Tag Archives: Royals

26 Aug

take that

Two days after Billy Hamilton’s jaw-dropping catch, fellow Mississippi native Jarrod Dyson took his turn. Dyson, whose speed rivals Hamilton’s, robbed Miami’s Christian Yelich of a home run with a wall-climbing catch Thursday at Marlins Park, helping resurgent Kansas City snag a 5-2 win. Dyson’s catch, hailed as the first home run-stealing catch at revamped Marlins Park, came in the first inning. Playing center field, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College star from McComb traveled 97.9 feet and reached 19.8 mph, according to Statcast data, and then had to plant a foot in the wall to propel his 5-foot-10 body upward for the catch. Taylorsville native Hamilton, with Cincinnati, traveled farther and ran faster for his diving catch (see previous post), but Dyson’s was impressive in its own right. “I was totally amazed,” Royals manager Ned Yost, the former Jackson Mets catcher, told mlb.com. Dyson, used a lot as a defensive replacement as well as a pinch runner and pinch hitter, has 130 putouts with just one error and eight assists in 70 games in the outfield. “That’s just part of the game right there,” Dyson said. “I’m a guy that doesn’t play every day, so my defense has got to be there every day.” He is batting .244 with 27 runs and 18 steals in 82 games overall. The Royals, who looked lost a few weeks ago, have won 10 of 11 and are just 4 games back in the American League wild card chase and 6.5 games back in the AL Central.

02 Aug

hard knocks

It has been a disappointing season for reigning World Series champion Kansas City, and Desmond Jennings added a little to it on Monday night. Former Itawamba Community College standout Jennings broke up Danny Duffy’s no-hit bid with a leadoff double (on a 1-2 pitch) in the eighth inning. It was the only hit Tampa Bay got against the Royals, who won 3-0 behind Duffy’s 16-strikeout effort. The Royals’ last no-hitter was thrown by Bret Saberhagen in 1991. KC is 50-55, fourth in the American League Central. For the record, it has been a disappointing season for Jennings and the Rays, as well. Jennings, whose 2015 season was wrecked by injuries, was playing his first game since June 30 because of a hamstring issue. A toolsy talent, he is batting .204 with seven homers, 19 RBIs and two steals. Tampa Bay, expected by many to contend for a playoff berth, is an awful 42-62. Meridian CC product Corey Dickerson, acquired from Colorado in the off-season to add some thump to the lineup, has hit 15 homers but is batting just .235. Rotowire.com projected Dickerson as a .286 hitter this season. He hit .304 in 65 games for the Rockies in 2015 and .312 in a full season in 2014. P.S. Orlando Arcia, who led Biloxi to a Southern League division title in 2015, is expected to make his MLB debut tonight as the starting shortstop for Milwaukee. Arcia, rated the No. 13 overall prospect by mlb.com, is batting .268 with eight homers, 53 RBIs and 15 steals for Class AAA Colorado Springs. He hit .307 with eight homers, 69 RBIs and 25 steals for the Double-A Shuckers last season, and he is a top-shelf defensive player.

19 Jul

big ones

Three big home runs were struck by Mississippi-connected players on Monday night, each one big in a different way. At Seattle, former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson belted an upper deck shot for the Chicago White Sox, the fifth homer of the year for the rookie shortstop who has shown surprising power. At Kansas City, Southwest Mississippi CC alum Jarrod Dyson hit a grand slam to cap a seven-run eighth inning for the Royals in a 7-3 win against Cleveland. It was the seventh homer in seven big league seasons for Dyson, known much more for his wheels. “I wasn’t expecting that type of result,” he said before he was doused with ice in a postgame interview. “But I’ll take it.” And then there was the shot struck in Anaheim by ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland. It was career home run No. 100 for the Amory native, who has been with Texas for seven seasons. It was the 12th homer of 2016 but first since June 19 for Moreland, who has been battling a calf injury. The milestone blast puts him eight behind Seth Smith, the Jackson native and ex-Ole Miss standout, on the list of active MLB home run leaders from Mississippi. Vicksburg’s Ellis Burks is the state’s career home run king with 352, followed by Grenada (or Calhoun City) native Dave Parker at 339, Greenville’s George Scott at 271 and Jackson’s Chet Lemon at 215. For the record, Rafael Palmeiro is the all-time MSU alumni leader with 569 bombs; Will Clark hit 284.

