Tag Archives: Southern League

18 Jun

just the highlights

On a good day — like Tuesday — Billy Hamilton is the baseball equivalent of former basketball star Dominique Wilkins: a Human Highlight Film. Hamilton, the pride of Taylorsville, had three hits for Cincinnati, including a double and a bunt single. He drew a walk. He stole three bases (28 for the year). He scored twice. And he even threw out a runner, Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen, at the plate. The Reds won the game 6-5 at PNC Park, sending Pirates fans home disappointed. But the true baseball fans among them had to be impressed with what they had seen from the visiting team’s wispy center fielder. P.S. Mycal Jones of the Mississippi Braves also did some box score-filling on Tuesday. He hit a homer, scored twice, drew a walk and stole a base for the South All-Stars in the Southern League All-Star Game at Chattanooga. Elmer Reyes also had a hit in the South’s 6-4 win. Matt Kennelly caught half the game and went 0-for-2. Williams Perez started for the South and put up a scoreless inning, while J.R. Graham and James Hoyt also pitched, both yielding home runs. Hoyt did record the final out.

14 Jun

just for starters

Though the field is small, the race for most wins among Mississippi-connected starters in the big leagues is always interesting to watch. Lance Lynn edged out Cliff Lee 15-14 last year, while Paul Maholm ran third with 10 W’s. As we near this season’s halfway point, Lynn — a horse in the figurative sense — has bolted to the lead. The former Ole Miss ace moved to 7-4 with an outstanding effort for St. Louis against Washington on Friday. He retired the first 16 batters and went eight innings, yielding two hits with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 win. Lynn had lost two straight starts after his brilliant shutout of the New York Yankees on May 27, but Drew Pomeranz, another ex-Rebels star, was unable to gain any ground in the wins race during that time. Despite allowing just one earned run over 14 innings, the Oakland left-hander is 0-1 in his last two starts. For the year, Pomeranz is 5-3 – 4-2 since moving into the A’s rotation. He is expected to go again against Texas on Monday. Meridian Community College product Lee is 4-4 for Philadelphia but is out of the race at the moment, stuck on the disabled list since mid-May. He is throwing again, however, and surely champing at the bit to return. Picayune High product T.J. House, who makes his fifth MLB start today for Cleveland against Boston at Fenway Park, is running way in the back, still seeking his first win. The lefty is 0-1 with a 5.24 ERA and yielded five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings against Texas his last time out. His hold on a rotation spot may be tenuous for the improving Indians. Maholm, the former Mississippi State standout, is 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is now working out of their bullpen — his last start was May 9 — though a spot start here or there is certainly possible. P.S. It’s wait ’til next, uh, half for the Mississippi Braves, who were eliminated from the Southern League South first-half race with a loss at Tennessee on Friday night. The M-Braves will begin the second half, with a clean slate, on June 19 at Trustmark Park against the Jackson (Tenn.) Generals.

05 Jun

time to make a move

Chattanooga at Mississippi, today-Monday — this can aptly be termed a “big series” for the M-Braves. Trailing first-place Mobile by a game in the Southern League South, the M-Braves get the league’s worst team (by record) at Trustmark Park while the BayBears are on the road for five against the team with the SL’s best record, Huntsville. The next five days could be pivotal in the M-Braves’ title quest. They finish the first half with five games on the road; Mobile finishes with five at home. This M-Braves club (34-25) has become a good one, worth a look if you haven’t seen them yet. They had six players picked for the SL All-Star Game (June 17 at Chattanooga), though one, closer Shae Simmons, is gone to Atlanta. Elmer Reyes (.333) and Mycal Jones (.299) are going to Chattanooga, but several other position players have nice numbers, too: Matt Kennelly (.316), Cedric Hunter (.306, 25 RBIs), David Rohm (.296, 29 RBIs) and Seth Loman (nine homers, 35 RBIs). Starting pitchers Williams Perez and Aaron Northcraft made the All-Star Game, but Jason Hursh (4-4, 3.68), who’ll start tonight, has been very good in his Double-A debut and fellow top prospect J.R. Graham also has had his moments. Unsung reliever James Hoyt, likely to fill Simmons’ closer role, is also an All-Star. The M-Braves are trying to make the playoffs for a second straight year and a fourth time in 10. Again, the next five days could be pivotal.

