Tag Archives: Ole Miss

11 Aug

rising to challenge

Tim Elko is fitting in just fine at the Triple-A level. The former Ole Miss standout belted a pair of home runs for Charlotte on Saturday and now has five in 11 games. He is batting .311 and slugging .667 with eight RBIs and 10 runs for the Knights. If the parent Chicago White Sox – who are awful and fairly desperate for offensive punch – decide to hold open auditions down the stretch, they might give Elko a call. He isn’t on the 40-man roster and isn’t a Top 30 prospect, but he has handled every test in pro ball so far. A 10th-round pick in 2022, the 25-year-old first baseman/DH has posted a .288 career average with 47 homers in the minors. He has 14 bombs between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Elko left Oxford in 2022 after blasting a school-record 24 homers during the Rebels’ amazing run to the national championship. They erected a statue of Elko outside Swayze Field that confirms his status as one of the most popular players ever to suit up for UM. P.S. Ex-Mississippi State star Brent Rooker hit his 29th homer for Oakland on Saturday, the only run of the game in the A’s win against Toronto. If he weren’t stuck with the lowly A’s, Rooker (.290, 82 RBIs, .951 OPS) would likely get strong American League MVP consideration. … Biloxi Shuckers alum Devin Williams, who came off the injured list on July 28, notched his first save of the season, punching out the side in Milwaukee’s 1-0 win over Cincinnati. Williams has a 2.25 ERA with eight K’s in four games for the first-place Brewers. He had 36 saves in 2023.

07 Aug

surfing the wire

Several Mississippi products were on the move in the minors the past couple days, including 2024 MLB draftees Cam Schuelke, Cole Tolbert and Colby Holcombe being assigned to Class A clubs in their respective organizations. Schuelke, the submarine-style right-hander from Mississippi State, was assigned to Low-A Lynchburg by Cleveland after going in the 19th round of last month’s draft. Schuelke was 5-3 with two saves and a 4.21 ERA in 32 games at State this season. Tolbert, who had a 7.71 ERA in six appearances at Ole Miss, was sent to Low-A Salem by Boston, which drafted him in the 18th round. Tolbert, from Laurel, was on Pearl River Community College’s national title team in 2022. Holcombe, an MSU and Northeast Mississippi CC alum, was placed at Low-A Dunedin by Toronto, which took him in the ninth round. MSU product Eric Cerantola, a fourth-year pro, was promoted to Triple-A Omaha by Kansas City; he had a 2.78 ERA in 24 games in Double-A. Former Bulldogs standout K.C. Hunt moved from High-A Wisconsin to Double-A Biloxi in the Milwaukee chain; he was 7-1 with a 1.95 ERA at two levels of A-ball this season. Ex-MSU star Cade Smith, 6-6 with a 3.47 ERA in Low-A ball, was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley by the New York Yankees. And Landon Tompkins, a Northwest Rankin and Hinds CC product, moved up to High-A Greensboro in the Pittsburgh system; he had a 3.86 ERA and seven saves at Low-A Bradenton.

03 Aug

transaction watch

As part of a big wave of minor league transactions on Friday, former Mississippi State star Tanner Allen was released by Miami. He was on the Double-A Pensacola roster but playing at Low-Class A Jupiter on an injury rehab assignment. The lefty-hitting outfielder was batting .225 with two homers in 50 games this season and .229 for his career. Allen was a national player of the year, the SEC’s player of the year and the state’s Ferriss Trophy winner in 2021, when he helped MSU win the national title. He was a fourth-round pick by the Marlins that summer. Also released were Ole Miss alum Mike Mayers, a former big leaguer pitching at Triple-A Buffalo in the Toronto system; ex-UM infielder Justin Bench (San Francisco system); and Itawamba Community College alum Kyle Crigger (Miami system). … Meanwhile, former Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman was promoted by Miami from Jupiter to High-A Beloit and went 2-for-4 in his debut. The 2023 Ferriss Trophy winner was batting .270 with five homers and 30 RBIs in Low-A ball. P.S. After being outscored 25-3 in the first three games of the series at Trustmark Park, the Mississippi Braves rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Tennessee 7-6 Friday on a walk-off knock by Justin Dean in the ninth. Dean’s hit followed a walk, a steal and a wild pitch by former Delta State standout Dalton Moats, who took the loss for the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A club. … Former Mississippi Valley State (and Rust College) standout Dreylin Holmes has emerged as one of the top hitters in the MLB Draft League. He is hitting .400 with four homers, nine RBIs and 14 runs in 13 games for Mahoning Valley. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound outfielder reportedly hit a 461-foot homer on Thursday; he hit 29 homers in three seasons for the Delta Devils. … Brandon High’s Jamaurion McQueen is slated to participate in the Hank Aaron Invitational today at Truist Park in Atlanta. The event is part a diversity-focused development program for prep players around the country. McQueen, 6-3, 195, an outfielder/pitcher, is a Southern Miss commit.

