Tag Archives: Rangers

03 Apr

powering up

The chase is real for Hunter Hines, who has powered his way to within six home runs of Mississippi State’s exalted career record. Rafael Palmeiro — a member of MLB’s 500-homer club — hit 67 bombs at State from 1983-85, including a single-season record 29 (shared with Bruce Castoria) in 1984. Hines, a Madison Central High product now in his fourth year in Starkville, hit his 61st homer on Tuesday at Memphis, tying Will Clark for second on the career list. You’re in rare air when you’re being mentioned with the legendary Thunder and Lightning. Hines has seven homers this season. A lefty hitter who goes 6 feet 3, 210 pounds, Hines averaged 18 homers in his first three MSU seasons, and there’s a lot of 2025 left, assuming he stays healthy. His power seems legit; he led the Cape Cod League — a wood bat league — with 13 homers in 41 games in 2023. He was listed on some MLB draft prospect charts last year but didn’t get called. So he returned to Starkville, where he was a freshman All-America pick in 2022, All-SEC in 2023 and is now in hot pursuit of a record that will cement his legacy as one of the Bulldogs’ greats. Of note: Hines’ father, Richey, is the career homer leader at NCAA Division II Mississippi College with 57. The overall state homer record is believed to be 69, set by D-II Delta State’s Dee Haynes (1998-2000). P.S. MSU alum and Tampa Bay rookie Jake Mangum got another hit Wednesday, one of just three allowed by Paul Skeenes in Pittsburgh’s 4-2 victory. Mangum now has eight MLB hits, which puts him 900 behind fellow former Bulldogs hit king and good friend Adam Frazier, who had two knocks for the Pirates and drove in their first run. Of course, Mangum topped Frazier by a wide margin on MSU’s career hits list: 383 to 224. … Garrett Crochet, the ex-Ocean Springs High star who just a got a huge contract extension from Boston, threw a career-high eight innings with eight strikeouts as the Red Sox blanked Baltimore 3-0. Crochet, a converted reliever, said he last threw eight innings in the first game of his freshman year at Tennessee in 2018. … Former MC standout Blaine Crim hit a walk-off three-run homer for Triple-A Round Rock, completing a game in which he also had a triple, a single and a walk. Crim, 27, is in his sixth season in Texas’ system and carries a .296 average with 104 homers.

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.

13 Mar

breaking out

The Spring Breakout games, featuring most of the best minor league talent, begin today with Boston’s squad taking on Tampa Bay (MLB Network, 6:05 p.m.). On the Red Sox’s roster is former DeSoto Central High star Blaze Jordan, while the Rays’ roster includes Mississippi State product Colton Ledbetter. The games, 16 all told, will run through Sunday. Among the Mississippians who could be featured are Konnor Griffin (Pittsburgh), Braden Montgomery (Chicago White Sox), Tim Elko (White Sox), Cooper Pratt (Milwaukee), Dakota Jordan (San Francisco), Jurrangelo Cijntje (Seattle) and Tanner Hall (Minnesota). MLB Pipeline has pegged David Mershon, former All-SEC shortstop out of MSU, as a sleeper prospect on the Los Angeles Angels team. Though not ranked among the Angels’ Top 30, the 5-foot-7, 175-pound Mershon’s star appears to be ascending. From mlb.com: “He’s a switch-hitter with on-base skills and speed who can play excellent infield defense.” Drafted in the 18th round last summer after two years at State (.347, 27 steals last year), the South Carolina native went straight to Double-A and hit .254. The Angels then sent him to the Arizona Fall League, another high-talent loop, and Mershon batted .263 there. Invited to big league camp, he is 3-for-14 in A-games. The Angels’ Spring Breakout game is slated for Saturday (MLBN, 8:05 p.m.) against the Cubs. P.S. Justin Foscue, another former MSU infielder, was optioned to Triple-A by Texas on Wednesday. Foscue, batting .235 in big league games this spring, made his MLB debut in 2024 but hit just .048 (2-for-42). The 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, he has a .278 career average in the minors with 60 homers. … MSU alum Kendall Graveman, recently signed by Arizona as a free agent, has not pitched this spring because of a reported back issue. He missed all of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery.

