Tag Archives: Southern League

19 Jul

going coastal

First impression of MGM Park in Biloxi: intimate. Listed seating capacity of the new ballpark is 5,000, and each one is relatively close to the field. (On the downside, the park offers very little cover from the rain or sun.) The power alley distances are marked as 350 feet, which would seem to be a hitter’s dream. But on this particular night, when the air was heavy from a pregame storm, none of the 23 hits mustered by the Shuckers and visiting Chattanooga Lookouts came close to leaving the yard. The stadium backdrop is unique. The Beau Rivage towers above the center-field wall and dominates the view. MGM owns the Beau, and Shuckers ads and paraphernalia are everywhere in the Casino & Hotel. Construction is ongoing at the park, which is obvious. Lots of orange barrels, cones and tape. An announced crowd of 4,482 turned out for this Friday night game despite a 1-hour, 41-minute rain delay. (Yes, there were postgame fireworks.) The product they’re seeing on the field is a good one. The parent Milwaukee Brewers stacked the Double-A club with prospects, and the Shuckers won the first-half title in the SL South despite playing mostly road games. (MGM Park opened June 6.) They lost on this particular night, 6-5, but had the winning run on second base in the ninth. Shortstop Orlando Arcia, who’ll be in the big leagues soon, went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, and center fielder Michael Reed shined on defense, throwing out two runners. One of Chattanooga’s stars was former Ole Miss player Stuart Turner, who had three of the team’s 14 hits. In sum: Nice park, good game, fun time. P.S. Continuing on a Coastal theme, former Vancleave High standout Colin Bray is on a tear at Class A Kane County in the Arizona system. The switch-hitting outfielder, in his third pro season, is batting .296 with 15 doubles, 30 RBIs and 15 steals. He won Midwest League player of the week honors for July 6-12. And ex-George County High star Justin Steele, a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in five starts at short-season Class A Eugene.

17 Jul

wild, wild life

File it under Crazy. The Mississippi Braves rallied from a 10-0 deficit with a 10-run inning, squandered two late leads and then won in walk-off fashion in the 10th inning Thursday night against Jacksonville at Trustmark Park. The final was 15-14 in a game that featured 33 hits and five errors, four by the visiting Suns. Steve Rodriguez, hitting .184 entering the game, knocked in the winner with his third hit. David Rohm, who had reached on an error to start the M-Braves 10th, scored the decisive run. Jacksonville KO’d M-Braves starter Andrew Barbosa – who threw seven shutout innings in his debut last week – in a six-run second inning en route to building a 10-0 lead heading to the bottom of the third. The offensively challenged M-Braves promptly erupted for 10 runs. The M-Braves took leads of 13-10 and 14-13 but couldn’t hold them. Rodriguez then came through in the 10th to end a 4-hour, 6-minute affair that can’t be classified as anything but crazy. Eric Garcia, filling in at shortstop for hot-hitting Emerson Landoni, had four hits, three RBIs and three runs for the M-Braves, now 11-9 in the second half of the Southern League season.

15 Jul

step right up

The award-winning Emerson Landoni Show comes to Trustmark Park in Pearl tonight. The Mississippi Braves shortstop put up back-to-back five-hit performances at Chattanooga on Sunday and Monday. Prior to Monday’s game, Landoni was named the Southern League player of the week for July 6-12. He batted .566 in that span, getting 14 hits in a six-game streak and picking up 10 runs and five RBIs. For the year, the 26-year-old Venezuela native, getting a fourth look in Double-A, is batting .281 with 11 doubles, three triples, 22 RBIs and 30 runs. The M-Braves, back at the TeePee to start a five-game series against Jacksonville, have been searching for some offense. They are 10-8, hanging a game back of first-place Pensacola in the SL South. The M-Braves won four of five games at Chattanooga, a nice run that included strong pitching performances from Andrew Barbosa and Greg Ross as well as Landoni’s heroics. Landoni is now the team’s leading hitter, just ahead of Matt Lipka (.279). P.S. Former M-Braves ace Tyrell Jenkins, who threw seven shutout innings in his Triple-A debut on July 9, is in line to start for Gwinnett on Thursday or Friday at Syracuse. Right-hander Jenkins, one of Atlanta’s top prospects, was 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA for the M-Braves this season before his promotion. … On the subject of the Braves and pitchers, here’s an interesting fact: There are 17 former M-Braves pitchers on the 40-man rosters of other major league clubs, including Craig Kimbrel, Charlie Morton, Blaine Boyer, J.J. Hoover, Chasen Shreve and J.R. Graham. Two others, Zeke Spruill and Todd Redmond, who have pitched in the big leagues this year, recently were assigned to the minors, and yet another, Paul Clemens, was among Philadelphia’s last cuts in the spring. The Braves also have traded in recent weeks John Cornely, Ian Thomas and Juan Jaime, each of whom pitched for Atlanta this season.

