Tag Archives: MLB

25 Apr

taking up arms

Doug Nikhazy is going to The Show, Brandon Woodruff moved a step closer to returning to the majors and Garrett Crochet and J.T. Ginn, both starting in MLB games Thursday, took some lumps. Indeed, it was quite the attention-grabbing day for Mississippi-connected pitchers in pro ball. … Nikhazy, an All-America pick at Ole Miss and a second-round pick by Cleveland in 2021, will join the Guardians today as they host Boston, reportedly to work out of the bullpen. The left-hander had a 3.44 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Columbus this season and carries a 3.87 career ERA in the minors. … Woodruff, former Mississippi State star, threw five shutout innings for Triple-A Nashville in his third rehab start as he comes back from 2023 shoulder surgery. The erstwhile Milwaukee ace, 46-26 in his MLB career, looks on track to rejoin Brewers early next month. … In MLB, Crochet, the Ocean Springs High product, gave up four runs in five innings, walking a career-high five, and took a loss for Boston against Seattle. The 2024 All-Star, in his first season with the Red Sox, is 2-2, 1.95. … Ex-MSU star Ginn, making his third start of 2025 for the A’s, faced off against Texas and Jacob deGrom. Ginn took a shutout into the fourth inning before allowing three solo homers that chased him from the game. His ERA rose to 4.61, but he got a no-decision in a game the A’s won late. DeGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, went 5 1/3 (two runs). … Also on the bump Thursday was MSU alum and MLB vet Dakota Hudson, pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake in the Los Angeles Angels’ system. He gave up four runs in the first inning but nothing more in a four-inning stint. After a rough year with Colorado in 2024, Hudson — 40-32, 4.21, in his big league career — has a 4.50 ERA in four games for the Bees. … Ryan Rolison, a first-round pick out of Ole Miss back in 2018, threw 1 2/3 innings in relief for Albuquerque and trimmed his ERA to 1.32 in eight appearances for the Rockies’ Triple-A club. Now 27, he has yet to get the big league call. … Hurston Waldrep, the Southern Miss alum and a first-round pick by Atlanta in 2023, was slated to pitch Thursday for Triple-A Gwinnett but was pushed back to today. He is 2-0 with a 6.62 ERA in four starts as he aims to return to The Show. P.S. Ex-MSU star Jake Mangum, red-hot rookie with Tampa Bay (see previous post), was placed on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain. … Former Magnolia Heights standout Cooper Pratt, with family in attendance Thursday, received his 2024 MiLB Gold Glove pregame and then hit a big home run for Double-A Biloxi at Keesler Federal Park. Shortstop Pratt, 20, Milwaukee’s No. 3 prospect, is batting .267 with three homers in his Double-A debut. Of note: Pratt’s brother Ozzie is the shortstop for nationally ranked Southern Miss and brother Quincy catches for Magnolia Heights, one of the top-rated prep teams in the state this year.

22 Apr

the left stuff

Shopping for help for their bullpen, the Chicago Cubs have swung a trade for a 36-year-old, oft-injured ex-Ole Miss star who hasn’t pitched in a big league game in four years. Such is the allure of an experienced left-hander. Drew Pomeranz has been pitching at Triple-A in Seattle’s system; the Cubs got him for cash considerations and will send him to Triple-A Iowa. If or when he makes an appearance for the big Cubs, it’ll be his first in MLB since Aug. 10, 2021, when he was with San Diego. Pomeranz put up a 1.75 ERA as a reliever that season but has been hurt virtually ever since. If you’re scoring at home, make it 11 organizations in 16 years for Pomeranz, who was the fifth overall pick out of Ole Miss in 2010 by Cleveland. He has pitched in 389 MLB games, most of them as a reliever, which has been his sole role the past seven years. The 6-foot-5 Pomeranz has a 3.91 career ERA in the majors, made an All-Star Game in 2016 and won a ring with Boston in 2018. He had a 4.66 in nine appearances for Tacoma this year. The Cubs are 14-10, but their bullpen has been shaky. P.S. Hustle was a topic in Atlanta — yes, again — on Monday night. Austin Riley, the former DeSoto Central High standout, busted it down the first-base line in the eighth inning and beat out a routine grounder to shortstop. He later hustled home to score the game-tying run. The Braves scored four more times in the inning and held on to beat St. Louis 7-6. “You see Riley getting down the line and that got us going,” Mississippi Braves alum Michael Harris II said in an mlb.com story. M-Braves alum Riley also homered — his sixth — as the Braves (9-13) won their fourth straight.

