Tag Archives: Northwest Mississippi Community College

28 Mar

wrong turn

Well, that could’ve gone better. Cody Reed, the former Horn Lake High and Northwest Mississippi Community College star, gave up 10 hits, four walks, an HBP and 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings for Cincinnati vs. San Francisco on Monday. The left-hander is vying for a spot in the Reds’ rotation and had pitched fairly well before Monday’s outing, which jacked his Cactus League ERA to 7.08. Reed had a tough rookie season with the Reds in 2016, going 0-7, 7.36 in 10 starts, but is considered one of the club’s better pitching prospects. He had strong minor league numbers (3.66 ERA) coming up first in the Kansas City system and then with the Reds after a 2015 trade. Reed was a second-round draft pick by the Royals in 2013 out of NWCC. … Ole Miss alum Stuart Turner homered for the Reds in Monday’s loss; he is hoping to make the roster as a backup catcher (see previous posts). Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings, a non-roster invitee, went 0-for-2 to drop his spring average to .195. P.S. Ex-Gulf Coast CC star Tony Sipp, who has been bothered by a stiff back, threw 28 pitches to three batters for Houston on Monday, yielding a hit and a walk with one strikeout. The only lefty expected to make the Astros’ bullpen, Sipp has a 5.06 ERA this spring and is coming off a down year. Still, he told mlb.com, “I feel like I’m ready for the season.” … St. Louis optioned ex-UM standout Mike Mayers to Triple-A. The lefty, who got knocked around a bit in his MLB debut last season, posted a 1.64 ERA over 11 innings in the Grapefruit League. He’ll be back.

16 Mar

spotlight on …

In Goodyear, Ariz., Cincinnati and San Diego hooked up in a wild Cactus League game on Wednesday that saw several Mississippians make an imprint. For the Padres, former Mississippi State star Hunter Renfroe hit his first homer of the spring, a two-run shot in the first inning against Northwest Mississippi Community College alum Cody Reed. Renfroe, expected to be the Padres’ opening day right fielder, is hitting .278 this spring. Lefty Reed, battling for a job on the Reds’ staff, went 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, a walk and three runs while punching out seven. His CL ERA is now 4.91. The Reds rallied to win the game 8-7 as Billy Hamilton, Zack Cozart and Stuart Turner chipped in with noteworthy contributions. Taylorsville’s Hamilton, batting just .233 this spring, went 3-for-3, stole two bases, scored a run and drove in one. Ole Miss product Cozart, a .360 hitter, went 2-for-3 with his first CL homer, and ex-Rebels star Stuart Turner, in camp as a Rule 5 draftee, boosted his average to .450 with a pair of hits. P.S. Greenwood native Louis Coleman, yet another Mississippian with the Reds, made his spring debut on Tuesday and threw a clean inning. He had been shelved by a minor arm problem.

20 Jan

they are coming

A new wave of Mississippians is about to hit the big leagues. Baseball America’s organizational top 10 prospect rankings are now posted for all of MLB’s six divisions, and the Magnolia State is well-represented. The highest rated are Petal’s Anthony Alford, No. 2 on Toronto’s list, and ex-Northwest Mississippi Community College standout Cody Reed, Cincinnati’s No. 2. Former Mississippi State star Hunter Renfroe is San Diego’s No. 3; ex-Harrison Central High standout Bobby Bradley is Cleveland’s No. 5; Richton’s JaCoby Jones is Detroit’s No. 6; MSU product Brandon Woodruff is Milwaukee’s No. 7; and State alum Dakota Hudson, a 2016 draftee, is St. Louis’ No. 9. Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central star, just missed making Atlanta’s top 10. In a recent chat about San Diego prospects, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser defended the selection of Renfroe as the team’s No. 3, calling him an “impact player on both sides of the ball, even with high Ks and low walks.” Crystal Springs native Renfroe made a nice impression (.371, four homers in 11 games) in his brief MLB debut last year and likely will start 2017 as the Padres’ right fielder. Reed, the bespectacled left-hander, also debuted in 2016 and will vie for a Reds rotation spot this spring, and Jones, who got some big league experience last summer, is expected to get a shot at the Tigers’ center field job. Woodruff had a strong year at Double-A Biloxi and is close to breaking through, while Hudson generated a lot of buzz in his 12-game pro debut. Alford and Bradley, rated the No. 4 first base prospect in the minors by MLB Pipeline, likely will start in Double-A this season.