08 Jul

ebb and flow

First, the good news. The Mississippi Braves’ slumbering bats suddenly perked up on Tuesday night, when they scored a season-high nine runs to beat Jackson (Tenn.) at Trustmark Park. Now, the bad news. Staff ace Tyrell Jenkins was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. Jenkins, 5-5 with a 3.00 ERA, deserved to go (just as the team’s best hitter, Mallex Smith, deserved to go at the end of the first half). But the M-Braves’ chances of winning a second-half title took another blow. Perhaps Steve Janas, a 6-foot-6, 198-pound right-hander promoted last week from Class A Carolina, can help soften this latest one. Janas, who starts tonight against the Generals, was dominating the Carolina League at 5-0 with a 0.49 ERA. The former Kennesaw (Ga.) State star threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his Double-A debut at Biloxi on July 3. That extended a scoreless streak he carried over from Carolina to 28 2/3 innings. The M-Braves are threatening the Southern League record for lowest slugging percentage in a season, but as they demonstrated in Tuesday’s 9-1 victory, small ball can work, especially at the spacious TeePee. Of their 13 hits, 12 were singles. All eight hits in their six-run sixth inning were singles. Every player in the lineup had at least one hit, another good sign for a team that needs some. At 6-6, the M-Braves are just a game out of first in the SL South.

01 Jul

clash on coast

It would be an overstatement to call this a “key” series, but the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers are hooking up in a three-game set at MGM Park that rates some attention. Both teams are 3-2 in the second half, tied for first in the Southern League South. The series, which starts tonight, will be the first played between the two on the Coast. Biloxi leads the season series 6-4, having won four of five at Trustmark Park last month, clinching the first-half title on June 14 by beating the then-second place M-Braves 9-0. The Shuckers’ lineup features an array of good hitters, led by Orlando Arcia (.308), Nick Ramirez (.283, 10 homers, 48 RBIs) and Tyrone Taylor (.265). Biloxi’s staff ERA is 3.30, second in the league. The M-Braves are fourth at 3.65. Matt Lipka is hitting .288 with 11 steals, but otherwise this is an offensively challenged club. They’ve scored 11 runs in the five games this half. There are only four home runs among players on the current roster. P.S. The official debuts of pitchers Jake Brigham and Ryan Kelly in Atlanta’s 6-1 loss to Washington on Tuesday brings to an even 100 the number of M-Braves alumni who have advanced to the big leagues during the club’s 11 seasons in Pearl.

25 Jun

starting over

Minus their sparkplug, the Mississippi Braves start the second half of the Southern League season tonight against Pensacola at Trustmark Park. Mallex Smith, the All-Star center fielder who was batting .340 with a team-best 35 runs, has been promoted – and deservedly so — to Triple-A Gwinnett. Even with Smith at the top of the lineup, the M-Braves faded from contention late in the first half and wound up with a 33-35 record, a distant 10 games behind South Division champion Biloxi. It would certainly help the M-Braves’ cause if Rio Ruiz could get it going. The highly rated prospect, acquired in the trade that sent Evan Gattis to Houston, hit .211 in the first half with no homers and 12 RBIs. A lefty-hitting third baseman, Ruiz batted .293 with 11 homers and 77 RBIs in the high Class A California League in 2014 and hit .260 with 12 homers in low A ball in 2013. The M-Braves rank ninth in the 10-team league in runs and last in homers. Smith had 23 of their 38 steals. First baseman Seth Loman, the club’s home run leader with four, was released today. Where is the offense going to come from? Somebody needs to step up. P.S. The M-Braves have added an outfielder: Sean Godfrey, who was batting .304 with five homers, 22 RBIs and 10 steals at Class A Carolina. He was a 22nd-round pick last year out of Ball State, where he was the Mid-American Conference player of the year.

24 Jun

it’s a first

Drew Pomeranz, the former Ole Miss standout, achieved a career first on Tuesday night. The left-hander earned career save No. 1 by getting the last five outs in Oakland’s 8-6 win at Texas. He induced ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland to hit into a double play in the ninth and then ended the game with a strikeout. Pomeranz might be best suited for a bullpen role. He began this season in the A’s rotation and was 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA when he went on the disabled list in mid-May. In only two of his eight starts did he go more than 5 1/3 innings. He has worked exclusively in relief since returning and has yielded just two runs in 10 appearances, picking up four holds. Used mostly as a starter in pro ball since Cleveland drafted him fifth overall in 2010, Pomeranz is 11-21 with a 4.20 ERA for his MLB career. P.S. East Central Community College alum Tim Anderson was named MVP of Tuesday’s Southern League All-Star Game. On his 22nd birthday, the Chicago White Sox prospect went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run to pace the North stars to a 9-0 victory at Montgomery, Ala.