23 Dec

it’s a challenge

The new task for Nathaniel Lowe, who has a World Series ring, a Silver Slugger award and a Gold Glove on his resume, is to help the lowly Washington Nationals climb back into contention in the stacked National League East. The ex-Mississippi State slugger was traded Sunday from Texas to the Nationals for left-hander Robert Garcia. A lefty-hitting first baseman, Lowe had some very good years with Texas after moving there from Tampa Bay. He batted .274 with 78 home runs in four years as a regular with the Rangers, who won the 2023 world championship. Lowe, 29, hit .302 with 27 bombs in his Silver Slugger season of 2022 but faded a bit the last two years, batting just .265 with 16 homers in 2024. The Nats, who have had five straight losing seasons, were in desperate need of a first baseman, while Texas had recently acquired Jake Burger, another power-hitting first baseman, from Miami. … In another deal involving the NL East, ex-South Panola High star Emaarion Boyd, Philadelphia’s No. 23 prospect, was shipped to Miami along with another prospect for major league pitcher Jesus Luzardo and a minor leaguer. Boyd, a speedy outfielder, played at the High-Class A level last season, hitting .239 with 24 steals. An 11th-round pick by the Phillies in 2022, Boyd has a .256 career average and 91 bags in his fledgling pro career. P.S. Former Ole Miss catcher Cooper Johnson, who played in Double-A last season, has been invited to big league spring training by Texas. Johnson hit .235 with 14 homers at Double-A Frisco in 2024; he was originally drafted by Detroit in 2019.

27 Sep

one for the books

A wide range of emotions were on display Thursday at Oakland Coliseum. For J.T. Ginn, there was the thrill of his first major league win, which happened to coincide with the Oakland A’s final game at the place they’ve called home since 1968. Former Mississippi State star Ginn, making his eighth MLB appearance, took a shutout into the sixth inning and wound up being charged with two runs over 5 1/3 in the A’s 3-2 victory against Texas. He is 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA. He got a standing ovation when he left the mound. The game, broadcast on MLB Network, drew a crowd of 46,889, many no doubt angered that the team’s owner is moving the club — first to Sacramento, then to Las Vegas — but also saddened to see the proud franchise pull up roots. “Today there is crying in baseball,” read one sign. In the ninth, someone threw a smoke bomb on the field, causing a delay. Former MSU star Brent Rooker had two hits for the A’s, and fellow former Bulldogs slugger Nathaniel Lowe went 1-for-4 with an RBI for the Rangers. … Mississippians have some interesting history in the green-and-gold. Belzoni’s Herb Washington, the track star-turned-designated runner, won a World Series ring with the 1974 team, the last of the Swingin’ A’s three straight titles. Grenada native Dave Parker, in the twilight of his excellent career, was the DH on the 1989 Oakland club that won the Earthquake Series, the last of the A’s world championships. Chad Bradford, the ex-Southern Miss standout from Byram, pitched and MSU product Adam Piatt played some first base for the Moneyball A’s of 2002, made famous by the book and the movie. That 103-win team, which had a 20-game win streak, didn’t make it to the World Series. In 2021, Amory native and former Mississippi State standout Mitch Moreland played the final season of his outstanding career with the A’s. In 1981, Kelvin Moore became the first Jackson State product to reach the majors when he debuted for Oakland in the second half of that strike-interrupted split season. Baseball is losing something without a team in Oakland. P.S. In Thursday games that were meaningful for other reasons, Detroit and Kansas City maintained their cushion over Minnesota in the American League wild card standings. Only two of the three will make the playoffs. Colt Keith, the rookie out of Biloxi High, went 2-for-4 with a couple of RBIs as the Tigers beat Tampa Bay 4-3, their fifth straight win and 30th in 41 games. Ex-MSU standout Adam Frazier delivered a pinch two-run knock in the ninth inning to propel the Royals to their third straight victory, 7-4 over Washington. Hunter Renfroe, another State alum, belted his 14th homer for KC.

