt hit .277 with 12 homers in Pearl in 2013 – his second Double-A campaign — but always seemed to be hurt. … Escobar, an M-Braves standout in 2006, was traded by Washington to the Los Angeles Angels, despite hitting .314 as the Nationals third baseman in 2015. Escobar, a .281 career hitter known at one time for annoying on-field antics, has now been traded six times, starting with the deal that sent him from Atlanta to Toronto in 2010. … Morton, a standout pitcher on the M-Braves’ 2007 playoff team, was dealt by Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, going from contender to bottom-feeder. Ugh. Morton went 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA for the Pirates last season. … Oberholtzer, a lefty who won nine games for the 2011 M-Braves, was part of the package Houston sent to Philadelphia in the Ken Giles trade. Oberholtzer is a quality arm; he has a 3.94 ERA in 45 MLB games over three seasons. … Harper, a reliever – and a good one — in Pearl the past three seasons, has been shipped to Seattle by Atlanta to complete a deal for another reliever, Jose Ramirez. … And then there was Heyward, who made a splash with the M-Braves in 2009. The 26-year-old outfielder signed an 8-year, $184M deal with the Chicago Cubs, leaving St. Louis after one year. Heyward is a true 5-tool talent who may just now be peaking. He could be the piece that propels the Cubs to that much-coveted World Series crown. … So much for looking back. Here’s a look ahead: Dansby Swanson, pilfered by Atlanta from Arizona in the Shelby Miller trade, will probably wind up in Pearl sometime in 2017. The first overall pick out of Vanderbilt back in June played in short-season A-ball this season, so it figures he’s a year away from Double-A. But the Braves, who need help at the big league level, might move him up quickly. Great things are forecast for Swanson, a shortstop with power.

08 Dec

stove toppings

The Colorado Rockies reportedly are getting calls about Corey Dickerson, the ex-Meridian Community College star. The left-handed hitting outfielder, 26, is a career .299 hitter and is four years from free agency. Dickerson battled injuries in 2015, hitting .304 with 10 homers in 224 at-bats. … McComb’s Jarrod Dyson of the world champion Kansas City Royals was grand marshal of the Christmas parade in his hometown over the weekend. City officials are also considering naming a street in his honor. Dyson, a .255 hitter with 146 career steals over six MLB seasons, has never been a regular with the Royals but could get that chance in right field in 2016. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler was claimed on waivers by Cleveland (from Tampa Bay). Butler, 29, hit .276 with eight homers in 88 games for the Rays last season. He joins eight other outfielders on the Indians’ 40-man roster, with two more also having received spring training invites. … Zack Cozart expects to be back at full speed by the time spring training starts for Cincinnati. The former Ole Miss star, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in June, has been rehabbing since late August. “If I had to put a number on it, I’m 90 percent now,” Cozart told mlb.com over the weekend. Cozart, a slick-fielding shortstop, was having a strong season at the plate, hitting .258 with nine homers and 28 RBIs through 58 games. … Free agent reliever Tony Sipp, the Moss Point High and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, is said to be seeking a 3-year contract in the $15-18 million range. The 32-year-old left-hander, who has been linked to a number of clubs, posted a 1.99 ERA for Houston last season.