30 Jun

stuff happens

Things have not gone according to plan for Jarrod Dyson. He was supposed to play every day in 2016 as Kansas City’s right fielder. The former Southwest Mississippi Community College star, entering his seventh MLB season, deserved that shot. Everybody said so. Then Dyson got hurt (strained oblique), on his first at-bat of spring training. The Royals’ season was well underway when he returned. He got his start the latter part of April and hit .303 for the month. But then he began to slump. By mid-May he was at .215, and Paulo Orlando was hitting. Even when left fielder Alex Gordon went down with injuries, Dyson’s playing time wasn’t regular as rookie Brett Eibner stepped in. Now center fielder Lorenzo Cain is hurt. Dyson started in center on Wednesday – his 38th start — and went 2-for-4 with two walks in the 3-2, 12-inning win over St. Louis. He still sees a fair amount of playing time in his old role: pinch runner/defensive replacement/pinch hitter. And maybe that suits both him and the defending world champion Royals (41-36), who have rebounded from their sluggish start. Dyson, in 127 at-bats, is hitting .260 with 16 runs, 12 steals and seven assists in 51 games. P.S. Billy Hamilton’s season has run a little off-kilter, as well. On Wednesday, the former Taylorsville High standout was struck in the face by a deflected ball in the outfield and had to leave Cincinnati’s game. Reports seemed to indicate he is fine, though it would not be a surprise if he missed today’s game. Hamilton, batting .255, was on the concussion disabled list from June 10-16 and also missed three days while on the bereavement list. He had a shoulder injury at the end of 2015 that impacted his spring training work.

30 May

first things first

For a hitter, this number isn’t good: .222. “You can’t really focus on the numbers,” Mitch Moreland told The Associated Press after Sunday’s game in Arlington, Texas. OK, but there are a few worth mentioning. Ex-Mississippi State star Moreland’s sixth home run of the season, which sailed an estimated 440 feet into the upper deck at Globe Life Park, helped spark Texas to a 6-2 win against Pittsburgh and moved the Rangers into first place in the American League West. Watch out for this team, especially if Moreland is heating up. The lefty-hitting first baseman snapped a 1-for-27 slump with a home run on Saturday. He now has 21 RBIs and 18 runs in 45 games. Moreland is coming off a season in which he hit .278 with 23 homers and 85 RBIs (and earned AMB’s Cool Papa Bell Award). Here’s another number of note: $5.7M, which is the contract Moreland agreed to for 2016; he’s a free agent after this year. … Also bolting into first place on Sunday was Ned Yost’s Kansas City Royals, who now lead the AL Central. The defending world champs, who’ve won 12 of 17, rallied to top the Chicago White Sox 5-4, with McComb’s Jarrod Dyson scoring the go-ahead run in a three-run eighth. Dyson, coming back from a spring training injury, is batting .264 with 12 runs, eight steals, seven RBIs and five outfield assists in 30 games. He does a lot of little things you gotta love.

30 Apr

mr. 100

The 100th home run of Seth Smith’s big league career will certainly be memorable. The former Ole Miss standout from Jackson hit the milestone bomb on Friday night, giving Seattle a 1-0 win over visiting Kansas City. It was the only hit the Mariners got. The victory went to Seattle ace Felix Hernandez and was the 145th of his career, which matches Jamie Moyer for the most in franchise history. The left-handed hitting Smith went deep against righty Kris Medlen, the former Mississippi Braves star, in the sixth inning. The ball just got over the wall in right field at Safeco Field and was just out of the reach of the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson, the Southwest Mississippi Community College product from McComb. Smith’s first career homer came in 2008 with Colorado. He has also homered for Oakland and San Diego. And if you were wondering, 91 of his homers have come against right-handers.

18 Apr

on this date

On this date 70 years ago, Clay Hopper, a veteran minor league skipper from Greenwood, managed his first game with the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ top farm team. Playing at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, N.J., the Royals won 14-1, taking the first step toward winning the International League pennant. Of course, Hopper’s Royals debut was overshadowed more than a little bit by another: Jackie Robinson’s. In his first game in so-called organized baseball, Robinson went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer, four runs and two steals. He would go on to win the IL’s Most Valuable Player award and then break the color barrier in the major leagues in 1947. Hopper, who played at Mississippi A&M (State) under Dudy Noble, had asked in spring training of 1946 that Robinson not be assigned to his Montreal club but was overruled. From most accounts, Hopper and Robinson got along fine. Hopper won the IL manager of the year award and was named minor league manager of the year by The Sporting News following that ’46 campaign. He managed another 10 years in the minors and made the IL’s Hall of Fame in 2009, some 33 years after his death. P.S. The Kansas City Royals reportedly are considering keeping outfielder Jarrod Dyson in the minors a while longer as he rehabs from an oblique strain suffered in his first at-bat of spring training. The McComb native and former Southwest Mississippi Community College star is batting .250 with three steals and six runs in six games at Triple-A Omaha.