09 Sep

let’s get it started

Nothing like a first-inning home run to energize your team. Jake Mangum, the former Mississippi State standout from Flowood, led off Sunday’s game with a bomb for Durham, sparking Tampa Bay’s Triple-A club to a 15-5 rout of Columbus. It was the fifth homer of the season for minor league veteran Mangum, who went 3-for-6 to lift his average to .323, easily the best in the International League. He has 49 RBIs, 54 runs and 16 steals in 93 games for the Bulls. In the big leagues, Nathaniel Lowe, another MSU alum, went yard in the first frame for Texas, which went on to beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-4. The defending World Series champion Rangers have faded from playoff contention, but Lowe has picked up his game of late: .333 (.431 OBP) over his last 15 games. He is batting .263 (.358 OBP) with 12 homers and 53 RBIs on the year. Down in the Midwest League, ex-Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt smacked a first-inning homer — against former Southern Miss ace Tanner Hall — as High-Class A Wisconsin beat Cedar Rapids 10-3. Shortstop Pratt, Milwaukee’s No. 2 prospect, has five homers for the Timber Rattlers and is hitting .221 in 23 games with the team. The second-year pro hit .295 in Low-A before his promotion. P.S. The postseason starts Tuesday for teams in the Class A levels. Pratt’s Wisconsin club will play Quad Cities in the first round of the MWL postseason. Ex-USM star Dustin Dickerson plays shortstop for Quad Cities, a Kansas City affiliate. … Bowling Green, a Tampa Bay affiliate featuring MSU products Colton Ledbetter and Kamren James, faces Rome in the High-A South Atlantic League playoffs. Former Smithville High standout Jared Johnson pitches for Rome, an Atlanta affiliate. … Connor Hujsak, another 2024 draft pick out of State, is an outfielder for Charleston, a Tampa Bay affiliate in the Low-A Carolina League postseason. Southaven native and Northwest Mississippi Community College product Dalton Fowler pitches for the RiverDogs, who’ll face Kannapolis in the first round. Ole Miss alum T.J. McCants plays for the Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox). … Tyson Hardin, a 2024 draftee out of MSU, pitches for Carolina, a Milwaukee affiliate that’s also in the Carolina League postseason. … Dakota Jordan, the ex-MSU star from Canton, is on the roster but on the injured list at Low-A San Jose (San Francisco Giants), which is in the California League playoffs. Jordan, a 2024 draftee, was 0-for-7 in two games this season.

02 Sep

small consolation

History will show that Ocean Springs native Garrett Crochet was the losing pitcher in the 2024 Chicago White Sox’s franchise-record 107th loss. From the Small Consolation Dept.: History will also show that Crochet tied an American League record by striking out the first seven New York Mets batters he faced in Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Guaranteed Rate Field. To be sure, there have been positives for Crochet in what has been an abject disaster of a season for his team. Starting for the first time since his college days at Tennessee (2018-20), the 25-year-old left-hander made the AL All-Star team in his fourth big league campaign. He has a 3.61 ERA (but just a 6-10 record) and ranks third in the league with 188 strikeouts. He won five times in a seven-game stretch in May and June, earning AL pitcher of the month honors for June. He celebrated his last win on June 7; that’s how bad the ChiSox have been. Sunday’s strikeout streak “was cool,” Crochet said in an mlb.com piece. “Sadly, I kind of wasted a lot of pitches in that time. So it kind of ate into my pitch count ….” Now on a strict pitch limit, he threw 56, one of which Francisco Lindor smacked out of the park, the lone run Crochet allowed in 3 1/3 innings. Former Southern Miss star Chuckie Robinson was behind the plate for Crochet’s stint. … For the record, Gulfport native Bill Melton was on the 1970 White Sox team that lost 106 games, hitting 33 home runs. P.S. Ex-Mississippi State standout Justin Foscue, back in the big leagues with Texas, started at first base Sunday, walked and scored a run in the Rangers’ win over Oakland. … Ole Miss product Lance Lynn’s rehab start with Triple-A Memphis didn’t go too well: five runs, eight K’s in 3 2/3 innings; he has been on St. Louis’ injured list since July 31. … With MLB rosters expanding to 28 this month, it would be nice to see Colorado give a call to Hunter Stovall, the former State star who has been in the system since 2018. The 5-foot-6 second baseman, who hit a walk-off homer on Saturday at Triple-A Albuquerque, is batting .280 with six homers, 35 RBIs and 11 steals. He isn’t on the 40-man roster, so his chances of a promotion are slim. … Southern Miss product Matthew Etzel, who has scuffled at Double-A Montgomery since being traded by Baltimore to Tampa Bay, banged out four hits on Sunday to lift his average to .242 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 27 games. He is batting .278 with 10 homers and 45 steals overall in his first full pro season.