15 Sep

better late …

The Corey Dickerson the Tampa Bay Rays thought they were getting in an off-season trade has emerged the last few weeks. The former Meridian Community College star from McComb has 15 hits in his last 27 at-bats and is batting .315 with five home runs and 19 RBIs over his last 30 games. Dickerson went 3-for-4 with his 20th homer of the year on Wednesday as the Rays – long ago reduced to the role of spoiler in the American League East – beat Toronto 8-1. Dickerson, a lefty-hitting outfielder acquired from Colorado in the Jake McGee trade, batted .299 in three seasons with the Rockies, playing half his games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. His recent hot streak has lifted his 2016 average to .247. On June 20, he was at .198. Tampa Bay, which has had myriad problems, was expected to be much better than its 62-83 record — and maybe there is hope for 2017. Dickerson’s homer on Wednesday was the 200th for the team, a single-season club record. “It’s something we can build off of,” Dickerson told mlb.com. P.S. Southern Miss alum Brian Dozier hit his 41st homer on Wednesday (for a Minnesota team that has 54 wins), moving a bit closer to the long-standing MLB record for homers by a player who was primarily a second baseman. Davey Johnson – the old Jackson Mets manager – hit 43 bombs in 1973 for Atlanta. With 81 extra-base hits, Dozier needs three more to match Tony Oliva’s Twins record, set in 1964. … A rough season in Cincinnati has been made even more frustrating of late for Mississippians Billy Hamilton, Zack Cozart and Cody Reed, all forced to sit because of injuries. Taylorsville’s Hamilton has an oblique, Ole Miss product Cozart a knee and ex-Northwest Mississippi CC star Reed a back problem.

02 Sep

movin’ on up

Pinstripes and a playoff race in September. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that. And Jonathan Holder is feeling it. The former Gulfport High and Mississippi State standout has been summoned to the big leagues by the New York Yankees, who are very much in the hunt for an American League postseason berth. Holder, a 6-foot-2 right-hander, will join the Yankees’ bullpen tonight in Baltimore, where former State star Buck Showalter is the manager. Holder (see previous post) had a 0.89 ERA at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after putting up a 2.20 at Double-A Trenton. … Cincinnati has recalled former Northwest Mississippi Community College left-hander Cody Reed from Triple-A. Reed was 0-7, 7.36 in 10 starts with the Reds before being sent out on Aug. 15. … Pillow Academy product Louis Coleman is back in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen; he had been in the minors as he recovered from a minor shoulder injury. … MSU alum Adam Frazier, a .321 hitter as a rookie, is back up with Pittsburgh; he was briefly sent out last week as the Pirates juggled their roster. … Former Bulldogs star Hunter Renfroe, named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League MVP on Thursday, is still waiting on the call from San Diego. P.S. Ex-Alcorn State star Corey Wimberly is playing again in Mexico, with the Leones de Yucatan. The switch-hitting outfielder had a 3-for-3 day on Thursday and is batting .300 over his last 10 games with five RBIs and seven runs. He signed with Yucatan in June, then was inactive for about a month before returning to the field in early August. Wimberly is 32 and in his 12th season in the minors.

