Tag Archives: Southern League

17 Apr

m-pressive start

Ten games in, the Mississippi Braves’ young rotation looks like a team strength. And that’s a good strength to have. Each of the five starters has an ERA of 3.52 or better – four are under 2.50 – for a team that is off to a 6-4 start. The M-Braves begin a five-game homestand against Mobile tonight at Trustmark Park. Mike Soroka, 19 years old and Atlanta’s No. 4 prospect (by MLB Pipeline), is 2-0 with an 0.77 in his Double-A debut. Kolby Allard, also 19 and the No. 3 prospect, has a 1.80 in two starts. No. 15 prospect Patrick Weigel, 22 and the only starter with any Double-A experience before this year, has a 2.00; No. 8 prospect Max Fried is at 3.52; and Matt Withrow, 23 and in his first full pro season, has a 2.45. Weigel is slated to start tonight, followed by Allard, Withrow, Fried and Soroka. Akeel Morris, a grizzled vet at 24, has been perfect as a closer: no runs allowed, three saves in three appearances. The bullpen has let a couple of games get away – including blowing a 7-0, ninth-inning lead last Thursday at Tennessee – but the staff ERA of 3.07 is still pretty darn good. Kade Scivicque, Joey Meneses, Luis Valenzuela and Carlos Franco are batting .300-plus, and the team is second in the Southern League in runs (44) and homers (eight). Ten games in, it looks like a competitive club. … Biloxi, meanwhile, is 4-6 after a 1-4 homestand at MGM Park, hampered by an anemic offense that is last in the league in batting (.191) and ninth in runs (28). A 2.40 staff ERA has kept the Shuckers afloat.

04 Apr

(very) young guns

The Atlanta Braves have chosen the fast track for three of their prized young pitchers. Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka and Max Fried are jumping the high Class A level to start 2017 with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, who released their official roster today. They are rated the Nos. 3, 4 and 8 prospects in the system by MLB Pipeline. Fried, whose career was slowed by injury, is 23 and has been in pro ball for six years. Allard and Soroka are just 19, very young for Double-A. “The good ones get there early and these are two really good ones,” Braves GM John Coppolella told Baseball America. Both were first-round picks in 2015 and are among the six first-rounders on the M-Braves’ roster. Soroka is a big right-hander, Allard a slender lefty. Soroka, featuring a hard sinker, went 9-9 with a 3.02 ERA for low-A Rome’s 2016 championship club. “He goes right after hitters, throws a ton of strikes and makes outstanding adjustments on the mound,” according to the MLB Pipeline scouting report. Allard, blessed with a superb breaking ball, was 8-3, 2.98 for Rome and threw 12 scoreless innings in the South Atlantic League playoffs. “His stuff plays up even more because of deception in his delivery and his outstanding command,” MLB Pipeline notes. Are the young guns ready for Double-A? M-Braves fans will have a front row seat as this question is answered. The opener is Thursday at Trustmark Park. P.S. Among several returnees from last year’s M-Braves team, which reached the Southern League finals, is Kade Scivicque, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College (and LSU) star. The 24-year-old catcher is a .273 hitter over two minor league seasons and had eight hits in four games in the SL postseason last year after coming to the Braves in a trade with Detroit.

21 Mar

hits keep comin’

He hit in high school. He hit in college. He has hit in pro ball, including an RBI knock in his first major league spring training at-bat on Saturday. Mason Robbins keeps passing the tests. The next one he faces will be the biggest yet. The former George County High and Southern Miss standout should play at the Double-A level in the Chicago White Sox’s system this season, which would put him in Birmingham of the Southern League. Robbins, a 25th-round pick in 2014, has batted .292 over his three seasons in the minors, including a .314 season at high-A Winston-Salem in 2016, when he was a postseason Carolina League All-Star. He was Mr. Baseball and a prep All-American as a senior at George County and a freshman All-America pick at USM, where he was a three-year starter. The lefty-hitting outfielder rarely walks but doesn’t strike out much either. He flashed some power at Winston-Salem with 33 doubles, seven triples and five home runs. Robbins hasn’t yet cracked the White Sox’s top 30 prospect rankings listed on mlb.com, but if he hits in Double-A – as he has everywhere else – getting attention won’t be an issue. P.S. Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson reportedly has agreed to a 6-year, $25 million contract with the White Sox. He hit .283 in 99 games as a rookie shortstop in 2016.

