Tag Archives: Rockies

13 Jun

status update

Ryan Rolison, the 22nd overall pick in the draft and the first Mississippian chosen, has signed with Colorado; no financial details were announced. The left-hander was the first Ole Miss player to be drafted in the first round since Drew Pomeranz in 2010. The list of signees from this year’s draft also includes Zack Shannon (Arizona), James McArthur (Philadelphia), Brady Feigl (Oakland) and Dallas Woolfolk (Oakland). … T.J. House, the former Picayune High standout, has been released from Triple-A by the Chicago White Sox. The erstwhile big leaguer, 28, had a 1-6 record and a 6.81 ERA in nine starts for Charlotte. He has 29 MLB appearances on his ledger, the last with Toronto in 2017. … Mississippi State alum Kendall Graveman remains on the shelf in Oakland’s system with a forearm problem. Graveman last pitched on May 24 for Triple-A Nashville. The A’s opening day starter, he is 1-5, 7.60 in big league duty this year. … Ex-Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan, who signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in late March, has not played this season because of a shoulder injury. The 32-year-old MLB veteran is a career .258 hitter and won a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016.

09 Jun

the right fit

If Reid Humphreys misses swinging the bat, it’s not showing. The former Mississippi State two-way standout, who hit .310 with 44 RBIs as a junior in 2016, is pitching exclusively in pro ball and putting up sparkling numbers. The 23-year-old right-hander, with Class A Lancaster in Colorado’s system, returned from a short stint on the disabled list on Friday and recorded his 14th straight scoreless appearance, also picking up a win after his one inning of work. Humphreys has 12 saves — second in the California League — and a 2.21 ERA for the high-A Jethawks. Humphreys is 12-for-13 in save opportunities this year and 25-for-27 in save opps with a 2.59 ERA in his three years in the minors. He throws strikes: 87 strikeouts and 18 walks in 76 innings. “I want to be the same, dependable guy every single time I take the mound. Consistency is something I want to work on, for sure,” he told lifestylesports101.com prior to this season. Consider that mission accomplished. The younger brother of big league free agent Tyler Moore, Humphreys was a dual player at Northwest Rankin High before an arm injury kept him off the mound his senior season. He didn’t pitch again until his junior year at State, where he notched seven saves in 17 games. He was a Ferriss Trophy finalist that year and was drafted, as a pitcher, by the Rockies in the seventh round. Humphreys’ results this year may soon warrant a promotion to Double-A. And because he’s with a National League team, he could get a chance to swing the bat again, which he just might enjoy.

18 Sep

school in session

Reid Humphreys, a dual standout at Mississippi State and Northwest Rankin High, is focused on pitching in pro ball, and he looked sharp in his second season. Humphreys, who’s on Colorado’s Instructional League roster for this fall, notched 13 saves in 14 chances with a 2.56 ERA at Class A Asheville. The Rockies drafted Humphreys – brother of Miami Marlins first baseman Tyler Moore, another ex-Bulldog — in the seventh round in 2016. Humphreys batted .310 with five homers and 44 RBIs and posted seven saves (despite a 5.56 ERA) in 17 mound appearances for State that year. The Rockies preferred him as a pitcher, and he has not disappointed. … Also slated for extended work in Instructional League in either Arizona or Florida are State product Ryan Gridley (Oakland), East Mississippi Community College alum Vijay Miller (San Diego), ex-State star Zac Houston (Detroit), Ole Miss alum Colby Bortles (Detroit), former UM standout Henri Lartigue (Philadelphia) and Ti’Quan Forbes, the 2014 Mr. Baseball from Columbia who was traded late in the season from Texas to the Chicago White Sox. Forbes, a former second-round pick now in his fourth pro season, hit .222 at Class A Down East before the trade and played just four games for Winston-Salem in the same league before the season ended.

04 Mar

making an entrance

Corey Dickerson wasted no time showing his new Tampa Bay teammates what he brings to the table. In his second at-bat of the spring on Thursday, the former Meridian Community College standout launched a jaw-dropping homer at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla. On a 3-2 pitch from Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez, the lefty-hitting Dickerson drove the ball over the wall in right-center. It bounced on a rooftop beyond the park and stopped 569 feet from home plate, according to a report. While the homer generated much buzz during and after the game, Dickerson seemed to take it in stride. “I felt like I got a good pitch to hit. I tried to be short to the ball, and it worked out,” he told mlb.com. Dickerson had an injury-curtailed season with Colorado last year – batting .304 with 10 homers in 65 games – and was traded to Tampa Bay for pitcher Jake McGee in January. Part of Dickerson’s mission in 2016 is to show that his power plays outside of Coors Field. He’s off to a good start. … Brian Dozier made his spring debut on Thursday, as well, and went 3-for-3 with two doubles for Minnesota. The Southern Miss product is aiming to build on a 2015 campaign that saw him hit a career-high 28 homers with 77 RBIs and become an All-Star for the first time.