02 Aug

three shining moments

Around the minors on Thursday, Tanner Hall pitched an immaculate inning, Blaze Jordan got a walk-off hit and Gunnar Hoglund made an impressive debut. Hall, the former Southern Miss All-America, pitching for Low-Class A Fort Myers in the Minnesota chain, struck out the side on nine pitches in the fifth inning against St. Lucie. What’s more, Hall threw six innings — his longest outing of the year — struck out nine all told and got the win in a 7-2 game. The 2022 Ferriss Trophy winner, a fourth-round pick in 2023, is 3-0 with a 5.22 ERA in 14 games in his debut season. Jordan, the ex-DeSoto Central High star, was 0-for-5 when he stepped into the box in the 10th inning for Double-A Portland (Boston), then delivered an RBI hit to give the Sea Dogs a 6-5 win over Erie. Boston’s No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Jordan is hitting .252 with 41 RBIs in what has been an uneven season. He was riding a 17-game hit streak when he broke a finger in mid-May and missed a month. The right-handed hitting first baseman/third baseman hit 18 homers in 2023 but has just six this season, only one since June 21. Ole Miss product Hoglund, Oakland’s No. 17 prospect, made his first appearance for Triple-A Las Vegas, pitched a 1-2-3 first inning with two K’s and worked five more innings against Albuquerque. He yielded five hits and three runs, fanned seven and got a no-decision. The 6-foot-4 right-hander, the 19th overall pick in 2021, was 9-4 with a 2.84 ERA in Double-A this season. P.S. Hoglund was one of three Mississippians pegged by MLB Pipeline as pitching prospects to watch down the stretch. The others were ex-Mississippi State star Cade Smith (6-6, 3.48, at Low-A Tampa in the New York Yankees’ system) and former Bulldogs closer Landon Sims (1.21 ERA, 32 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings at High-A Hillsboro in the Arizona system).

31 Jul

lightning strikes twice

Deadline trades — and there were a slew of them this week — can be risky, but they can also make a big difference in a team’s championship chase. To wit: Former Meridian Community College standout Cliff Lee was involved in deadline deals in back-to-back seasons that proved very rewarding. Both times the lanky left-hander helped his new club reach the World Series. In 2009, the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies traded four prospects to Cleveland for Lee, the 2008 Cy Young Award winner, and an outfielder. Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA as the Phillies won the National League East. In the postseason, he was 4-0 with a 1.56 and beat the New York Yankees twice in the World Series. Alas, the Phils fell in six games. In 2010, Lee had moved on to Seattle. That July, Texas sent three prospects along with big leaguer Justin Smoak to the Mariners to get Lee for the stretch run. He went 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA for the Rangers, 2-1 with a 1.93 in four September starts, helping them win the American League West. In the 2010 postseason, Lee posted a 3-2, 2.78, ledger as Texas reached the World Series. Both of his losses came in the Series, won by San Francisco. … Lee won 143 games in a 13-year big league career and was 7-3 with a 2.52 ERA in 11 postseason starts. He did not win a ring, however. P.S. At a press conference in Pittsburgh today, Jackson Prep alum Konnor Griffin formally signed with the Pirates for a $6.5 million bonus, the highest for a Mississippi-connected player in the bonus pool era (since 2012) of the MLB draft. The consensus national high school player of the year was the ninth overall pick. “The (Pirates) team is on a great track right now hopefully getting to the playoffs,” Griffin said at his signing. “There are a lot of great things I’m seeing here.” If Griffin, an outfielder/shortstop, plays this season, it’ll likely be at Low-Class A Bradenton. The rookie league season has ended. … Former Jackson Prep standout Will Warren was optioned back to Triple-A by the New York Yankees after making an impressive MLB debut at Philadelphia on Tuesday (see previous posts). … Lance Lynn, the 37-year-old right-hander out of Ole Miss, went on the injured list with knee inflammation today, a day after notching his sixth win for St. Louis against Texas. Lynn (6-4, 4.06 ERA) is 2-0 in his last three starts while allowing just three runs in 16 innings for the Cardinals, who are still in the National League wild card race.