16 Aug

minor matters

Don’t look now, but former Ole Miss standout Lance Lynn pitched in a game Monday night. Lynn, nine months out from Tommy John surgery, threw 27 pitches for St. Louis’ Class A Palm Beach club. He allowed a hit and fanned two in 1 2/3 innings. Lynn, who won 60 games for the Cardinals the previous four seasons, just might be able to return to the big leagues in September. St. Louis is battling for a wild card in the National League. … As expected, Cincinnati sent Northwest Mississippi Community College product Cody Reed, the struggling left-hander, down to Triple-A Louisville. … Nate Lowe and Chuckie Robinson, 2016 draftees out of Mississippi State and Southern Miss, respectively, are slated to play in tonight’s New York-Penn League All-Star Game. Lowe is batting .277 with two homers and 29 RBIs for Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay system), and Robinson is at .291 with a homer and 13 RBIs for Tri City (Houston). MSU product Gavin Collins, also picked in the June draft, is batting .295 at Mahoning Valley (Cleveland) in the NYPL but didn’t make the All-Star rosters. … Ex-Southern Miss star Mason Robbins produced his third three-hit game in his last four on Monday and raised his average to .326 at Class A Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox). He has five homers and 55 RBIs. … Madison Central High product Spencer Turnbull, beset by injuries this year, threw five strong innings for Class A Lakeland (Detroit) on Saturday and has a 3.22 ERA in eight games this summer. A second-round pick out of Alabama in 2014, Turnbull went 11-3, 3.01 at low-A West Michigan last year and stamped himself as a prospect. … Also at Lakeland is Southwest Mississippi Community College (and LSU) alum Kade Scivicque, a rising prospect at catcher who is batting .282 with six homers and 41 RBIs. … Ex-Petal High star Anthony Alford, finally looking fully healthy at Class A Dunedin (Toronto), has four two-hit games among his last five and is up to .244 with eight homers, 38 RBIs and 14 steals. … USM product Bradley Roney has a 3.62 ERA and four saves at Triple-A Gwinnett. Considering the jaw-dropping number of pitchers Atlanta has run out there this year, you have to wonder when Roney might get a big league shot. … Former Ole Miss standout Alex Yarbrough, trying to get his career back on track, is batting .268 with four homers, 47 RBIs and 10 steals at Double-A Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels). Yarbrough, 25, is in his fifth pro season. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler, who was designated for assignment by Cleveland on July 31, returned to Triple-A Columbus’ roster and is batting .236 with eight bombs.

15 Aug

dispatches

First, the good stuff. Brian Dozier hit career homer No. 100 on Saturday, then started on his second hundred Sunday. The former Southern Miss star hit his 26th of the year for Minnesota in a loss against Kansas City. Mississippi State product Adam Frazier went 4-for-5 with a couple of runs for Pittsburgh in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers; the rookie is batting .348. Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High standout, went 3-for-4 in Cincinnati’s loss to Milwaukee, lifting his average to .264 and his on-base percentage to .318. Meridian Community College alum Corey Dickerson snapped an 0-for-17 funk with his 16th homer of the year for Tampa Bay in a win against the New York Yankees; it was his first bomb since July 29. And ex-East Central CC star Tim Anderson went deep for the sixth time in the Chicago White Sox’s loss to Miami. Now, the bad stuff. Cody Reed, the Northwest Mississippi CC alum from Horn Lake, was KO’d in the second inning of the Reds’ loss. He allowed five hits — including a 12th homer in his 10 starts — walked three, hit a batter and left trailing 6-0. He is 0-7 with a 7.36 ERA. He may well be headed back to the minors to regain some confidence in his stuff.

09 Aug

cruel world

Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland had a game-winning hit, and fellow ex-Bulldogs star Kendall Graveman threw seven strong innings to notch his eighth victory. But the big story – the best story – involving a Mississippian in the majors on Monday night was Cody Reed earning his long-awaited first … uh, well, no, it didn’t happen. Should have, but didn’t. The Northwest Mississippi Community College alum from Horn Lake, who entered Monday’s game at St. Louis with an 0-6 record (7.30 ERA) in eight starts, pitched six shutout innings, his first scoreless outing in the bigs. Thanks in large part to a triple by former Ole Miss star Zack Cozart, Cincinnati took a 4-0 lead into the ninth. Then, disaster. The Cardinals scored five times against the Reds’ bullpen, the game-winner crossing courtesy of a hit batsman with the bases loaded. Reed, a highly rated prospect, was 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA in Triple-A this year. He was 6-2, 2.17 for Pensacola in the Double-A Southern League in 2015. He was sharp on Monday night: four hits, one walk, four strikeouts. He should have been celebrating that first win, but nothing comes easy in the big leagues. The tall left-hander tried to put a good spin on it post-game. “It helps the confidence going into the next one,” he told The Associated Press. Does it?

