Tag Archives: Northwest Mississippi Community College

15 Mar

taking up arms

Chris Stratton was optioned out to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, but the right-hander from Mississippi State surely made a good impression in San Francisco’s camp. Stratton pitched five innings over two starts, yielding four hits and no runs. In his last outing last Thursday, he threw three hitless innings against Milwaukee. The Tupelo native, who went 4-5, 3.86 ERA at Sacramento in 2015, could be the first pitcher recalled if or when the Giants need another starter this season. … Cody Reed, the Northwest Mississippi Community College product, is still hanging around in Cincinnati’s camp as a non-roster pitcher. The left-hander, a highly rated prospect, has a 1.13 ERA in three games, two starts. In eight innings, he has seven strikeouts and no walks. … Ex-State star Kendall Graveman has scuffled in his two appearances for Oakland, posting a 7.20 ERA in five innings. Graveman, 6-5 with a 4.09 ERA for the A’s a year ago, is competing for a rotation spot. … Picayune High product T.J. House, a darkhorse to make Cleveland’s rotation at the start of spring, has a 9.53 ERA in three relief appearances. The left-hander is coming off an injury-wrecked 2015 season. … Drew Pomeranz, the former Ole Miss standout, has a 3.86 ERA in three appearances for San Diego, his new club. His role with the Padres hasn’t really been defined. … Southern Miss alum Scott Copeland, a non-roster invitee in Toronto’s camp, hasn’t yielded a run in three innings but is a longshot to stick with their staff. He made three starts for the Blue Jays last season. P.S. Jonathan Papelbon, the former MSU star who gets his share of bad press, received some well-deserved positive attention after attending the annual Leukemia Ball, held by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. Papelbon and his wife, Ashley, reportedly donated $25,000 to the fund.

03 Mar

spring things

Jarrod Dyson, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College star from McComb, experienced some disappointment on Wednesday, suffering an injury in his first at-bat of the spring with Kansas City. Dyson, 31, is expected to be a regular — in right field — for the first time in his seven big league seasons. Speculation is the strained right oblique will keep him out about two weeks, maybe more. Dyson is a career .255 hitter with 146 steals and is a plus-defender. … There were some notable bright spots on Wednesday for Mississippians in spring camps. Former Richton High standout JaCoby Jones homered for Detroit. In that same game, Mississippi State product Adam Frazier picked up a hit and an RBI for Pittsburgh, and fellow State alum Ed Easley had a walk and a run. In another Detroit split-squad game, ex-Ole Miss standout Will Allen, summoned from the minor league camp, got a base hit. Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings went 1-for-2 with a couple of RBIs for Tampa Bay. Northwest CC’s Cody Reed worked two innings for Cincinnati, yielding one earned run and fanning two. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith was 2-for-2 with a run for Seattle, and in that same game former State star Hunter Renfroe got two hits for San Diego. Ex-UM standout Chris Ellis, in his first appearance for Atlanta, threw two scoreless innings. Also worth noting from that Braves game: Mississippi Braves alum Mallex Smith swatted two triples and a home run.

16 Feb

breaking good

Good story on the Baseball America web site about Mississippians Anthony Alford and Cody Reed, who have emerged on the magazine’s list of the Top 100 prospects in 2016. Alford, an outfielder with Toronto, is No. 25; Reed, a left-hander in the Cincinnati system, is No. 34. Neither was in the Top 100 last year. Alford came out of Petal High with dreams of being, as he tells BA, “the next Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders.” He was the state’s Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball as a senior, but the two-sport thing didn’t quite work out on the next level. Alford devoted himself to baseball full-time in 2015 and mastered two levels of A-ball. He acknowledges that baseball probably always was his better sport. Reed, a non-prospect in high school at Horn Lake, signed with Northwest Mississippi Community College. Rangers assistant and ex-big leaguer Bill Selby apparently saw potential in Reed, who proceeded to gain 50 pounds and add 15 mph to his fastball. Reed tells BA he was genuinely thrilled to be drafted in the second round by Kansas City in 2013. After struggling for a couple of years, he found his form in 2015 and was a standout at Double-A Pensacola after the Reds got him in a trade. Both Alford and Reed will be in big league camp. … Also appearing in BA’s Top 100 are East Central CC alum Tim Anderson (No. 45, Chicago White Sox); Mississippi State product Hunter Renfroe (No. 86, San Diego) and ex-Harrison Central star Bobby Bradley (No. 93). Former Biloxi Shuckers shortstop Orlando Arcia is No. 8, and Dansby Swanson, who could be the Mississippi Braves’ shortstop in 2016, is No. 17.

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.

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.