31 Jul

fresh cut

A bunch of faces turned up in new places on Tuesday: Thrown into the cauldron at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, Will Warren acquitted himself well in his big league debut. The former Jackson Prep standout from Brandon gave up four early runs but nothing more over 5 1/3 innings as a spot starter for the New York Yankees. The Yanks rallied to beat the Phillies 7-6 in 12 innings. Warren, New York’s No. 7 prospect, threw a fastball past Bryce Harper in the first inning for his first strikeout. … Ex-Ole Miss star Tim Elko homered in his first game for Triple-A Charlotte after being promoted by the Chicago White Sox. Elko, who hit 46 homers in five seasons in Oxford, has 42 career bombs in three years of pro ball. … Southern Miss product Tyler Stuart, traded to Washington by the New York Mets, pitched five innings (three runs, five K’s) in his debut with Double-A Harrisburg. … Former USM star Matthew Etzel, traded to Tampa Bay by Baltimore, went 0-for-4 in his debut with Double-A Montgomery. … Cooper Pratt, 2023 Gatorade player of the year at Magnolia Heights, hit a homer and a sac fly in his first game at High-Class A Wisconsin in the Milwaukee system. … David McCabe, Atlanta’s No. 11 prospect, came off the injured list for the Double-A Mississippi Braves and went 0-for-3 with a walk in his 2024 debut. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound third baseman hit .276 with 17 homers in A-ball in 2023. … Ole Miss product Gunnar Hoglund, 9-4 with a 2.84 ERA in Double-A, was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas by Oakland but did not pitch on Tuesday. P.S. Brent Rooker, subject of many trade rumors, stayed put with Oakland on deadline day and belted his 26th homer of the season in a 5-2 win at San Francisco. The ex-Mississippi State standout leads the majors with 11 homers in July. … Former DeSoto Central star Austin Riley had his first four-hit game since June 8, 2023, in Atlanta’s 5-1 win at Milwaukee. Riley boosted his average to .259. … Recently signed by Gastonia of the independent Atlantic League, MSU alum Jacob Robson hit his first homer of 2024 in his third game on Tuesday. The well-traveled Robson played in four MLB games with Detroit in 2021 and most recently played in Australia.

30 Jul

memorable day

The best day by a Mississippian in the majors on Monday was registered by Jordan Westburg, the All-Star out of Mississippi State who plays for Baltimore. But the honor of most interesting day goes to Matt Wallner, the ex-Southern Miss slugger who plays for Minnesota. First, Westburg: In a doubleheader against Toronto, Westburg went 5-for-8 with a walk, three doubles, a home run, four RBIs and three runs. Have a day, as they say. He is batting .273 with 18 homers in his first full MLB campaign. Usually the Orioles’ starting third baseman, Westburg played second base and shortstop on Monday. (For the record, he made two errors at short in just his second appearance there.) As for Wallner, the outfielder with the big arm made the first pitching appearance of his five-year pro career in the Twins’ 15-2 loss to the New York Mets. Wallner came on with runners aboard in the seventh of the blowout game and yielded a two-run knock before getting out of the inning. He retired three of the four batters he faced in the eighth. His ERA sits at 0.00. Wallner was used as a closer at times while at USM, posting nine saves and a 4.91 ERA in his freshman and sophomore years. P.S. MSU product and Canton native Dakota Jordan reportedly has signed with San Francisco for a $2 million bonus (well above the slot value) as a fourth-round draft pick. MLB Pipeline labeled Jordan, a power-hitting outfielder and the 2024 Ferriss Trophy winner, the “biggest steal” of the fourth round. … Ex-Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery has signed with Boston for $5 million. The outfielder was the 12th overall pick out of Texas A&M. … Tim Elko, ex-Ole Miss slugger, reportedly has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte in the Chicago White Sox’s system. Elko was batting .289 with nine homers and 40 RBIs at Double-A Birmingham. … Texas sent ex-MSU standout Justin Foscue back to Triple-A Round Rock; he is 2-for-19 in his two brief stints with the Rangers.

29 Jul

worth noting

Seven of the nine players picked out of the Magnolia State in the first two days of the MLB draft reportedly have signed. The exceptions are Jackson Prep product Konnor Griffin (ninth overall by Pittsburgh) and Mississippi State alum Dakota Jordan (fourth round, 116th overall, San Francisco). The slot value of those picks, per mlb.com’s Draft Tracker, are $6.22 million for the ninth pick and $624,800 for No. 116. The signing deadline is Thursday. Griffin has a college commitment to LSU in hand, and Jordan has two years of college eligibility remaining. Former Madison Central High standout Braden Montgomery, the 12th overall pick out of Texas A&M by Boston, also has not signed. All told, 15 of the 21 players picked from Mississippi schools have signed; Hunter Elliott (20th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) reportedly is returning to Ole Miss. … Ex-Southern Miss standout Tyler Stuart, formerly the New York Mets’ No. 17 prospect, was traded to Washington for big league outfielder Jesse Winker. Stuart, a 6-foot-9 right-hander, was 3-7 with a 3.96 ERA in Double-A for the Mets; he has a 3.09 career ERA in pro ball. … Justin Dean stole four bases on Sunday, setting a Mississippi Braves single-season record with 44 bags. Dean, who has spent parts of the last four years with the Double-A M-Braves, has 195 career steals, 114 with the M-Braves. … Former Magee High star Brennon McNair delivered a walk-off hit for Low-A Columbia on Sunday. The Kansas City Royals farmhand, 21, is 5-for-15 in his last four games, lifting his average to .209 with six homers and 24 RBIs. … Right-hander Michael Rucker, a Columbus native, recently was added to Philadelphia’s active roster from the injured list. Rucker, who has a career 4.96 ERA, grew up in Washington state and was drafted out of BYU by the Chicago Cubs. … Fun fact: Greenville native George Scott hit 271 home runs in the big leagues but only one inside-the-park job. It happened on this date in 1967, for Boston, at Fenway Park, against Minnesota’s Jim Perry. Scott, a two-time All-Star, was a big dude but could run a little: 69 steals, 60 triples in 14 MLB campaigns.