16 May

the other guys

With all due respect to the Mississippi Braves, sometimes the talent on the visiting team can be the attraction at Trustmark Park. The Tennessee Smokies are currently in Pearl, and this club features several of the Chicago Cubs’ top prospects. Foremost among this group is third baseman Kris Bryant, who was picked second overall in the 2013 draft (after blasting 31 homers in college last season) and is already knocking on Wrigley Field’s door. Bryant, 6 feet 5, 215 pounds, is batting .324 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs for a 23-17 team. Right fielder Jorge Soler, rated as high as No. 4 on the Cubs’ prospect chart, is hitting .333 with seven RBIs in seven games, though he did exit Thursday night’s contest with an undisclosed injury. Right-hander C.J. Edwards (1-2, 2.61 ERA in four starts) and former M-Braves standout Arodys Vizcaino, also top 10 prospects, are on the Smokies’ pitching staff. Another player of note is catcher Rafael Lopez, batting .330 with four homers, including one on Thursday. By the way: The M-Braves (21-19) won Thursday’s game 6-5 on a walk-off hit in the 11th inning by former big leaguer Cedric Hunter, who is having a solid season. The five-game series continues with Game 2 tonight. P.S. Ole Miss alumnus Zack Cozart, hovering beneath the Mendoza Line most of the season with Cincinnati, got three hits (and two RBIs) in Game 1 of a twinbill on Thursday and climbed to .208. He is batting .278 over his last 10 games, which might be a good sign. Cozart is valued more for his defense at shortstop, but he needs to hit a bit better. He batted .254 last year with 12 homers. He has just one homer this year.

18 Apr

going places

The Milwaukee Brewers’ decision to move David Goforth from starter to closer is working out well. Goforth, the former Neshoba Central High and Ole Miss standout, notched his fifth save (in six appearances) on Thursday night as Double-A Huntsville beat the Mississippi Braves 1-0 at Trustmark Park. The game ended on a fly out (by Seth Loman) to the warning track with the tying run at third base, but, hey, what closer doesn’t like to make things interesting once in a while. It was Goforth’s second save in the Southern League series, which is tied 2-2 going into tonight’s finale. He lowered his ERA to 1.23. The right-hander, a fourth-year pro who made the switch to the bullpen in the middle of last season, is rated among the Brewers’ top 10 prospects and was invited to their big league camp this spring. Yes, Goforth is going places. P.S. It will be interesting to see if Jackson native Donnie Veal, designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, gets another big league opportunity. The left-hander has a 7.50 ERA in seven games this season and a 4.87 in 100 career appearances. But he is a lefty.

17 Apr

progress report

Two weeks into the Southern League season, the Mississippi Braves are just treading water. The record is 6-7. Tough to tell which direction they might be headed. The pitching has been in good form. The club’s 3.01 ERA ranks fourth in the 10-team league. Williams Perez is 1-1 with a 1.26 and fellow Double-A rookie Jason Hursh is 1-1, 2.57. J.R. Graham, like Hursh a highly rated prospect, has not allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings heading into his third start tonight at Trustmark Park. Closer Shae Simmons has four saves, and the bullpen as a whole has a league-best eight holds (for whatever that’s worth). One of the few stragglers is Ryne Harper, who has a 6.75 ERA in five appearances; he was very effective in 2013. The hitters, with a few exceptions, are flailing about. The .230 average ranks sixth in the SL, the 42 runs seventh. Gustavo Nunez, now displaced at shortstop by Elmer Reyes, is at .306. Seth Loman is batting .302 with three of the team’s five home runs. Emerson Landoni is at .282 and Joe Leonard at .267. No other hitter is above .238. Needing to pick it up soon are Robby Hefflinger (.171, no homers), Kyle Kubitza (.206) and Matt Lipka (.227).