21 Apr

remember them?

When you think of the many former Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers currently doing big things in the big leagues, the names Dylan Moore and Trent Grisham probably don’t come quickly to mind. Neither is the brightest of stars. But take a look: Quite a few years after they passed through Mississippi, both are among the most productive hitters on their current teams. Moore, the M-Braves’ regular shortstop in 2017, is batting .316 with five homers and five stolen bases in 19 games for Seattle. Grisham, who played for the Milwaukee-affiliated Shuckers in 2018-19, is hitting .320 with six homers and 13 RBIs over 20 games for the New York Yankees. And both have Gold Gloves on their resume. On Sunday, Moore — who can play any position — started at short and hit leadoff for Seattle, going 2-for-5 with a homer in the 12-10 Mariners’ win against Toronto. Grisham, playing center field, hit leadoff for the 14-8 Yankees and homered in a win against Tampa Bay. Moore, just a .207 hitter in Double-A Mississippi in 2017, played with Grisham in Biloxi for a time in 2018 and made the majors in 2019 with the Mariners. Grisham, a first-round pick by the Brewers in 2015, hit 20 homers over 170 games for the Double-A Shuckers and made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 2019. He spent four seasons in San Diego and joined the Yankees in 2024.

21 Apr

who’s in first?

As the college season roars down the home stretch, three Mississippi schools are cruising in first place in their respective conferences. Delta State leads the Gulf South Conference standings, William Carey the Southern States Athletic Conference and Millsaps the Southern Athletic Association. All three are nationally ranked in their divisions, as well. Powering this run by the Statesmen — 31-13 overall, 23-7 GSC — is senior right-hander Drake Fotentot, who is 9-0 with a 1.37 ERA and seemingly bound for NCAA Division II All-America honors. Brett Burrell tops DSU hitters with a .401 average. Carey is back in the chase for another NAIA World Series berth, with a 32-11 record, 21-6 SSAC, despite losing a series at Blue Mountain Christian over the weekend. (BMC is 23-23, 12-15). The Crusaders’ 2025 charge has been led by DeeJay Booth (.429) and Josh Alexander (14 homers). On the bump, Matthew Davis is 5-1, 2.72 ERA. Millsaps, on a roll in D-III, is 27-11, 13-5 SAA, fueled by Nick Tarantino (9-1, 2.78) and Gray Berry (.424, 61 runs). Worth noting: Belhaven sits second in the D-III Collegiate Conference of the South standings with a 13-5 mark (27-11 overall), and Southern Miss is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference race at 12-6 (27-13 overall). Also worth noting: USM’s Ben Higdon hit a school record-tying three homers in Saturday’s win over Georgia State. … In the state juco ranks, Pearl River Community College has a solid lead in the MACCC at 20-2; the NJCAA Division II No. 2 Wildcats are 40-6 overall. Jacob Johnson, who is 9-1, 1.95, and K.K. Clark, 7-2, 1.64, have been driving forces for The River. … In the high school ranks, Magnolia Heights, at 26-4, tops the latest (April 17) MaxPreps Mississippi Top 25 poll, with Hartfield (22-3) at No. 2 and Purvis (19-6) No. 3. P.S. In MLB, Toronto has put ex-USM star Nick Sandlin on the injured list, where he joins fellow Mississippians Justin Steele, Matt Wallner, Nick Fortes, Brandon Woodruff, Kendall Graveman, J.P. France and James McArthur. Ouch.