04 Aug

random numbers

37 – Stolen bases for Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, who got one as a pinch runner on Wednesday in Cincinnati’s 5-4 loss to St. Louis. Hamilton’s total ranks second in MLB, three behind Jonathan Villar. Hamilton, who set the all-time minor league record with 155 steals in 2012, swiped 57 bases for the Reds in 2015 and 56 in 2014.
11 – Home runs allowed in eight starts by Northwest Mississippi Community College alum Cody Reed, the rookie left-hander who gave up another in Cincinnati’s loss to St. Louis. Reed, one of the Reds’ top-rated prospects, fell to 0-6 with a 7.30 ERA.
6 – RBIs by former Southern Miss star Brian Dozier in the last three games, all wins for Minnesota against Cleveland. Dozier, who has a 12-game hit streak, is 5-for-16 with two homers and four runs scored in the series, helping the Twins score 35 times against the Indians’ vaunted pitching staff.
14 – Number of players the Los Angeles Dodgers currently have on the disabled list, which now includes Greenwood native and ex-Pillow Academy star Louis Coleman. Coleman, out with right shoulder fatigue, has appeared in a career-high 50 games in his first season with the Dodgers after five in Kansas City. He has a 3.70 ERA.
2 – Number of former Mississippi Braves to make their MLB debut on Wednesday. Rob Whalen started and got the win for Atlanta against Pittsburgh, and James Hoyt worked a scoreless inning in relief for Houston. By one count, that makes 111 M-Braves alums who have advanced to The Show since the Double-A club arrived in Pearl in 2005.
6 – Runs, matching a season-high, yielded by Mississippi State product Kendall Graveman, who lasted just four innings in Oakland’s 8-6 loss to the L.A. Angels. Graveman, who had won four straight starts in July, now has a loss and a no-decision in his last two. He is 7-7, 4.46.
9 – Hits in his last four games for Petal High alum Anthony Alford, who has boosted his average to .232 at Class A Dunedin in Toronto’s system. The Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect (by Baseball America) entering this season, Alford has been sidetracked by injuries. The 22-year-old outfielder has five homers, 30 RBIs and 14 steals in 68 games.

28 Jul

charting the stars

Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies, the keystone combo of the Mississippi Braves, check in at No. 5 and No. 19 in MLBPipeline’s refreshed ranking of the game’s Top 100 prospects. (Baseball America had them at seven and 17 in its midseason Top 100 released earlier this month.) Swanson, the shortstop and 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick (by Arizona), is batting .260 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs in his first Double-A Tour. Albies, who has shifted from short to second base, is batting a sweet .364. Both might be in line for a September appearance in Atlanta. Left-hander Sean Newcomb, 5-7 with a 4.57 ERA for the M-Braves, is ranked 60th in the chart published on mlb.com. Former Biloxi Shuckers Orlando Arcia (13) and Josh Hader (45) are also on the list, as is current Shuckers outfielder Brett Phillips (78). Mississippi State alum Hunter Renfroe, having a huge year at Triple-A El Paso (San Diego system), is ranked No. 52. Ex-Northwest Mississippi Community College star Cody Reed, currently pitching in the big leagues – and scuffling — with Cincinnati, is No. 59, and Harrison Central High product Bobby Bradley (in A-ball with Cleveland) is 82nd. P.S. Ex-Petal High standout Anthony Alford, one of Toronto’s top prospects, isn’t in the mlb.com Top 100; he’s 86th in the BA ranking. He has had a rough year that has included two stints on the disabled list. But, the 22-year-old outfielder is heating up, batting .371 over his last 10 games. He had three hits (two triples and a double) for Class A Dunedin on Wednesday and is at .217 with four homers, 26 RBIs and 12 steals for the year. He batted .298 in 2015, his first full pro season. “This season has been a good learning season for me because I’ve never had to deal with failure,” the former Mr. Baseball told milb.com.