03 Jan

anniversary check

While eagerly looking ahead to the start of the 2014 season, it’s the perfect time to note some significant anniversaries related to the Jackson area’s minor league clubs. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Jackson Mets’ dominant season. That team swept both halves in the Texas League East Division and then claimed the franchise’s second pennant in the playoffs. The ’84 JaxMets, managed by Sam Perlozzo, featured the likes of Lenny Dykstra, Mark Carreon, Billy Beane, Greg Olson, Dave Cochrane, Al Pedrique, Steve Springer, Jay Tibbs, Calvin Schiraldi, Randy Myers and Floyd Youmans — all future big leaguers. Ten years later — and 20 years ago — the Jackson Generals won the TL East playoffs in one of Smith-Wills Stadium’s most unforgettable games. The Gens, down 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth of the decisive Game 5, got back-to-back home runs from Tom Nevers and Jeff Ball to stun rival Shreveport. The ’94 Generals, managed by Sal Butera, lost in the TL Championship Series. Bobby Abreu (still not retired) was the star hitter for that club. Of course, who could forget that in 2004 reports surfaced and were later confirmed that the Greenville Braves of the Southern League were going to move to a new ballpark in Pearl for the 2005 season. Hard to believe this will be the Mississippi Braves’ 10th season at Trustmark Park.

29 Oct

april forecast

Thinking about April 3, 2014. Thinking about who might take the field for the Mississippi Braves when they open next season at Trustmark Park against Mobile. There could be a few holdovers from the 2013 club that made the Southern League playoffs (third time in team history) as a wild card, but there should also be a strong wave of new players rolling in from Class A Lynchburg. Names of note include: third baseman Kyle Kubitza, who batted .260 with 12 home runs, 28 doubles and 57 RBIs for the Hillcats and is playing in the Arizona Fall League; shortstop Elmer Reyes, who went to big league camp last spring and hit .250 with 30 doubles and 60 RBIs at Lynchburg; outfielder David Rohm, a .302 hitter with 33 doubles and 53 RBIs; and outfielder Matt Lipka, a supplemental first-round pick in 2010 who batted .251 with 29 doubles, 40 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Another Double-A candidate is catcher-turned-outfielder Josh Elander, a 2012 draftee who reached high-A last summer and was named Atlanta’s minor league player of the year. He hit .262 with four home runs and 32 RBIs in 61 games at Lynchburg after batting .318 with 11 homers and 61 RBIs at low-A Rome. Elander “does everything you look for when you evaluate a hitter,” Braves farm director Ronnie Richardson told milb.com. Elander might get more time at Lynchburg to start 2014, but he’ll be in Pearl soon enough. Also on the Lynchburg roster last season was Mississippi native William Beckwith, a big first baseman who slugged nine homers in 53 games but batted just .229. Outfielder Robby Hefflinger, who tore it up at Lynchburg (.286, 21 homers, 52 RBIs) before a midseason promotion, scuffled with the M-Braves (.173, six homers) and is likely to return. It wouldn’t be a shock to see third baseman Edward Salcedo back, along with second baseman Phil Gosselin and outfielder Mycal Jones. Pitching is always much harder to forecast. Aaron Northcraft, Gus Schlosser and Cody Martin — mainstays of the M-Braves’ 2013 rotation — may well go to Triple-A Gwinnett, as could closer Ryne Harper. The top starters at Lynchburg were Jarett Miller (9-8, 3.73 ERA), Greg Ross (9-6, 3.27), Ryan Weber (6-5, 3.84) and Ryan Hinson (4-4, 2.48). Nate Hyatt had 12 saves, John Cornely 11. We can speculate — hope? — that J.R. Graham, the highly rated right-hander who missed most of 2013 with a shoulder injury, will be back in Mississippi next season. He was 1-3, 4.04 in eight starts last year. Heck, he could be on the hill on April 3, 2014. Sure, opening day is five months away, but it’s not too soon to start thinking about it. P.S. Tommy La Stella, the M-Braves’ standout second baseman in 2013, is batting .351 through 11 games in the Arizona Fall League. … Former M-Braves manager Brian Snitker, Atlanta’s third base coach the last couple years, will manage Triple-A Gwinnett in 2014.