Tag Archives: Reds

23 Apr

showing up late

Billy Hamilton’s not hitting (.204), but he is still finding ways to have an impact for Cincinnati. The ex-Taylorsville High star scored both of the Reds’ runs in a 2-1 victory over reeling Milwaukee on Wednesday night. He led off the game with a single, stole second (No. 9 on the year) and scored on a Joey Votto hit. In the ninth, Hamilton, on via a walk, went first to third on a Votto hit and scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a wild pitch. “(W)e’re going to be the best base-running team in baseball,” Hamilton told mlb.com. … Corey Dickerson, who has been hitting (.302), belted a pair of home runs, including a game-tying shot in the bottom of the eighth, to help Colorado beat San Diego 5-4. Meridian Community College product Dickerson has four homers and 12 RBIs on the year. … Desmond Jennings has been scuffling (.212), but he made key contributions late in Tampa Bay’s 7-5 win over Boston. The former Itawamba CC standout, who went 2-for-4, scored a run in a four-run sixth that tied it at 5-5 and then got the go-ahead run across in the seventh when he grounded into a double play. Not an RBI, but a productive out.

21 Apr

big league chew

Houston sits atop the tightly packed American League West, and Pascagoula’s Tony Sipp has played a key role in the Astros’ 7-6 start. Sipp, a left-handed reliever, got the win in Monday night’s victory over Seattle. His ERA over six games (7 2/3 innings) is now 1.17, and he has three holds. This is Sipp’s second season in Houston. … Ole Miss product Zack Cozart homered in Cincinnati’s win over Milwaukee and now has 14 hits in his last 34 at-bats. Cozart is batting .326 with two homers and five RBIs. … Ex-Mississippi State standout Kendall Graveman, making his third start for Oakland, was staked to an early lead but was pulled in the fourth inning of the victory over the Los Angeles Angels. He had allowed four hits, three walks and two earned runs. Graveman, rocked for seven earned runs in his first start (the first of his short MLB career), is now 1-1 and has trimmed his ERA to 6.94.

17 Apr

junk and stuff

On this date in 1934, Columbus native Red Barber called his first game on the radio, doing play-by-play for the Cincinnati Reds in a 6-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Crosley Field. It was the first major league game Barber had ever seen. He would go on to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster best known for his work with the Brooklyn Dodgers. … It’ll be interesting to see how Bobby Bradley fares this season. The former Harrison Central High standout, only 18, has been placed by Cleveland in the Class A Midwest League to start his second pro season. He is one of just two 18-year-olds on the Lake County roster. Bradley, a left-handed hitting first baseman, was drafted in the third round by the Indians in 2014 and stamped himself as a true prospect by batting .361 with eight homers and 50 RBIs in the rookie Arizona League. He even got into a big league spring game in March. Through his first seven games for Lake County, Bradley is 4-for-20 with a homer and a triple. “His swing is pretty sound, especially for his age,” Captains manager Shaun Larkin said in a story on an Indians blog site. … Stan Cliburn, the former big leaguer out of Forest Hill High, will manage the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the independent Atlantic League this season. On the Blue Crabs’ roster are Fred Lewis, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, and 39-year-old Daryle Ward, onetime Jackson Generals standout. Both Lewis and Ward are big league vets who played in the APBL last year. Opening Day in the league is April 24.

07 Apr

with a bang

Seth Smith did something Monday that no Seattle player had ever done on opening day. And he did it in his Mariners debut. Before a packed house at Safeco Field, the former Hillcrest Christian and Ole Miss star delivered three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) to help the Mariners whip the Los Angeles Angels 4-1. “Opening day is special,” Smith, acquired by Seattle from San Diego in the off-season, told the Seattle Post Intelligencer. He has been in a different uniform for each of the last three. … Not to be overlooked, Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson homered in his first at-bat, added a double and finished with four RBIs as Colorado routed Milwaukee 10-0. “He just swings hard in case he hits it – that’s pretty much his approach,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss told mlb.com about Dickerson, who blasted 24 homers last year. … Also of note from an action-packed opening day in MLB: Mississippi Gulf Coast CC alum Tony Sipp threw a clean eighth inning in Houston’s 2-0 shutout of Cleveland, and ex-Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton had a hit, scored twice and stole a base in a win by Cincinnati.

04 Apr

ups and downs

Louis Coleman, the former Pillow Academy star, cleared waivers on Friday and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha by Kansas City. The Royals reportedly wanted to keep the right-handed reliever in their system; he posted a 3.55 ERA this spring and has a 3.25 career MLB mark, though he struggled in 2014. … Expectations certainly have changed for Lance Lynn. Entering the 2014 season, the Ole Miss product was considered St. Louis’ No. 4 or 5 starter. He went to the post 33 times, worked over 200 innings, won 15 of his 25 decisions and put up a 2.74 ERA. For 2015, he gets the nod in Game 2 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. Lynn capped his spring with six shutout innings against the New York Mets on Thursday. “He was great – everything we needed to see,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told FoxSports.com. … Former UM standout Alex Presley, designated for assignment by the Houston Astros earlier this week, is likely to be traded, according to reports. Presley, an outfielder with five years of big league experience, hit .244 with the Astros in 2014 and has a career .259 average. … Meridian Community College alumnus Corey Dickerson, who had been out of the Colorado lineup with a back problem, returned on Friday. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton got a pair of hits Friday for Cincinnati to boost his spring average to .240. The speedster is 2-for-4 on stolen base tries.