12 Apr

tilting at curveballs

The biggest disappointment in the big leagues so far would have to be Minnesota, which is 0-7. Ex-Southern Miss star and Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was quoted during spring training as saying, “The last couple years, we thought we would be good, but this year we expect it.” Like his team, 2015 All-Star Dozier isn’t meeting expectations: .192 with a solo homer. … Among the surprises in MLB is Cincinnati, off to a 5-2 start. Ole Miss alum Zack Cozart is batting .412, and Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, while hitting just .176, has contributed a homer, a steal, three walks and four runs. … The only thing Jonathan Papelbon has throttled this season for Washington has been opposing batters. The former Mississippi State star has saved all four of the Nationals’ wins, allowing just one run. … Tampa Bay wanted power from ex-Meridian Community College star Corey Dickerson, and the ex-Colorado slugger has delivered with three homers through six games. He has only two other hits, however. … McComb native Jarrod Dyson is 1-for-4 with two walks in two rehab games at Triple-A Omaha; no definite return date has been set for the Kansas City Royals speedster. … Former Mississippi Braves star Mallex Smith’s line from his MLB debut for Atlanta on Monday: 1 hit, 1 run, 1 caught stealing, 5 stitches in his forehead. But, he may start again tonight. … Though the M-Braves are 1-4, don’t blame Ozzie Albies or Chris Ellis for the poor record. Albies, the flashy shortstop prospect, is batting .364. Ellis, the highly touted Ole Miss alum, won his only start, throwing six shutout innings. … Petal High product and Toronto prospect Anthony Alford, injured (leg) in Class A Dunedin’s opener last week, is on the club’s 7-day disabled list. Alford’s Dunedin teammate D.J. Davis, a Stone County alum, is off to a 3-for-21 start. … Not only does the Magnolia State have three nationally ranked NCAA Division I teams, but D-II Delta State is 26-11, NAIA William Carey is 29-13 and jucos Jones County and Meridian are 31-3 and 26-6, respectively. … On the schedule today are two interesting intrastate matchups: Mississippi Valley State visits Delta State at Ferriss Field in Cleveland and Mississippi College and Millsaps hook up at Twenty Field in Jackson in a Maloney Trophy Series game.

19 Mar

getting up to speed

Starting in center field for the first time this spring, Billy Hamilton and his surgically repaired right shoulder didn’t get tested in Cincinnati’s game against Milwaukee on Friday. He caught one fly ball and fielded one base hit. He also went 0-for-3 in five innings as the leadoff batter. But the ex-Taylorsville High star called it “a good day.” He told mlb.com that his arm feels fine when he throws on the side and his biggest concern is getting more at-bats. He has had only 10 so far, getting two hits, a triple and a bunt single. The lithe switch-hitter doesn’t have a stolen base attempt, and that, of course, is his most valuable skill. Hamilton has 126 bags in his two-plus big league seasons, but he needs to hit more (.242) to make that speed work. … That other MLB speed demon from Mississippi, McComb’s Jarrod Dyson, is reportedly making nice progress on his return from an oblique strain suffered on his first at-bat of spring training. Dyson is throwing but not yet swinging a bat. He has said that he expects to miss only a couple of weeks of Kansas City’s season. Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Dyson, who has 146 career bags, was projected as the Royals’ starting right fielder this year. P.S. Joey Butler, the Pascagoula native and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, smashed a grand slam for Cleveland on Friday. Butler is trying to win an outfield job with the Indians, who claimed him on waivers from Tampa Bay in the off-season. His is hitting .208 with two homers this spring. Butler faces a lot of competition. Cleveland recently signed veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal, and injured star Michael Brantley is expected to make his spring debut today.

03 Mar

spring things

Jarrod Dyson, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College star from McComb, experienced some disappointment on Wednesday, suffering an injury in his first at-bat of the spring with Kansas City. Dyson, 31, is expected to be a regular — in right field — for the first time in his seven big league seasons. Speculation is the strained right oblique will keep him out about two weeks, maybe more. Dyson is a career .255 hitter with 146 steals and is a plus-defender. … There were some notable bright spots on Wednesday for Mississippians in spring camps. Former Richton High standout JaCoby Jones homered for Detroit. In that same game, Mississippi State product Adam Frazier picked up a hit and an RBI for Pittsburgh, and fellow State alum Ed Easley had a walk and a run. In another Detroit split-squad game, ex-Ole Miss standout Will Allen, summoned from the minor league camp, got a base hit. Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings went 1-for-2 with a couple of RBIs for Tampa Bay. Northwest CC’s Cody Reed worked two innings for Cincinnati, yielding one earned run and fanning two. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith was 2-for-2 with a run for Seattle, and in that same game former State star Hunter Renfroe got two hits for San Diego. Ex-UM standout Chris Ellis, in his first appearance for Atlanta, threw two scoreless innings. Also worth noting from that Braves game: Mississippi Braves alum Mallex Smith swatted two triples and a home run.