17 Dec

speaking of …

It’s not one of the hot topics of this Hot Stove season, but Desmond Jennings’ future hasn’t gone cold. There have been reports linking the 30-year-old free agent to Detroit and Arizona, both of which are said to be looking for depth in the outfield. Jennings, the former Itawamba Community College two-sport star, had some moments but never really lived up to expectations during his tenure with Tampa Bay, which released him last summer. Injuries derailed Jennings the last two seasons, limiting him to 93 games. His career numbers are modest: .245 (.322 on-base), 55 homers, 95 steals in parts of seven MLB seasons. But he isn’t so old that he can’t still break out. He was once the Rays’ No. 1 prospect, according to Baseball America. That ranking followed his 2009 season in the Double-A Southern League, when he batted .316 with eight triples, eight homers, 45 RBIs and 37 steals for Montgomery. He goes 6 feet 2, 210 pounds and can play any of the outfield spots (.995 career fielding percentage). He’ll get a shot somewhere. He could help somebody. If he’s healthy. And that might be a big if.

16 Sep

in other news

There was a celebration at Trustmark Park on Thursday night, but it was the “bad guys” who threw down. The Jackson (Tenn.) Generals claimed the Southern League pennant with an 11-3 win against the Mississippi Braves that completed a 3-0 sweep. So … enough about that. In the Class A South Atlantic League, former DeSoto Central High star Austin Riley hit a home run – his 22nd of the year – to help the Rome Braves move to within a victory of the championship in the low-A loop. Rome beat Lakewood 2-0 on Thursday to take a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 set for tonight in New Jersey. “We’re ready to get after it,” Riley told milb.com. Riley’s star is rising. At age 19, in his first full pro season, he hit .271 with 20 homers and 80 RBIs for Rome, making Baseball America’s All-Low Class A team at third base. The 41st overall pick in 2015, he is currently rated Atlanta’s No. 6 prospect by BA and No. 13 by mlb.com with an ETA in the big leagues of 2019. “Riley has the makings of an impact run-producing hitter,” writes MLBPipeline. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed hitter could be in Mississippi sometime next summer. That should give M-Braves fans a little lift.

15 Sep

one more time

In his short time on the Mississippi Braves’ roster, Patrick Weigel has had a big impact. The 6-foot-6 right-hander pitched into the ninth inning and notched his first Double-A win against Biloxi on Sept. 1, when the M-Braves were still fighting for a playoff berth. In Game 2 of the Southern League South Division series last week, Weigel threw seven shutout innings as the M-Braves beat host Pensacola and evened the series at 1-all. Tonight at Trustmark Park, Weigel takes the hill in a do-or-die Game 3 of the SL Championship Series against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals. Weigel, a seventh-round pick out of Houston in 2015, won 10 games at low Class A Rome this year before getting the promotion to Mississippi, where he had a 2.18 ERA in his three regular season starts. The M-Braves need a pick-me-up. They were done in by a three-run eighth inning in Monday’s opener at Jackson, losing 6-4. They managed just five hits in Game 2 on Tuesday and lost 2-0. The team’s hottest hitter in the series is another recent arrival, infielder Dylan Moore, acquired from Texas last month. He is 4-for-7 with an RBI and a run. The M-Braves must win three straight – at home — to claim the club’s second pennant. Based on recent results, they should feel confident with Weigel taking the ball. P.S. Former M-Braves and Ole Miss star Chris Ellis was named Baseball America’s pitcher of the day after throwing six hitless innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday night in the International League finals. (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, managed by former Jackson Mets shortstop Al Pedrique, rallied to win the game and even the Triple-A series 1-1.) Ellis, who had a rough go with the G-Braves, has tossed 13 shutout innings in the postseason. … Mississippi State alum Brandon Woodruff from Wheeler made BA’s Minor League All-Star team. The right-hander was 14-9 with a 2.68 ERA and 1.02 WHIP at two levels in the Milwaukee system. He was 10-8, 3.01 at Biloxi.

