Tag Archives: Premier 12

23 Nov

here and there

Ethan Small, the former first-round MLB draft pick out of Mississippi State, is looking for a new team after San Francisco did not offer the left-hander a contract for 2025. Originally drafted by Milwaukee in 2019, Small made just four big league appearances with the Brewers in 2022 and ’23 before being traded to the Giants last February. He was shelved with an injury much of the season, posting a 4.85 ERA in 14 appearances in the minors. The 27-year-old Small was among a wave of players cut loose by MLB clubs on Friday. He has worked as both a starter and reliever in the minors with some success in both roles (3.22 career ERA). The former SEC pitcher of the year will land somewhere next season; lefties are always in demand. … Ole Miss product Kemp Alderman was ranked No. 21 in MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 30 prospects in the recently concluded Arizona Fall League. Alderman, a Miami farmhand, hit .306 with six homers in nine games in the AFL — he left the league early to get married — and was pegged as the All-AFL designated hitter. He batted .242 with eight homers in 2024, his first full minor league season. … Former UM slugger Tim Elko has struggled at the plate for Team USA in the World Baseball Premier 12 tournament. Elko is 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts for the American side, which is 4-4 overall in the international competition heading into tonight’s bronze medal game vs. Venezuela in Tokyo. Elko batted .289 with 18 homers and 73 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A for the Chicago White Sox this season and also played well in the AFL before being recruited to Team USA. … Former big leaguer Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High standout, continues to lead the Mexican Pacific League in stolen bases with 21 through 34 games. Hamilton, 34, is batting .257 with 10 extra-base hits and 23 runs for Jalisco. He last played in the majors in 2023. … Brennon McNair, the Magee High alum now in the Kansas City Royals’ system, is 4-for-21 with a homer, three RBIs and three steals in six games for Brisbane in Australia’s winter league. … Banks Tolley, ex-St. Andrew’s High star, has signed with Schaumburg of the independent Frontier League after playing briefly in the league last summer. At Appalachian State last season, Tolley was a third-team All-America pick by d1baseball.com. The Mississippi Mud Monsters, a Frontier League newcomer for 2025, have yet to announce any signees (or a manager) for their inaugural season.

22 Oct

minor matters

Though Jake Mangum’s numbers weren’t — for whatever reason — enough to rate a call to the big leagues, they were certainly good enough to rate a spot on the all-Mississippi minor league All-Star team for 2024. The Mississippi State product led the Triple-A International League in batting at .317 with six homers, 56 RBIs and 20 steals in the Tampa Bay system. Pencil Mangum in as one of the outfielders, joined by two other Tampa Bay farmhands: ex-MSU standout Colton Ledbetter (.273, 16 homers, 34 bags at the High-Class A level) and Southern Miss alum Matthew Etzel (.272, 11 homers, 66 RBIs and 45 steals at two levels, finishing in Double-A in the Rays’ chain after a trade from Baltimore). Behind the plate, former MSU standout Gavin Collins had a resurgent season at Triple-A Memphis (.264, nine homers, 35 RBIs) in the St. Louis organization. Former Ole Miss star Tim Elko is the pick at first base; he batted .289 with 18 homers and 73 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A for the Chicago White Sox. At second base, it’s minor league vet Hunter Stovall, an MSU alum who hit .271 with seven homers and 41 RBIs for Colorado’s Triple-A club. The shortstop is rising star Cooper Pratt, the former Gatorade player of the year from Magnolia Heights who batted .277 with eight homers, 45 RBIs and 27 bags at two Class A levels in Milwaukee’s organization. (Pratt is likely to start 2025 at Double-A Biloxi.) R.J. Yeager, another former State standout, gets the nod at third base after batting .254 with 15 homers and 65 RBIs in Double-A in St. Louis’ system. Put ex-Mississippi College star Blaine Crim (.277, 20 homers, 86 RBIs for Texas’ Triple-A team) at DH. Justin Foscue, a former MSU standout who made the majors in 2024, would make a fine utility player; he hit .276 with nine homers in Triple-A for Texas in an injury-curtailed season. On the mound, Ole Miss alums Doug Nikhazy (7-4, 2.98 ERA, at Double-A and Triple-A for Cleveland) and Gunnar Hoglund (9-7, 3.44, in Double-A and Triple-A for Oakland) make for a fine lefty-righty combo. The closer: former MSU closer Landon Sims, who went 4-0 with nine holds, two saves, a 3.07 ERA and a bunch of punchouts at two A-ball levels in Arizona’s system. P.S. On the news front: Elko has been selected to the U.S. roster for the World Baseball Premier 12 tournament. Team USA begins play on Nov. 9 in Mexico. Also on the roster are former Mississippi Braves Drake Baldwin and Touki Toussaint, the latter an MLB veteran. … Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product Brandon Parker, who played for the M-Braves in 2024, has been released by Atlanta, and ex-USM standout Ben Ethridge (3.38 ERA in two A-ball seasons) was released by Minnesota. … Happy 45th birthday to Eli Whiteside, the New Albany native and Delta State alum who won a World Series ring as the backup catcher (to Buster Posey) with the 2010 San Francisco Giants.