15 Apr

just stuff

As Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, here’s a tip of the cap to Luke Easter, the first black Mississippi native to play in an MLB game. The Jonestown native broke in with Cleveland on Aug. 11, 1949, at the age of 34. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound left-handed hitter belted 93 homers for the Indians over parts of six seasons. He also played in the Negro Leagues and in the minors for many years, hitting 351 homers all told, per baseball-reference.com. … The Columbus Clingstones, Atlanta’s Double-A team that previously played in Pearl, will make their home debut tonight at Synovus Park in Columbus, Ga. Quite a few familiar names populate the roster, including former Southern Miss and Mississippi Braves standout Landon Harper and M-Braves alum Craig Kimbrel, the erstwhile big league star who is launching his 2025 season in Double-A. … After a weak start this season, former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley is coming on strong for Atlanta. The M-Braves alum hit two homers in Monday’s win at Toronto and is batting .452 with eight RBIs and seven runs over his last seven games. … Jake Mangum, the rookie out of Jackson Prep and Mississippi State, went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs Monday for Tampa Bay, which saw every starter get at least one RBI and score at least one run in a 16-1 win against Boston. Mangum has cooled after his sizzling start but is still batting .311 over 13 games and making great plays in the outfield. … Hunter Renfroe, MSU alum from Crystal Springs, needs to step it up for Kansas City. He is batting .128 with no homers in 39 at-bats and is no longer playing regularly. A .236 career hitter with 192 bombs, the 33-year-old outfielder is coming off a poor year. … Ole Miss product Kemp Alderman, who had a two-homer game last week for Double-A Pensacola (Miami system), and ex-MSU star Khal Stephen, who had a nine-strikeout game for Low-Class A Dunedin (Toronto), were named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week. … Konnor Griffin got his first pro homer and triple in a game last week and continues to fill out the stat sheet for Low-A Bradenton (Pittsburgh). The ninth overall pick last summer from Jackson Prep, Griffin is batting .258 with six RBIs, seven runs and five steals. … Sad to see Justin Steele, the lefty from Lucedale, lost for the season to elbow surgery; he was 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four starts. That’s a blow for the first-place Chicago Cubs. Also going on the IL last week was Ole Miss alum Nick Fortes (oblique), who was batting .300 in 20 at-bats as Miami’s starting catcher. … Kudos to Will Warren, the Jackson Prep grad who notched his first MLB win in his eighth career start for the New York Yankees last week. The 25-year-old right-hander went five innings Saturday to beat red-hot San Francisco. … Ex-MSU star J.T. Ginn got his second MLB win Saturday in his 2025 debut as the A’s beat the Mets; Ginn was recalled from Triple-A that same day. … Former MSU standout Brandon Woodruff threw 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville on Saturday in his first rehab start as he aims to return to Milwaukee’s rotation. The righty from Wheeler is 46-26 in his MLB career; the Brewers sorely need him. … Ex-Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull, still unsigned for 2025, has been throwing for various teams, per reports. The veteran right-hander put up a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for Philadelphia in 2024.

06 Apr

minor matters

A pair of 2024 first-round draftees with Mississippi connections strutted their potential on Saturday. Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher out of Mississippi State, threw four scoreless innings in his pro debut for High-Class A Everett (Seattle system), and Braden Montgomery, the Madison Central High alum drafted out Texas A&M, hit his first pro home run for Low-A Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox). Cijntje, 15th overall pick, faced 14 batters, pitching righty 11 times, lefty three times. He allowed just one hit (to a righty), two walks (both to lefties) and struck out six against Spokane (Colorado affiliate) in the Northwest League contest. Cijntje was 11-7 with a 5.25 ERA in two years at MSU but has much better stuff, from both arms, than those numbers would indicate. Montgomery, the 12th overall pick (by Boston), belted 62 homers in three college seasons, 27 in 2024 at A&M. A broken ankle delayed his pro debut to 2025, and in his second game in the Carolina League, the switch-hitting slugger went yard. A Gatorade player of the year while at Madison Central, he is off to a 2-for-8 start with four RBIs and a stolen base for Kannapolis. … In a High-A Midwest League game of some local interest, former Mississippi State standout Brooks Auger faced ex-Ole Miss star Dylan DeLucia, with Auger and the Great Lakes Loons beating Lake County 6-1. Auger, who famously shut down Ole Miss in that dramatic SEC Tournament game last year, went 5 2/3, allowing one unearned run in his pro debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a sixth-round pick last summer. DeLucia, a hero on UM’s national title team in 2022, yielded four runs in three innings and took the loss. A sixth-rounder by Cleveland in ’22, he has been limited by injuries to 14 pro games. P.S. In MLB on Saturday, Brent Rooker, ex-MSU star, hit his fourth homer of the season, helping the A’s set a franchise record. The team has homered in its first nine games for the first time. The A’s won 7-4 at Colorado to improve to 4-5.