12 Sep

numbers to ponder

As the Mississippi Braves and Jackson (Tenn.) Generals square off in the 2016 Southern League Championship Series, here’s a Mississippi minor league postseason primer:
1 – Number of Southern League pennants won by the Mississippi Braves, who arrived in Pearl in 2005 and won the title three years later at Trustmark Park.
1 – Number of SL pennants won by the Jackson Generals, the Tennessee version, who took the title 16 years ago when they were known, regrettably, as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.
2 – Number of Texas League pennants won by the Jackson Generals, the Mississippi version, who claimed those crowns in 1993 and 1996.
1 – Number of pennants won by the Jackson Senators, who captured the independent Central League title at Smith-Wills Stadium in 2003.
3 – Number of pennants won by the Jackson Mets, who took Texas League championships in 1981, 1984 and 1985.
8 – Streak of Texas League playoff appearances reeled off by the Jackson Mets from 1980-87.
4 – Southern League postseason appearances by the M-Braves.
3 – Number of Southern League awards won by the 2016 Jackson Generals: Tyler O’Neill was MVP, Ryan Yarbrough was pitcher of the year and Daren Brown was manager of the year.
1 – Number of M-Braves who made the SL postseason All-Star team: outfielder Dustin Peterson.
9 – Wins, in 15 games, by the M-Braves against the Generals this season.
5 – Number of Southern League starts in 2016 by M-Braves lefty Michael Mader (0-3, 2.40 ERA), slated to go in Game 1 of the SL Championship Series tonight at Jackson, Tenn.
9 – Number of wins, in 12 decisions, this season by Andrew Moore, the Generals’ scheduled starter in Game 1. He has a 3.16 ERA over 19 starts.
6 – RBIs by Carlos Franco, on 7-for-15 hitting, in the M-Braves’ South Division series win against Pensacola.
7 – Hits, in two postseason games, by M-Braves newcomer Kade Scivicque, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College (and LSU) star.
152 – Strikeouts this season, most in Double-A, by M-Braves lefty Sean Newcomb (8-7, 3.86 ERA), who is slated to start Game 2 against Jackson.
8 – Number of players from the 2016 M-Braves’ original 25-man roster who are still on the club.
1 – Number of former M-Braves on the Generals’ current roster: pitcher Ryne Harper.
Photo: Carlos Franco of the M-Braves heads for home. Joe Culpepper/Shuttergig.com

10 Sep

on the brink

The Mississippi Braves were wounded and backed into a corner earlier this week. Having already lost their highest-rated prospect (Dansby Swanson to promotion in mid-August) and one of their top power hitters (Jacob Schrader to injury) down the stretch, the M-Braves lost sparkplug Ozzie Albies to a season-ending injury during Game 1 of the Southern League South Division playoff series. Then they lost the game to Pensacola in the bottom of the ninth, stung by an error and two walks. But things can change quickly in the postseason, and here are the M-Braves today, leading the series 2-1 and aiming to win it in Game 4 at Trustmark Park. Pick a hero; there have been many. In Game 2 on Thursday, Patrick Weigel was brilliant on the mound and Carlos Franco mashed a three-run homer in a 5-0 victory. Back at the TeePee on Friday, the M-Braves used four pitchers and 17 hits to crush the Blue Wahoos 9-2. Mallex Smith, a 2015 M-Braves star back on a big-league rehab assignment, provided three hits and three runs. Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Kade Scivicque, acquired in a recent trade with Detroit, went 4-for-4 with an RBI. Franco, now 6-for-11 in the series, and Joey Meneses added three hits each, and Keith Curcio, a recent call-up from Class A Carolina, hit an inside-the-park home run. The spotlight is now on right-hander Lucas Sims, Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2012 draft who gets the start tonight. Sims, still a highly rated prospect, is 36-36 with a 3.91 ERA in an uneven minor league career. It’s a huge game for many reasons. A lot of people, in Atlanta and elsewhere, are paying attention. A berth in the SL Championship Series — where the M-Braves haven’t been since 2008 — is on the line, and there’s nothing like celebrating on your home field. If there is a Game 5, the series goes back to Pensacola. … Meanwhile, in Lawrenceville, Ga., on Friday, former Mississippi State star Tyler Moore hit a grand slam to help the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves pound Columbus 11-1 in the International League playoffs. Ex-Ole Miss standout Chris Ellis, who began this season in Mississippi, threw seven shutout innings for the G-Braves, who lead the series 2-1.