15 Nov

have a blast

Of the many home runs he has hit in many different ballparks, the blast Brent Rooker struck in Japan’s Tokyo Dome on Friday is one that will likely stick with him. The Mississippi State product hit what was described as a “mammoth” homer that lifted Team USA to a 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 tournament. The victory in the must-win game kept Team USA in the hunt for a bronze medal in the event and a berth in the 2020 Olympic Games. Rooker’s third homer of the tournament was a two-run bomb in the seventh inning that gave his team its 3-2 lead. He reportedly punctuated the homer with an emphatic bat flip. “I had been holding my breath for about three innings,” Team USA manager Scott Brosius told The Japan Times. “So, he allowed me to breathe a little bit.” Rooker, a top prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization, has batted .353 in six games in the Premier 12 event. In his third pro season, the former SEC Triple Crown winner hit .281 with 14 homers in 65 Triple-A games, missing a chunk of time with injuries. He’ll likely make his big league debut in 2020.

05 Nov

here and there

Kendall Graveman rolled into the free agent market on Monday when the Chicago Cubs declined a $3 million option on the former Mississippi State standout. He pitched – very briefly — in the Cubs’ minor league system last season on a one-year, $575,000 deal while recovering from 2018 Tommy John surgery. Graveman is 23-29 with a 4.38 ERA over five big league seasons, four with Oakland. … Taylorsville High alumnus Billy Hamilton also became a free agent after Atlanta declined a 2020 option on the 29-year-old center fielder. Hamilton finished the past season with the Braves after being waived by Kansas City, with whom he had signed as a free agent last off-season. He is sitting on 299 career steals. … Former Ole Miss standout Mike Mayers was claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Angels, where the new pitching coach is UM product Mickey Callaway, fired as the New York Mets manager after two seasons. Mayers, 27, a right-handed reliever, posted a 6.63 ERA for St. Louis in 2019 and was not on the Cardinals’ postseason roster. … Ex-Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz will sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers and McComb native Corey Dickerson with San Diego, according to predictions by MLB Trade Rumors staff. Left-hander Pomeranz is ranked No. 23 among available free agents and outfielder Dickerson is No. 25. … MSU product Brent Rooker and Mississippi Braves alum Drew Waters helped Team USA advance out of group play in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 tournament in Mexico. Rooker, a Minnesota prospect, and Waters both homered in a Game 1 win vs. the Netherlands on Saturday. In an elimination game win on Monday against the Dominican Republic, Waters played as a defensive replacement in center field, while Rooker did not get in the game. Team USA now goes to Tokyo next week for the Super Round of the Premier 12 event, a 2020 Olympics qualifier. … Grenada native Dave Parker is one of 10 candidates announced by the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday for inclusion on the 2020 Modern Baseball Era (1970-87) ballot. A 16-member panel will vote and announce potential electees on Dec. 8 at the Winter Meetings. Candidates must receive votes from at least 75 percent of the ballots to gain election to the Hall. Parker– a seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion, two-time World Series champ and one-time National League MVP — lasted the maximum 15 years on the baseball writers’ ballot before falling off in 2011. “(W)hen Parker was at his best, he was elite at just about everything a player can do on the field,” an ESPN writer recently noted.

11 Oct

going places

Former Mississippi State star Brent Rooker, now a Minnesota Twins prospect, has been named to USA Baseball’s 28-man roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 tournament, set for Guadalajara, Mexico, from Nov. 2-4. Rooker, an outfielder/first baseman in his third pro season, batted .281 with 14 homers at Triple-A Rochester this season; he missed a chunk of time with injuries. Rated as the Twins’ No. 8 prospect (MLB Pipeline), Rooker has 54 homers in his pro career. Also on the Team USA squad is outfielder Drew Waters, the Mississippi Braves product who was Southern League MVP this year. The top two nations from the four in Team USA’s group will move on to the Super Round in Tokyo from Nov. 11-16. The event is a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

24 Nov

from the stove

Pascagoula native Tony Sipp, a free agent coming off a strong 2015 season, “could wind up being a real shrewd pickup this winter,” a CBS Sports article notes. Sipp, a 32-year-old left-hander, posted a 1.99 ERA for playoff-participant Houston last season and has a 3.50 over seven MLB campaigns. But he isn’t being mentioned with the top relievers on the market; the CBS Sports piece makes the case that he should be. The New York Mets are among the teams projected to be a good fit. … Washington reportedly wants to deal troublesome closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had a 2.13 ERA and 24 saves between the Nationals and Philadelphia in 2015. But Mississippi State product Papelbon is 35, will make $11 million next season and has a broad no-trade clause. So, good luck with that. … There are also rumors that Texas might be open to dealing Mitch Moreland, the former State star from Amory. The Rangers are seeking a right-handed hitter. Lefty Moreland hit .278 with 23 homers and 85 RBIs in 2015 and earned AMB’s Cool Papa Bell Award (see previous post). … Right-hander Lucas Sims, a standout for the Mississippi Braves last summer, was rated the No. 19 prospect in the Arizona Fall League by mlb.com, which raved about his curveball. Sims, Atlanta’s top pick in 2012, was 0-0 with a 2.12 ERA in six games (five starts) in the AFL, fanning 17 in 17 innings for Peoria. He made nine starts for the M-Braves after a mid-season promotion and looked sharp (4-2, 3.21). He could start 2016 in Pearl, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to seem him open at Triple-A Gwinnett. … MSU product Adam Frazier was selected as the second baseman on the All-Premier 12 team. Frazier, who plays in the Pittsburgh system, batted over .300 for Team USA, which finished runner-up to South Korea in the international tournament played in Taiwan and Japan. … Bobby Bradley, a lefty-hitting first baseman, smacked 27 homers in 110 games in A-ball in 2015, but Cleveland officials believe he can get stronger. Still only 19, the ex-Harrison Central High star is listed at 6 feet 1, 225 pounds. “One thing he’s been really focused on, especially last season, was his body from a strength and conditioning standpoint,” Cleveland director of player development Carter Hawkins told mlb.com. Bradley is a consensus top 10 prospect in the Indians’ system.