30 Aug

worth noting

Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark isn’t the place you’d choose for your first major league start, but J.T. Ginn handled Thursday’s appearance at that launching pad relatively well. The ex-Mississippi State star from Brandon went to the bump for Oakland and retired the first eight Reds batters he faced before Will Benson homered. Ginn yielded another home run in the fourth inning and a couple runs in the fifth but left with a lead. The A’s couldn’t hold it and ultimately lost 10-9. Ginn allowed four hits and a walk and struck out four. In three MLB appearances, the 25-year-old righty has a 5.19 ERA and eight K’s in 8 2/3 innings. He was 15-16 with a 4.68 over four minor league campaigns prior to his call to The Show earlier this month. … MSU alum Gavin Collins is enjoying a career revival at Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis organization. He went 2-for-2 with a three-run homer Thursday in the Redbirds’ 18-2 win against Iowa and is batting .271 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 50 games. The versatile Collins, 29, who has played primarily catcher this year, was drafted by Cleveland back in 2016. He became a free agent in 2022, signed with Tampa Bay, got released and then batted .314 with 10 bombs in the independent American Association last season before signing with St. Louis. … Mississippi College product Blaine Crim and ex-MSU standout Justin Foscue homered for Triple-A Round Rock, providing all the offense in a 3-1 win over Oklahoma City. Crim has 17 homers, Foscue nine for the Texas farm club. … Ex-Southern Miss and Mississippi Braves star Hurston Waldrep allowed one run over five innings for Triple-A Gwinnett and has a 4.50 ERA in six games for the Stripers. The 2023 first-round pick may yet get another look in Atlanta, where he was shelled (13 runs in seven innings) in two outings earlier this season. … K.C. Hunt, signed as an undrafted free agent out of MSU by Milwaukee last year, will make his fourth start tonight for Double-A Biloxi, where he is 0-2 despite a 3.31 ERA. Hunt, the Brewers’ No. 29 prospect, has pitched at three levels this season and has a 7-3 record, 2.21 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. … Kudos to Jason Heyward, the former M-Braves star who smacked a two-run double in his second at-bat for resurgent Houston, which beat Kansas City 6-3. Heyward, a 15-year MLB vet, was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.

21 Aug

return to form

At the end of June, Blaine Crim — a .290 career hitter in the minors — was batting .215 for the Round Rock Express, Texas’ Triple-A club. Suddenly, when the calendar flipped to July, he went off. The ex-Mississippi College star hit safely in 18 of his next 19 games and finished with a .453 average for the month. He hasn’t cooled off much in August. A 3-for-5 game on Tuesday that included his 13th home run boosted his average for the month to .328 (with four bombs) and for the season to .272. Crim was the Gulf South Conference’s hitter of the year in 2019, when he was drafted by Texas, and has been raking for much of his five-year minor league career. He batted .289 with 22 homers at Round Rock in 2023. The 27-year-old first baseman/DH has 96 homers in pro ball. Crim isn’t on the 40-man roster, so his chances of a call from the Rangers are probably slim. Teammate Justin Foscue, who has also had a hot August (.339, three homers), is on the 40-man and already has had a couple of MLB stints this season. With the Rangers fading from postseason contention, Mississippi State alum Foscue, their No. 7 prospect, may well get an extended look in September. In the meantime, the Mississippi products make for quite the tag team at Round Rock. P.S. Former Southern Miss standout Tyler Stuart is scheduled to make his Triple-A debut tonight for Rochester in the Washington system. The 6-foot-9 Stuart, a third-year-pro, had a 2.08 ERA in four starts in Double-A after the Nationals acquired him at the trade deadline from the New York Mets.

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.