07 Sep

september’s game

It’s September in the minor leagues, and the herd has been cut. Only the best teams are moving forward. The best players on those teams now get to perform in a different arena. The Mississippi Braves head into the Southern League playoffs with a passel of Atlanta prospects on the roster, and how those players fare could go a long way in determining the M-Braves’ postseason fate. The best-of-5 SL South Division series begins tonight at Pensacola with left-hander Sean Newcomb, Atlanta’s No. 3 prospect (by mlb.com), going to the mound to face Rookie Davis, Cincinnati’s seventh-best prospect. Ozzie Albies is Atlanta’s No. 2. Projected by many to be the Braves’ second baseman in 2017, Albies hit .321 in Double-A this season (and won the SL batting title with an “adjusted” average of .315). Dustin Peterson (No. 18) was an SL MVP candidate after batting .282 with 12 homers and 88 RBIs. Those two are key hitters in an M-Braves attack plagued by dry spells. With a chance to win the division title, the M-Braves scored only one run in their final two games, lost both and entered the playoffs as a wild card, meaning if there is a Game 5 in the division series, it’ll be in Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos won both halves, winning 10 of their last 11 to overtake the M-Braves in the second half. Still, the M-Braves’ pitching looks good enough to win a title. Following Newcomb (8-7, 3.86) in the posted rotation is Patrick Weigel (1-2, 2.18 in three starts) on Thursday and Max Povse (4-1, 2.93) on Friday back at Trustmark Park. Weigel is the No. 28 prospect, Povse No. 20. If there is a Game 4 in Pearl, No. 14 Lucas Sims (5-5, 2.67) will get the nod. Ten teams started out in April chasing a Southern League pennant. Four are left. Every game is big now. It’s September.

05 Sep

there and here

In a battle royale at the bottom of the American League Central on Sunday, former Southern Miss standout Brian Dozier and East Central Community College product Tim Anderson put on quite a show, combining for six hits, four RBIs and four runs. Dozier, running away with the all-Mississippi home run derby, hit his 35th for last-place Minnesota. But Anderson, the rookie, drove in the go-ahead run as the fourth-place Chicago White Sox took a 13-11 victory in 12 innings at Target Field. … Jarrod Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi CC star, delivered a big two-run triple and scored on a hit by Paulo Orlando as Kansas City took a late lead against Detroit in a battle of AL Central and wild card contenders. But the Royals ultimately fell 6-5 at Kauffman Stadium. … Billy Hamilton’s resurgent season for Cincinnati may have come to a painful end when the Taylorsville High product departed mid-game with a strained oblique. Hamilton, leading the majors in steals with 58, has been on a roll in the second half, boosting his average to .260 and his on-base percentage to .321. … Chicago Cubs announcers anointed it “the Jason Heyward Game” after the former Mississippi Braves star drove in three runs in a 3-2, 13-inning win over the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. Heyward, scuffling at the plate this year (.234, 41 RBIs), atoned for a run-scoring error in right field by knocking in the game-tying run in the ninth and the game-winner in the 13th in what might have been a National League postseason preview. … A day after being eliminated from Southern League playoff contention, the Biloxi Shuckers, behind the brilliant pitching of ex-Mississippi State star Brandon Woodruff, throttled the M-Braves 7-0 at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves, who clinched a playoff berth – and reportedly celebrated with gusto – by winning on Saturday, can still claim the SL South title with a victory today or a Pensacola loss. If they have to settle for the wild card, they lose the chance to host a deciding fifth game in the best-of-5 first round of the playoffs.