Tag Archives: Royals

30 Apr

no doubt about it

We have replay confirmation: It left the yard. Actually, there wasn’t any doubt about Billy Hamilton’s first major league home run. “It wasn’t one of those wall-scrapers,” the former Taylorsville High star said of Tuesday night’s blast, which landed fairly deep in the right-field seats at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. Without seeing it, one would have been justified in assuming that the wispy Hamilton’s first homer was an inside-the-parker. He is considered the fastest man in baseball. And for the record, two of his three hits on Tuesday were of the infield variety. He also stole his 10th base, drew a walk, scored twice and made a diving catch in center field as the scrambling Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2. Hamilton has lifted his average to .244 with a recent hot streak. Also of note: Hamilton hit 13 homers in his minor league career. … Meanhwile, Mississippi’s other homegrown speed demon in MLB, Jarrod Dyson, went 2-for-4, stole his fifth bag and scored a run to help Kansas City beat Toronto 10-7 and climb over .500 (13-12). Dyson, from McComb and Southwest Mississippi Community College, is batting .375 in limited playing time in center field for KC. … Unfortunately, the Reds and Royals don’t play this season. It would be fun to see Hamilton and Dyson on the same field. A stopwatch would be a required accessory.

28 Mar

mlb roster news

Found wanting in Minnesota, Alex Presley has found a roster spot in Houston. The Astros have claimed the former Ole Miss standout off waivers and reportedly will put him on their opening day roster as a backup outfielder. Presley, a .264 career hitter, had a poor spring with the Twins and was beaten out by Aaron Hicks for the starting center field job. Presley, a left-handed hitter with some pop and some speed, is the “type of player you hope becomes available in a waiver claim,” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow told mlb.com. In other moves: Meridian Community College alumnus Corey Dickerson apparently will make the Colorado 25-man roster with the Rockies deciding to carry six outfielders. … Pascagoula’s Joey Butler, claimed by St. Louis off waivers from Texas in the off-season, was sent down by the Cardinals. … Chris Coghlan, the ex-Ole Miss star, will join Delta State alum Eli Whiteside at Triple-A Iowa; both were in the Chicago Cubs’ camp as non-roster players. … Former Pillow Academy star Louis Coleman, a key member of Kansas City’s vaunted bullpen, may start the season on the disabled list with a finger injury. … Bobby Abreu was released by Philadelphia. With Freddy Garcia having been cut by Atlanta and Lance Berkman retiring in the off-season, there are no former Jackson Generals left in the major leagues. The Astros’ old Double-A club had produced a steady stream of big leaguers starting in 1991 when Tony Eusebio was the first to go up.

16 Mar

box score browsing

It’s mid-March. MLB’s Opening Day approaches. Rosters are taking shape. A little box score scanning this morning reveals that no Mississippian in the majors is hotter than Jarrod Dyson. The ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College star is hitting .364 with a home run (on Saturday) and six steals. Surely the speedy outfielder has nailed down a role with Kansas City, which is starving to make the playoffs. On the subject of speedy outfielders, Cincinnati has to be pleased with what it has seen from Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, expected to take over as leadoff batter and center fielder this season. Hamilton is hitting .276 with seven steals and nine runs … Others enjoying a good spring to date: Meridian CC product Corey Dickerson (.371, a homer, five RBIs for Colorado); Itawamba CC alumnus Desmond Jennings (.346, a homer, five RBIs, two steals for Tampa Bay); former Mississippi State star Tyler Moore (.306, a homer, six RBIs for Washington); Ole Miss product Seth Smith (.286 for San Diego); ex-Meridian CC standout Cliff Lee (1-1, 2.63 ERA in 13 2/3 innings for Philadelphia); and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC alum Tony Sipp (0.00 ERA in seven innings for the Padres). … Also of note: Southern Miss product Brian Dozier hit his first homer on Friday and is batting .269 for Minnesota; former MSU star Mitch Moreland has six RBIs and a .250 average for Texas; Ole Miss alum Drew Pomeranz has 11 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for Oakland; and Pascagoula native Joey Butler, a longshot to make the St. Louis club, is hitting .235 with two RBIs in 17 at-bats. Former Rebels Alex Presley (.160 for the Twins) and Chris Coghlan (.211 for the Chicago Cubs) are struggling, as is MSU product Paul Maholm (7.04 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers). P.S. Former Mississippi Braves shortstop Brandon Hicks is having a terrific spring as a non-roster player with San Francisco. Hicks is batting .370 with a homer and six RBIs in 27 ABs. … Generally, it was a good weekend for the state’s Big 3 college teams in their conference openers. USM and State both took two of three, with the Bulldogs halting Georgia’s 11-game win streak with a Saturday sweep, and Ole Miss handed top-ranked South Carolina its first loss on Friday, though the Rebels lost the series.