28 Feb

swing thoughts

“Good field, no hit” was not a label that applied to Zack Cozart prior to 2014. And it’s one he is eager to shed. The Ole Miss product, a top-drawer defensive shortstop for Cincinnati, saw his offensive numbers slide last year to .221 with four homers and 38 RBIs. He was a .250 hitter with 27 homers combined in 2012-13. Cozart reportedly noticed a “glitch” in his swing while reviewing video in the off-season and believes it’s an easy fix. And there’s this: He may be pushed this spring by newly acquired Eugenio Suarez, who batted .242 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 85 games with Detroit last year and has a .271 career minor league average. P.S. Odds and ends: Corey Wimberly, the former Alcorn State star and 10-year minor leaguer, will play in Mexico this season, according to an milb.com story. Wimberly, 31, has played for seven different organizations without reaching The Show. “I’ve only enjoyed it,” he said of the ride. “I haven’t gotten to that bitter point.” … Former Hinds Community College star Beau Wallace signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee for this season after not playing in 2014. Drafted as a third baseman by Pittsburgh in 2013, Wallace is now listed as a catcher. … Starkville native Julio Borbon re-signed a minor league deal with Baltimore; he put up good numbers for the Orioles in Triple-A last year but never got a call-up.

07 Feb

eye on …

For most young players, a non-roster invitation to major league spring training is just ceremonial. They’ll get a look and a taste of big-league life, but they aren’t a real threat to make the 25-man cut for the start of the season. But Jacob Lindgren, the former Mississippi State and St. Stanislaus High star, definitely bears watching in the coming weeks in the New York Yankees’ camp. Despite having pitched only 24 2/3 innings as a pro, the 5-foot-11 left-hander is being mentioned as a viable candidate for the Yanks’ bullpen. Lindgren was almost unhittable at State last year: 0.81 ERA, 100 strikeouts in 55 innings. The Yankees took him with their top pick — 55th overall — and Lindgren moved swiftly though four levels of the minors last summer. He recorded a 2.19 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 13 walks and did not allow a home run. He throws in the mid-90s and scouting reports say his slider may be the best in the Yankees’ minor league system. The Yankees have a strong bullpen, including veteran lefties Andrew Miller and Justin Wilson. But there is always room for another quality southpaw. P.S. Another ex-MSU lefty, MLB veteran Paul Maholm, recently signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati and will be in the Reds’ camp. Maholm pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.

22 Jan

looking up

MLB Network’s list of the top 10 center fielders in the game does not include Billy Hamilton. Rest assured, there are any number of teams that would love to have the Collins native and ex-Taylorsville High star – but he has work to do to crack the list of elite center fielders. Hamilton, in his first full MLB season with Cincinnati, stole 56 bases, scored 72 runs, drove in 49, hit six homers and legged out eight triples in 152 games. In the field, he made just two errors while registering 342 putouts and 10 assists. But Hamilton batted just .250, put up a sub-par .292 on-base percentage and drew just 34 walks while fanning 117 times. The apparent leader in the National League rookie of the year race much of the season, he scuffled late and wound up second to New York pitcher Jacob deGrom. For sure, Hamilton’s speed is off the charts. If he can get on base more in 2015, he just might climb into that top 10 chart heading into 2016. P.S. Connor Barron’s stock may be rising, which is good news for Southern Miss fans. The former Sumrall High star, a third-round MLB draft pick in 2011 who went undrafted last summer, has been rated the No. 8 senior in the country by Perfect Game. Barron was the Texas Collegiate League player of the year last summer after batting .344. The former shortstop, now playing center field for the Golden Eagles, hit .246 (.316 in C-USA play) with four homers and 20 RBIs as a junior. … Also on the rise is Greer Holston, a right-hander at St. Stanislaus High. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior reportedly made a big impression on scouts at last weekend’s Under Armour Preseason All-America Tournament in Arizona.

11 Nov

one of these years

Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, who once appeared to be a lock for the National League Rookie of the Year award, came up short in the end. Hamilton, Cincinnati’s center fielder, lost out to New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, who got 26 of the 30 first-place votes from media members. No Mississippi native has won the rookie award in either league since it was first instituted in 1947 to honor Jackie Robinson. (Ex-Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan, who is from Florida, won the NL award in 2009.) Hamilton, who faded in the latter part of the season, hit .250 with 56 steals and 72 runs in 152 games. P.S. On the list of minor league free agents with Mississippi ties is Matt Tolbert, the former Ole Miss standout from McComb. Tolbert, who broke into pro ball in 2004 and has 247 MLB games on his ledger, batted .172 in 21 games in Double-A with Philadelphia this season. He might be done. Also out there are Alcorn State alumnus Corey Wimberly (in Minnesota’s system in 2014), UM product Cody Overbeck (San Diego), Jackson native Donnie Veal (Chicago White Sox) and former Ole Miss star Justin Henry (Boston).

06 Nov

love for the glove

One of the fun things about watching the Atlanta Braves on a regular basis is marveling at Jason Heyward’s skill with the glove in right field. The former Mississippi Braves star catches everything. He was justly rewarded on Wednesday as the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year. Ex-M-Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons was also named to Wilson’s nine-man all-defensive team. Both Heyward and Simmons previously won Rawlings National League Gold Gloves. Along with Heyward’s glove and Simmons’ rifle arm, there are other treats provided by other former M-Braves in Atlanta: Freddie Freeman’s stroke, Evan Gattis’ power, Craig Kimbrel’s heat, Alex Wood’s “funkiness,” the grit of Tommy LaStella and Phil Gosselin. Those things are fun to watch. Of course, for longtime Braves fans, it would be more fun to watch the team make a deep postseason run. Haven’t seen that in a while. P.S. The Cincinnati Reds were named the Wilson Defensive Team of the Year, which is a nod to, among others, Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton. Former Ole Miss standout Cozart and Taylorsville High product Hamilton man the key positions of shortstop and center field, and both are very good. … Anthony Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal (see previous posts), went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts as the Canberra leadoff batter in his Australian Baseball League debut.