28 Jul

three things

1) Having lost six straight, Atlanta was in desperate need of some positive energy on Saturday, and rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach brought it. Schwellenbach stifled the New York Mets for seven innings in what was, considering the circumstances, perhaps the best performance of the season by a Braves starter. Maybe it will be a turning point. In the 4-0 win at CitiField, Schwellenbach allowed just two hits, no walks and struck out 11. He improved to 4-5 with a 4.06 ERA in 10 starts. Fans of the Mississippi Braves might recall his sparkling Double-A debut on May 15, when he tossed six shutout innings with nine K’s against Biloxi. He is the latest in a virtual parade of former M-Braves pitchers who have had significant impact as rookies in Atlanta over the past eight years as the team rose to the top in the National League East. It’s been cool to see. To wit: Sean Newcomb and Max Fried in 2017, Mike Soroka in 2018, Ian Anderson in 2020, Spencer Strider in 2021-22, Bryce Elder in 2022, Jared Shuster and AJ Smith-Shawver in 2023.
2) Former Biloxi High star Colt Keith might be clawing his way into consideration for American League rookie of the year. Keith, Detroit’s second baseman, went 2-for-4 with a homer, a triple and three RBIs in the Tigers’ 7-2 win against Minnesota on Saturday. The lefty-swinging Keith, 22, is batting .259 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs — .318 with eight bombs and 21 RBIs over the last 30 games. He got a rich contract in the off-season before ever playing a big league game, and he has held up his end. And the Tigers are 52-54, still lurking in the wild card race.
3) Nick Fortes hits at the bottom of the lineup for a team at the bottom of the standings. But the ex-Ole Miss catcher, who stays in the Miami lineup because of his defensive skills, has actually heated up with the bat this month. He went 2-for-4 with a squeeze-bunt hit and a run in the Marlins’ 7-3 win against Milwaukee on Saturday, raising his average to .203. He has just two homers and 17 RBIs in 74 games for a 38-66 club. However, in his last seven games he is batting .409 and in his last 15 he’s at .327.

27 Jul

hit parade

There are still a lot of hits in Tyreque Reed’s bat. After a year on the shelf, the Houlka native has come out swinging in the independent Frontier League, batting .371 in 32 games for the Washington Wild Things. Since coming off a stint on the injured list on July 4, Reed has banged out 29 hits in 15 games. He has two four-hit games and three three-hit games in that span. He hit his sixth homer of the season on Friday night. Even after a loss in that game, his Wild Things team — based in Washington, Pa. — has the best record (41-22) in the league. Reed established himself as a hitter of note in 2017 at Itawamba Community College when he batted a ridiculous .504 with 15 homers and 15 doubles in 141 at-bats. He was drafted by Texas in the eighth round that summer, played three years in that system, then was taken in the 2020 Rule 5 draft by Boston. A first baseman/DH, he was a ranked prospect for a time in both of those organizations and batted .268 with 64 homers in 374 games in the minors. He hit .296 with 14 homers at High-Class A Greenville in 2021 and earned a promotion to Double-A, where his production began to slip. He missed a chunk of the ’22 season and all of ’23 with injuries before becoming a free agent last fall. At 26, Reed’s window of opportunity in affiliated ball has probably closed. … Also finding a home in the Frontier League this year is Delvin Zinn, another ICC product and a former Chicago Cubs farmhand. Zinn, who stole 44 bases in one minor league season, is batting .329 with 11 steals for Evansville. P.S. Hot-hitting Kemp Alderman belted a walk-off, 11th-inning homer for Jupiter on Friday night. The ex-Ole Miss star, batting .322 in July, is at .283 with four homers and 24 RBIs for Miami’s Low-A club. The Hammerheads started three Mississippi products on Friday: Alderman in left field, former McLaurin High and Meridian CC star Davis Bradshaw at DH and Mississippi State alum Tanner Allen in right field. Alderman and Allen are both Ferriss Trophy winners.