23 Jun

star power

Mississippi’s minor league clubs will be on prominent display in tonight’s Southern League All-Star Game at Montgomery, Ala. The Mississippi Braves’ Mallex Smith and the Biloxi Shuckers’ Orlando Arcia, Nick Ramirez and Michael Reed are in the projected starting lineup for the South stars, and there are several pitchers from the two teams on the roster, including highly rated prospects Tyrell Jenkins of the M-Braves and Tyler Wagner of the Shuckers. In addition, Ramirez will participate in the pre-game Home Run Derby. Smith, a center fielder and leadoff batter, has emerged as one of the most exciting players in the Double-A loop. He is second in the league in hitting at .340 and in steals with 23. Penciled in at Nos. 3-5 in the lineup, Arcia is hitting .307, Ramirez .289 (with nine homers) and Reed .300 for first-half champion Biloxi. Former East Central Community College star Tim Anderson is slated to play shortstop and bat second for the North. He is hitting .313 with 23 steals for Birmingham. Game time is 7:20 (MiLB.TV). The 2016 SL All-Star Game will be at Trustmark Park in Pearl; the M-Braves previously hosted the game in 2007. P.S. Scott Copeland, the ex-Southern Miss ace, made his first MLB start for Toronto on June 10, allowing one run in seven innings. His next start came June 16, when he yielded three runs in four innings. Then came Sunday: seven runs in 1 1/3 innings. Currently back at Triple-A Buffalo, Copeland has been up and down so many times he could be excused for suffering dizzy spells.

22 Jun

touching the bases

Hunter Renfroe, the ex-Mississippi State standout, hit a pair of home runs in a game for Double-A San Antonio on Sunday. San Diego’s 2013 first-round pick, Renfroe is batting .343 over his last 10 games and is at .244 with five homers and 26 RBIs on the season. This is his first full year in the Texas League. … JaCoby Jones, the former Richton High star, had a two-run triple in Saturday’s Florida State League All-Star Game. The Pittsburgh shortstop prospect is in his first full year at high Class A Bradenton. … Jacob Lindgren’s season may be over. The State product, who made his big league debut for the New York Yankees this season, is having elbow surgery and is expected to be down about 12 weeks. The left-hander had a 5.14 ERA in seven MLB innings. … Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn is slated to come off the DL and start Thursday for St. Louis at Miami. Lynn, out two weeks with a forearm strain, is 4-4 with a 3.07 ERA. … The Mississippi Braves lost 12 of their last 15 to finish 33-35 in the first half of the Southern League season. Following the SL All-Star break, the M-Braves begin the second half at home on Thursday. … Ole Miss’ Errol Robinson is among the Cape Cod League batting leaders with a .322 average over nine games; he has scored 10 runs and stolen five bags. His Hyannis team is 8-3. Robinson hit .297 as a sophomore for the Rebels this year. … Blue Mountain College’s Dylan Earnest threw a five-hitter with six strikeouts to lead the Tupelo Thunder to a 4-1 win over the Tallahatchie Rascals on Sunday in Cotton States League play. Tupelo is 5-3, a half-game back of the Tippa Tribe (6-3) in the Deep South Division of the New Albany-based college summer circuit. The Golden Triangle Jets (6-4) lead the Rascals (5-3) in the Delta Division. … Zach Penprase, the onetime Mississippi Valley State star, is now playing his eighth season for Fargo-Moorhead in the independent American Association and hitting .292. Shortstop Penprase, 30, had a brief fling in affiliated ball; he was drafted by Philadelphia in 2006.

16 Jun

here and there

Ex-Southern Miss right-hander Christian Talley has signed as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies, the school announced today. USM had three pitchers drafted last week: Cody Carroll, Ryan Milton and Ferriss Trophy winner James McMahon, who was picked by the Rockies. … Stan Cliburn, the former Forest Hill High star from Jackson, recently notched his 1,500th win as a professional baseball manager. Cliburn’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are currently tied for first in the independent Atlantic League’s Freedom Division. One of his regulars is ex-big leaguer Fred Lewis, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product who is batting .238 with 13 RBIs and 18 runs in 44 games. Cliburn, who also played in the big leagues, managed his first team in 1988 and has been working in pro ball ever since. His twin brother Stu, also an MLB vet, is the pitching coach for Chattanooga in the Southern League. … Former Hattiesburg High standout and onetime big leaguer Robert Carson has signed with Bridgeport of the Atlantic League. The big left-hander, 26, was recently released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on the heels of a 50-game drug suspension that cost him an invite to major league spring training. … Itawamba CC alum Tim Dillard is soldiering on in his 13th pro season. The onetime big leaguer, now 31, has a 4.24 ERA in 12 games for Triple-A Colorado Springs in the Milwaukee system. Dillard recently moved into the Sky Sox starting rotation. … Here’s a young player to watch: Mason Irby. The lefty-hitting catcher, a Southeast Lauderdale High product, was a second-team NJCAA Division II All-America pick as a freshman at Jones County Junior College this past season after batting .395 with three homers and 51 RBIs. He is playing for Niagara in the New York Collegiate Baseball League and at last look was hitting .359 with five doubles and six RBIs in 11 games.