20 Nov

over there

Key at-bats by Adam Frazier and Tyler Pastornicky and a strong start from Zeke Spruill, familiar names all, helped Team USA beat Mexico 6-1 in the semifinals of the Premier 12 tournament in Tokyo, Baseball America reports. The American squad will play South Korea on Saturday for the championship of the international event. Ex-Mississippi State star Frazier, a Pittsburgh farmhand, was named the game’s MVP; he drove in the game-tying run with a hit in a five-run fourth inning. Pastornicky, a former Mississippi Braves standout, contributed a sac fly, and Spruill, another M-Braves alum now in the Boston system, threw five strong innings for the win. Brett Phillips, who played for the Biloxi Shuckers this season, also is on the Team USA roster.

12 Nov

there and here

Adam Frazier’s off-season work took him first to Arizona and then to Taiwan. Mississippi State product Frazier is on the U.S. team for the Premier 12 international tournament and has continued to swing a hot bat. Frazier had three hits in a 10-0 win over Mexico on Thursday after getting two hits and two RBIs in an 11-5 victory against the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. Frazier, a lefty-hitting middle infielder, batted .321 with four RBIs and six runs in seven Arizona Fall League games. He hit .324 with 30 RBIs and 59 runs in 103 games for Double-A Altoona in the Pittsburgh system this past season. The U.S. team, which also includes Ole Miss alum Cody Satterwhite, is 2-1 in the Premier 12, a big-time event on the world stage. P.S. Add Alex Presley to the list of Mississippi-connected players on the minor league free agent market. Outfielder Presley, 30, spent most of 2015 at Triple-A Fresno, where he hit .292; the ex-Ole Miss star got just 12 MLB at-bats with Houston. … Finally cleared to work – and play — in the U.S., Cuban outfielder Dian Toscano could be headed to the Mississippi Braves next spring. Toscano, 26, a lefty hitter with more speed than power, signed with Atlanta last January but did not play in 2015 as he awaited employment approval. He apparently has played very little the last two years, so some Double-A seasoning might be in order.

04 Nov

odds and ends

JaCoby Jones, the former Mr. Baseball from Richton, heads a group of Mississippi-connected players named to the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game. Jones, a shortstop in Detroit’s system currently batting .304 with two homers for Scottsdale, is on the East roster. The West includes 2015 Mississippi Braves starter Lucas Sims and two Biloxi Shuckers alums, outfielder Michael Reed and closer Damien Magnifico. Magnifico had a magnificent run with Milwaukee’s Double-A team last summer, moving into the bullpen and going 4-1 with 20 saves and a 1.17 ERA in 42 appearances. The Fall Stars Game is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. CST and will be televised by MLB Network. … Connor Lien, expected to contend for an outfield spot with the M-Braves next spring, is scuffling in the AFL. He is hitting .171 with a homer, 18 strikeouts and two walks in 41 at-bats for Peoria. Still, Baseball America’s Bill Ballew calls Lien “one of my top sleepers in the organization.” … Jackson native and Ole Miss alumnus Cody Satterwhite, a veteran minor league pitcher, is on the U.S. roster for the first Premier 12 international tournament set for Nov. 8-21. Pool play is in Taiwan and Japan with the semifinals and finals in Tokyo. According to Baseball America, Premier 12 is the top senior event for the International Baseball Federation, now re-branded as the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Satterwhite, currently a New York Mets farmhand, is joined on the American squad by former M-Braves star Tyler Pastornicky and Biloxi Shuckers alum Brett Phillips. … Tampa Bay released former Jackson State catcher Jovany Felipe, who batted .182 in rookie ball this summer after signing as an undrafted free agent. … The Belhaven-William Carey rivalry apparently is no more. With the Blazers moving to NCAA Division III, their 2016 schedule does not include the NAIA Crusaders, their longtime rivals in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and Southern States Athletic Conference. BU will play Maloney Trophy rivals Millsaps and Mississippi College next season. Carey is playing NCAA D-II’s Delta State and MC in 2016, as well as NAIA Tougaloo.