29 Jan

no place like home?

For a major league hitter, there’s no place like Coors Field. Corey Dickerson certainly seemed to enjoy playing there, batting .355 with 24 home runs in 122 games at Coors for the Colorado Rockies. Traded by the Rockies to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, the former Brookhaven Academy and Meridian Community College star is now entering a brave new world. His new home, Tropicana Field, is a much more pitcher-friendly park. The left-handed hitting left fielder is a .249 hitter with 15 homers (in 143 games) away from Coors Field. But the Rays, who gave up reliever Jake McGee to get Dickerson, don’t seem overly concerned. As Matt Silverman, Rays president of baseball operations, told mlb.com: “We believe in the skill set that Corey has and that it will translate to our ballpark and will really play to any ballpark in the league.” The trade also gives Tampa Bay a glut of outfielders, including three others that have played primarily in left: ex-Itawamba CC star Desmond Jennings, Brandon Guyer and Steve Pearce. There has been chatter for weeks that Jennings, coming off two injury-plagued seasons, might be moved. He is a career .249 hitter with 48 homers and 93 steals. P.S. Taylorsville High product Billy Hamilton, who had surgery on a torn labrum last fall, recently told mlb.com: “I’m not 100 percent yet, but close to it. We had a schedule to be ready right around spring training. As of right now, we’re on track to make that happen.” Hamilton, perhaps the fastest player in the game, stole 57 bases for Cincinnati but hit just .226 and lost his leadoff role last year. Injuries limited him to 114 games. … There have been reports that Miami is interested in 37-year-old left-hander Cliff Lee, the former Meridian CC standout who missed all of last season with an arm problem.

12 Jan

from the stove

Having agreed to terms with free agent Gerardo Parra, Colorado may look to deal an outfielder, and Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson is a candidate to be moved. Not only is Dickerson a quality left-handed bat, but he is four years from free agency. Baltimore, where Parra finished 2015, is a possible destination. … Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan, who figures to see limited playing time with the talent-laden Chicago Cubs, might be a fit in Baltimore, some have speculated. Coghlan has enjoyed a career resurgence with the Cubs the last two years. … Former Ole Miss standout Zack Cozart’s time in Cincinnati could be coming to an end soon. The Reds are in the process of signing 21-year-old Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez, the 2014-15 Serie Nacional rookie of the year. Rodriguez is labeled “a glove-first prospect with good speed” whose bat still needs some polish. He’ll likely start 2016 in the minors but could eventually push Cozart out of his starting role. There already had been rumors that Cozart might be dealt this season by the rebuilding Reds. … Southern Miss and William Carey alum Dan Jennings, the ex-Miami Marlins GM and manager, is now a special assistant to the president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals. (Can he help concoct a trade involving closer Jonathan Papelbon, the controversial ex-Mississippi State standout? Probably not.) … Months of wheeling and dealing by Atlanta’s front office has left just 11 Mississippi Braves alumni on the Braves’ current 40-man roster. Only three of those are position players: Freddie Freeman, Daniel Castro and Mallex Smith. The latest to go was power-hitting outfielder Joey Terdoslavich, put on waivers last week and claimed by Baltimore, which really must have a need for outfielders.

08 Dec

stove toppings

The Colorado Rockies reportedly are getting calls about Corey Dickerson, the ex-Meridian Community College star. The left-handed hitting outfielder, 26, is a career .299 hitter and is four years from free agency. Dickerson battled injuries in 2015, hitting .304 with 10 homers in 224 at-bats. … McComb’s Jarrod Dyson of the world champion Kansas City Royals was grand marshal of the Christmas parade in his hometown over the weekend. City officials are also considering naming a street in his honor. Dyson, a .255 hitter with 146 career steals over six MLB seasons, has never been a regular with the Royals but could get that chance in right field in 2016. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler was claimed on waivers by Cleveland (from Tampa Bay). Butler, 29, hit .276 with eight homers in 88 games for the Rays last season. He joins eight other outfielders on the Indians’ 40-man roster, with two more also having received spring training invites. … Zack Cozart expects to be back at full speed by the time spring training starts for Cincinnati. The former Ole Miss star, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in June, has been rehabbing since late August. “If I had to put a number on it, I’m 90 percent now,” Cozart told mlb.com over the weekend. Cozart, a slick-fielding shortstop, was having a strong season at the plate, hitting .258 with nine homers and 28 RBIs through 58 games. … Free agent reliever Tony Sipp, the Moss Point High and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, is said to be seeking a 3-year contract in the $15-18 million range. The 32-year-old left-hander, who has been linked to a number of clubs, posted a 1.99 ERA for Houston last season.