09 Nov

up in arms

Cody Reed’s strong finish this past season has attracted attention. The left-hander out of Horn Lake and Northwest Mississippi Community College is ranked the No. 2 prospect in Cincinnati’s organization by Baseball America. Reed, a second-round pick by Kansas City in 2013, reached Double-A in the Royals’ system last summer before being traded to the Reds as part of the Johnny Cueto deal. He went to Double-A Pensacola of the Southern League and put up a 6-2 record with a 2.17 ERA in eight starts for a Blue Wahoos team that made the postseason. The 6-foot-5 Reed had 60 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 49 2/3 innings. Rated the No. 9 prospect by mlb.com, Reed’s big league arrival date is projected as 2018. He may get there well before that. … Wondering if Chris Stratton, the ex-Mississippi State All-American from Tupelo, might work his way into San Francisco’s rotation next spring. The 6-foot-3 right-hander, rated the No. 14 prospect in the Giants’ system by mlb.com but not yet on the 40-man roster, finished 2015 at Triple-A Sacramento, going 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA. Stratton was a first-round pick in 2012 whose pro career got off to a rocky start when he was hit in the head by a batted ball during a practice. But he may have proved himself ready for a chance at The Show last summer, and the Giants need some arms. … Jackson native Donnie Veal, in his 11th year of pro ball, is pitching in the Dominican Winter League, where he has not allowed a run in seven appearances (2 2/3 innings) for Cibaenas. Veal spent some time with Atlanta last season (14.54 ERA) and Triple-A Gwinnett (no earned runs in 16 innings) before landing in the independent Atlantic League. The left-hander had a 1.45 ERA in 20 games for Long Island. … Also in the DWL is Hattiesburg native Robert Carson, another erstwhile big leaguer who pitched in the Atlantic League (with Bridgeport) this season. Carson, a lefty, has a 4.76 ERA in eight games for Cibao.

07 Oct

name dropping

Baseball America’s chart of the top 20 prospects in the Southern League is chock-full of familiar names, with the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers placing two players each in the rankings. From the M-Braves, outfielder Mallex Smith was No. 16 and right-hander Tyrell Jenkins was No. 20; both finished the season at Triple-A Gwinnett. For the Shuckers, shortstop Orlando Arcia was No. 3 and RH Jorge Lopez No. 7. Lopez was a September call-up by Milwaukee and won his only start. Also rated among the SL’s best was Tim Anderson, the former East Central Community College star who played for the Chicago White Sox’s Double-A club in Birmingham. A shortstop with speed, Anderson was ranked eighth. Northwest Mississippi CC product Cody Reed (Pensacola/Cincinnati) was No. 10; the left-hander was the No. 6 prospect in the Class A Carolina League. … BA’s Matt Eddy didn’t see much he liked from M-Braves third baseman Rio Ruiz, who didn’t make the top 20 list: “He almost literally never pulls the ball, he doesn’t run well at all and is a fringy defensive third baseman.” P.S. Southern Maryland, managed by Jackson’s Stan Cliburn, fell to the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League Championship Series. Somerset won Game 4 3-1 on Monday to win the series 3-1. Cliburn’s club, the Blue Crabs, won Game 1 7-3 last Wednesday, a victory highlighted by a three-run home run by former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and MLB star Fred Lewis. Lewis got two hits in Game 3 on Sunday and drove in the Blue Crabs’ lone run with a base hit in Game 4.

05 Oct

closing arguments

Joey Butler enjoyed what he termed a “pretty cool” finish to his season. Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout, got a curtain call at Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field on Sunday during a two-homer, six-RBI game against Toronto. Among Mississippians who won’t be going to the postseason, Butler’s day was the brightest but not the only highlight. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith hit a game-winning home run, his 12th, for Seattle. Corey Dickerson, the former Meridian CC star, hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot that was part of a seven-run ninth inning for Colorado. UM product David Goforth pitched a scoreless inning for Milwaukee, and ex-Mississippi State star Ed Easley got his first MLB start for St. Louis. He was behind the plate (for Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn’s playoff tuneup) in Game 2 of a pair against Atlanta and went 0-for-3 in the 2-0 loss. Easley was 0-for-6 on the year, still without a big league knock. It seems unlikely he’ll make the postseason roster. Butler, who rarely played down the stretch (see previous post), told mlb.com that he “proved to myself” that he belongs in The Show. We’ll see what the Rays think. He finished at .276 with eight homers. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, who didn’t play for Cincinnati after Sept. 17, lost the stolen base title to Miami’s Dee Gordon, who finished with 58 to Hamilton’s 57. P.S. Northwest Mississippi CC product Cody Reed was ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Class A Carolina League by Baseball America. Left-hander Reed went 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA for Kansas City’s Wilmington team before he was promoted to Double-A and then traded in the Johnny Cueto deal. He finished at Pensacola in the Southern League, going 6-2, 2.17 for the Cincinnati affiliate. … Anthony Alford, Bobby Bradley and Spencer Turnbull cracked the Baseball America top 20 prospects list for the Midwest League. Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal, was rated the No. 2 prospect, ex-Harrison Central High star Bradley was No. 9 and Madison Central product Spencer Turnbull was No. 17. Alford, an outfielder in Toronto’s system, was promoted to the high Class A Florida State League at midseason and was the No. 8 prospect in that loop. He’s got game (see previous posts). Bradley hit a league-best 27 home runs for Cleveland’s Lake County team, and Turnbull, a Detroit farmhand, was an 11-game winner who didn’t allow a home run all year.