02 Apr

numbers to crunch

From April 1, no foolin’:
.636 — Jake Mangum’s batting average through three MLB games after a 3-for-4 effort in Tampa Bay’s 7-0 win Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Today, the Mississippi State product gets to face Paul Skenes.
5 — RBIs by both Nick Monistere and Ozzie Pratt in Southern Miss’ 13-6 win over Tulane.
5 — RBIs by Judd Utermark in Ole Miss’ 18-7 romp past Jackson State.
2 — RBIs by Owen Abney on a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, putting Belhaven ahead in its 4-1 victory vs. Millsaps in the Maloney Trophy Series.
4 — Stolen bases by Hayden Redding in Blue Mountain Christian’s 7-6, 10-inning win at Williams Baptist. Redding leads NAIA in steals with 41 in 43 attempts.
0 — Hits allowed by K.K. Clark over five innings for Pearl River Community College in a 14-0, run-rule win against Meridian CC. No. 2-ranked PRCC swept the doubleheader to move to 31-5, 11-1 MACCC.
1 — Hit allowed by Will Warren over five innings for the New York Yankees, who blew a late lead and cost the ex-Jackson Prep star his first big league win.
10 — Strikeouts in 22 at-bats by former DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley, reflective of Atlanta’s offensive woes in an 0-6 start.
7 — Strikeouts recorded over five innings by Hurston Waldrep, the Southern Miss alum who won his season debut for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta system.
90 — Career minor league homers by ex-MSU star Justin Foscue, who went deep for Triple-A Round Rock (Texas affiliate) in a win over Toledo.

01 Apr

on the docket

This promises to be a terrific Tuesday. Among the numerous compelling matchups is Game 2 of the Maloney Trophy Series, with Millsaps College visiting Belhaven University at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The Majors won the first game and can clinch the trophy with a victory. Both of these NCAA Division III teams are good: Millsaps is 19-7, Belhaven 17-9. The Blazers are 13-3 at Trustmark. … In Oxford, Ole Miss, 21-6 and ranked 10th by Baseball America, hosts Jackson State, which is 16-10 but likely doesn’t have the pitching depth (5.65 ERA) to subdue the Rebels’ bats. The Tigers lost to Mississippi State 16-3 two weeks ago. … Southern Miss (20-8, ranked 24th by BA) plays host to old rival Tulane in Hattiesburg. Going back to 2005, the Golden Eagles lead the series 26-23. USM is coming off a gritty Sun Belt series win over South Alabama, while the Green Wave (17-11) was just swept by AAC rival South Florida. … Mississippi State, reeling from a sweep at LSU, visits Memphis, reeling from an eight-game losing streak. The Bulldogs are 16-12. Memphis — coached by Mississippi native Matt Riser and listing numerous state prep products on its roster — is 11-16, including a loss to Ole Miss. … In the junior colleges: No. 2-ranked Pearl River Community College (29-5, 9-1 MACCC) might be tested in a trip to Meridian CC, which has been ranked this season and sits at 21-13, 8-4. Of note: PRCC will play an exhibition game Wednesday against the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi. East Central CC (27-7, 9-3), ranked fourth in NJCAA Division II, visits Hinds on Tuesday, and No. 8 Jones College (23-8, 9-3) hosts Copiah Lincoln. … In the big leagues, former Jackson Prep star Will Warren will make his 2025 debut for the New York Yankees, starting against Arizona at Yankee Stadium. At West Sacramento, new home of the A’s, George County High product Justin Steele (1-1, 8.00 ERA) will pitch for the Chicago Cubs against the A’s and ex-MSU slugger Brent Rooker. P.S. Jake Mangum (see previous posts) delivered a 4-for-4 performance — three singles and a double — in his second big league game, driving in two runs, scoring one and stealing two bases in Tampa Bay’s 6-1 win Monday night against Colorado. Ex-Mississippi State star Mangum even had two hits from both sides of the plate. “I can’t wrap my head around it still,” the 29-year-old rookie, already a fan favorite in Tampa, said in an mlb.com story. … Ex-Ocean Springs High standout Garrett Crochet has received a 6-year, $170 million extension from Boston. The 25-year-old lefty, acquired from the White Sox in an off-season trade, has a 3.29 ERA in 105 MLB games, 33 as a starter the last two years. He was an All-Star in 2024.