03 Oct

ups and downs

McComb’s Jarrod Dyson got two hits and scored a run and Schlater’s Louis Coleman got two outs and picked up a win as Kansas City beat Minnesota 3-1 on Friday night. While it was a good day for those two Mississippi natives, it was not so good for another involved in that game. Tupelo’s Brian Dozier went 0-for-4 for the Twins in a loss that seriously damaged their wild card chances in the American League. Ned Yost’s Royals kept pace with Toronto in the battle for the best record in the AL. Both are 93-67. John Gibbons’ Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay 8-4; Pascagoula native Joey Butler went 1-for-4 in a rare start for the Rays. Elsewhere in the mad playoff scramble, Amory’s Mitch Moreland took an 0-for-4 as his Texas Rangers fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Angels, who kept the Rangers from clinching the AL West and stayed on the heels of Houston in the wild card race. The Astros went off for 21 runs at Arizona; so much for missing the DH. In a National League game that had nothing to do with anything, McComb’s Corey Dickerson went 2-for-4 with a homer (No. 9), a double (No. 17), two RBIs and two runs as Colorado beat San Francisco. Dickerson is batting .306 now as he tries to finish strong in an injury-marred campaign. P.S. Not to be overlooked in Atlanta’s lost season is the recent play of former Mississippi Braves standout Daniel Castro, who went 3-for-5 with his second homer of the year as the Braves whipped St. Louis 4-0. Castro, a middle infielder, is now hitting .261 in 31 games. The Mexico native batted .277 in 51 games with the M-Braves in 2014 and .389 in 23 games this year before he was moved to Triple-A Gwinnett. Maybe the Braves will keep him around. Maybe.

11 Sep

meaningful games

His team is buried in last place and has been out of playoff contention for months, but the remaining games on the Colorado schedule are certainly meaningful for Corey Dickerson. The former Meridian Community College and Brookhaven Academy star has missed 95 of the Rockies’ 140 games because of injury. On Thursday night, in his third game back from his third stint on the disabled list, Dickerson hit his first home run since April 23. In 150 at-bats, he is batting .305 with 19 RBIs. He told the Denver Post his goals for the rest of the way are “finishing the season healthy and looking to get better.” When he plays, the left-handed hitting outfielder has been pretty good. He hit .312 last year with 24 homers and 76 RBIs and is at .298 with 35 and 112 for his three-year big league career. The Rockies appear to be due for a rebuild, so who knows what the future holds for Dickerson or any other regular on their roster? P.S. Ole Miss alum Alex Presley had two more hits – he is 6-for-9 in the series – to help Fresno beat El Paso 5-4 and go up 2-0 in their Pacific Coast League best-of-5 conference series. Ex-Mississippi State standout Hunter Renfroe homered for El Paso. … Stone County High product D.J. Davis was 3-for-4 in Lansing’s 5-4, series-clinching win over Great Lakes in the Class A Midwest League playoffs. Vancleave’s Tyler Bray notched a hold in Peoria’s 3-2, series-clincher against Kane County and his brother Colin Bray. Colin was 1-for-4 but didn’t face Tyler. And former Southwest Mississippi CC star Kade Scivicque went 2-for-3 with an RBI as West Michigan eliminated Fort Wayne 2-1.

18 Aug

holding pattern

The return date for Corey Dickerson, out since July 30 with broken ribs, is now listed as “possibly September” on the MLB web site. Last week, it was “possibly August.” The ex-Meridian Community College star from McComb has played only 43 games for Colorado this season sandwiched around three stints on the disabled list, the first two related to plantar fasciitis. Comments from Rockies manager Walt Weiss, whose club is floundering in last place, would seem to suggest that Dickerson, 26, might not play again this season. He is batting .315 with five homers and 18 RBIs. “I love coming to the ballpark, and I know when I’m healthy, I’m going to succeed,” Dickerson told mlb.com in an Aug. 16 article. The lefty-hitting outfielder broke out in 2014, when he hit .312 and blasted 24 homers.