10 Sep

playoff fever

The Biloxi Shuckers have Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos right where they want them. The Southern League playoff format gives the Shuckers home field for the first two games of the best-of-5 South Division series, meaning the Shuckers can only clinch the series on the road. Remember, this is a team that played its first 54 games on foreign ground and still won the first-half championship handily. They even clinched the title on the road, at Trustmark Park in Pearl. A league championship would be frosting on what already has been a remarkable inaugural year for the Shuckers, a Milwaukee affiliate that moved from Huntsville. Jorge Lopez (12-5, 2.26 ERA), the SL pitcher of the year, will start tonight’s opener for Biloxi at MGM Park. In Game 2 on Friday, Cody Reed, the Northwest Mississippi Community College alum, will start for Pensacola (Cincinnati affiliate). Reed went 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA in eight starts for the Blue Wahoos and is the reigning SL pitcher of the week. In two starts from Aug. 31-Sept. 7, he was 2-0 with 14 shutout innings and 17 strikeouts. P.S. In the Pacific Coast League playoffs on Wednesday night, ex-Ole Miss star Alex Presley went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run to pace Fresno (Houston) past El Paso 9-1. Mississippi State product Hunter Renfroe was hitless in four trips for El Paso (San Diego). … Former State standout Adam Frazier was 1-for-4 with a run as Altoona (Pittsburgh) beat Bowie 8-7 in the Eastern League playoffs. Frazier was second in the EL in hitting this year with a .324 average. … In the Midwest League playoffs: Ex-Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull (11-3, 3.01 during the regular season) worked six strong innings (two runs, seven K’s) as West Michigan (Detroit) topped Fort Wayne 5-2. Southwest Mississippi CC alum Kade Scivicque was behind the plate for West Michigan and went 0-for-4. The Bray brothers from Vancleave (see previous post) were on opposing sides again as Peoria (St. Louis) defeated Kane County (Arizona) 2-1. Colin went 0-for-4 for KC; Tyler did not pitch for Peoria. And Stone County High alum D.J. Davis put up a 1-for-5 with a run scored for Lansing (Toronto) in a 6-5 victory over Great Lakes. Davis, a first-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2012, hit .282 with seven homers, 59 RBIs, 77 runs and 21 steals.

27 Aug

time to shine

Some games in the minors simply matter more than others. Performance in those games is magnified. With first place in the Southern League South on the line Wednesday night, Cody Reed pitched like an ace for Pensacola. The Northwest Mississippi Community College product from Horn Lake threw six innings, allowing one run and punching out eight, as the Blue Wahoos topped the visiting Mississippi Braves 3-1. The Wahoos (33-26) climbed a half-game ahead of the M-Braves (32-26) in the battle for the second-half title in the SL South. “I love having that pressure of being the guy they give the ball to,” Reed said in a story on the team’s web site. Reed’s star is surely rising in the Cincinnati organization. The bespectacled, 6-foot-5 left-hander, acquired from Kansas City in the Johnny Cueto deal, is 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six starts for the Wahoos. He was 2-2, 3.45 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and 5-5, 2.14 in A-ball in the Royals’ system. The lone run the M-Braves scored was knocked in by Rio Ruiz, who is finally beginning to play like the prospect Atlanta thought it was getting from Houston in the Evan Gattis trade. Ruiz has an 11-game hit streak and is batting .368 with a homer, five RBIs and six runs in his last 10 games. For the year, his first in Double-A, the lefty-hitting third baseman is at .232 with three homers and 38 RBIs. In the finale of the Pensacola series tonight, the M-Braves send Greg Ross (7-9, 3.59) to the bump. More games that matter are ahead: Mississippi comes home on Friday for a series against Biloxi, the first-half champ in the SL South.