31 Mar

checking in …

Jake Mangum finally got his name in a major league box score on Sunday, joining the long list of Mississippi natives — and Mississippi State alumni — to make The Show. Barely a minute into the game, the Flowood native and Jackson Prep grad caught a fly ball in right field for the first out of Tampa Bay’s 6-4 victory over Colorado. Mangum was with his Triple-A Durham team in Virginia on Friday when he was told he had gotten “the call,” six years after he was drafted into pro ball. “Heartbeat went up a lot,” he said. He scrambled to get to Tampa on Saturday and completed his long journey on Sunday when he ran out onto Steinbrenner Field in a big league unie. A rookie at 29. Now another quest remains: the first big league hit. He went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut, driving a ball deep to left field in his first at-bat. He struck out in his second, flied out to center in his third and walked in his final plate appearance. He might get another chance today when the Rays host Pittsburgh. Mangum has had a ton of hits over the years: 383 of them at State, another 78 in summer leagues, then 496 in the minors. After all the work he’s put in and all the waiting he’s done since his first pro game in 2019, it’s hard to imagine what that first major league hit will feel like. P.S. A major league opportunity is a cherished thing, never taken for granted. Justin Foscue, a teammate of Mangum’s at MSU, is no doubt itching for another shot with the Texas Rangers. They needed an infielder on Sunday but recalled another player from Triple-A Round Rock, where Foscue is now playing. He made his MLB debut last April and got a hit in his second game before going on the injured list. He got a couple more call-ups over the year but managed only one more knock in 42 at-bats all told, finishing on an 0-for-39 skid. The 2020 first-round draftee is a .278 career hitter — with power — in the minors and is off to a 4-for-11 start in 2025.

30 Mar

worth noting

Mississippi State is in a lot of pain. The Bulldogs lost 17-8 Saturday night at LSU, which scored eight times in the first inning. State fell to 1-8 in the SEC and 16-12 overall. Six Bulldogs pitchers allowed 19 hits and seven walks. … Southern Miss is in a little pain. Closer Colby Allen blew a save, allowing four runs in three innings as South Alabama took a 6-3 victory at Taylor Park in Hattiesburg. Allen (3-2), who has six saves, saw his ERA jump to 2.73. USM is 19-8, 6-2 Sun Belt, heading into today’s rubber game vs. USA. … Former MSU star Jordan Westburg went 4-for-5 Saturday with two homers — one off Max Scherzer — two RBIs and three runs in Baltimore’s 9-5 win against Toronto. Westburg, batting .462 in three games, also homered on opening day. … Ex-MSU standout Nathaniel Lowe hit his first homer as a member of the Washington Nationals — the 90th of his MLB career. … USM alum Matt Wallner is 0-for-8 with a walk in his first two games as Minnesota’s leadoff batter; the Twins are 0-2. … Former Mississippi Braves star Drake Baldwin, now Atlanta’s starting catcher, got his first major league hit Saturday in the winless Braves’ loss at San Diego. … M-Braves alum Spencer Strider threw three innings (one run, six strikeouts) in a rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett. … Mississippi Valley State’s Jace Jones put up an eight-RBI game in a win over Alcorn State on Friday. There were 80 runs scored in that three-game SWAC series, swept by the Delta Devils (8-10, 4-5) at Magnolia Field in Itta Bena. Alcorn fell to 4-19, 0-8. … In a matchup of top 10 NAIA teams, No. 3 Georgia-Gwinnett swept No. 8 William Carey 9-7 and 10-9 in a couple of wild affairs Friday at Hattiesburg. The Crusaders’ power-hitting lineup did not manage a home run in either game. … Here’s a name to know: Cannon Hensarling. The Ocean Springs senior went 7-for-11 with four RBIs and seven runs and threw a four-hitter with 12 strikeouts in three games last week, per an si.com piece. P.S. In the current issue of Sports Weekly, USA Today writers rank a top 100 Names to Know of rising stars based on their “anticipated impact” in MLB in 2025. Among the group are three Mississippi college products now in Triple-A: Ole Miss alum Doug Nikhazy (Cleveland), USM’s Hurston Waldrep (Atlanta) and UM’s Gunnar Hoglund (A’s).