Tag Archives: Southwest Mississippi Community College

02 Sep

random numbers

7 – Outfield assists for Jarrod Dyson, the Southwest Mississippi Community College product who got another on Tuesday for Kansas City in just his 61st game.
5 – Triples for Seth Smith, the Ole Miss alum who legged one out for Seattle; he now has 31 career triples and 20 career stolen bases.
20 – Home runs this season, at two levels of the minors, by Hunter Renfroe, the former Mississippi State star who went deep for Triple-A El Paso (San Diego system).
8 – Number of Mississippians (natives or college alums) currently on the MLB disabled list.
3 – Mississippians in the minors assigned to the initial rosters for the Arizona Fall League: State alum Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh system), Ole Miss product Stuart Turner (Minnesota) and ex-Richton High star JaCoby Jones (Detroit).
50 – Runs for Chris Coghlan, the ex-Ole Miss standout who scored one in the Chicago Cubs’ 5-4 win over Cincinnati.
68 – RBIs by Brian Dozier, the former Southern Miss star who picked up a couple for Minnesota and is three shy of his career-high.
3 – Home runs allowed, in 10 big league appearances, by David Goforth, the UM product who gave up a pair for Milwaukee against Pittsburgh.
9 – Hits in big league games by former Mississippi Braves no longer playing for Atlanta; included were homers by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Phil Gosselin of Arizona.
3 – Hits by former M-Braves currently playing for Atlanta, two by Freddie Freeman, the other by Daniel Castro. The Braves lost to Miami 7-1, their 14th loss in 15 games.
38 — Wins, vs. 57 losses, for Dan Jennings, the USM and William Carey alum who took over as Miami manager in mid-May. Reports are that Jennings will return to GM duties in 2016.

16 Aug

celebrate, celebrate …

The party was at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Before a packed house and a national TV audience on Saturday, the first-place Royals celebrated win No. 70 on the season, win No. 900 of Ned Yost’s managerial career and birthday No. 31 for Jarrod Dyson. Dyson, the McComb native and ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College star, partied hard during the game, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs, two steals and an outfield assist to fuel the Royals’ 9-4 victory against the Los Angeles Angels. KC broke the game open with a six-run second inning during which Dyson slapped a two-run single and scored a run. “Any time you get the win, that’s a great day for us,” Dyson, who usually offers something much more colorful, told the Kansas City Star after the game. It was also a great day for Yost, the former Jackson Mets catcher who hushed a lot of doubters by steering this club to the World Series last year. The current Royals have won seven of nine and are running away with the American League Central. P.S. The Houston Astros celebrated their 2005 World Series team on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. Among the stars of that club were Holmes Community College product Roy Oswalt, a 20-game winner, and Jackson Generals alum Lance Berkman, who hit .293 with 24 home runs.

09 Aug

around the horn

Former Harrison Central High standout Bobby Bradley blasted his 20th home run of the season on Saturday for Class A Lake County in the Cleveland system. Bradley, only 19, is batting .256 with 68 RBIs in his second pro season. … Ole Miss alumnus Will Allen has been named to the New York-Penn League All-Star Game, set for Aug. 18. Allen, a catcher drafted in the 13th round by Detroit in June, is hitting .263 with a homer and 17 RBIs in 33 games for Connecticut in the short-season A league. … Also impressing in the Tigers’ system is catcher Kade Scivicque, a former Southwest Mississippi Community College star, drafted in the fourth round this year out of LSU. He is batting .282 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 19 games at West Michigan in the Class A Midwest League. … And to continue on a Tigers theme: JaCoby Jones, the ex-Richton High star, hit his fourth home run in eight games for Double-A Erie in the Eastern League. Jones, a shortstop traded from Pittsburgh to Detroit last month, is hitting .300 with nine RBIs and 12 runs. He has 14 homers on the season. … Stone County High alum D.J. Davis also homered on Saturday and is batting .350 with five RBIs and 10 runs in his last 10 games for Class A Lansing in the Midwest League. Davis, a 2012 first-rounder by Toronto, is batting .290 for the season. … Mississippi State product Jonathan Holder went 5 1/3 innings on Saturday for Class A Tampa in the New York Yankees’ system, allowing just one run. It was his longest outing since June 6, just before he took a month-long trip to the DL. Holder, in his second pro season, is 5-3 with a 2.52 ERA in the high-A Florida State League.

22 Jul

small wonder

His name doesn’t show up among the MLB statistical leaders in any category. Jarrod Dyson is just a part-time player for Kansas City, but when his times come, the McComb native has a knack for making things happen. Take Tuesday, for example. Batting in the eighth inning of a scoreless game, facing Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole, with runners at second and third and the infield in, Dyson dropped a single into right field. Two runs scored. Dyson, blessed with great wheels, took second when the outfielder misplayed the ball. He stole third and scored on another hit. The Royals held on to win 3-1. They are 56-36, 6.5 games up on Minnesota in the American League Central. They are 8-3 since star outfielder Alex Gordon went down with an injury. Dyson has helped fill that void. “I just want to play, man. That’s been my theory since I got here,” the Southwest Mississippi Community College alumnus said in a Kansas City Star article. Dyson, a 50th-round pick in 2006, arrived in the big leagues in 2010 and is one of the longest tenured Royals. The 5-foot-10 left-handed hitter doesn’t have any big numbers on his 2015 ledger, but he has a lot of little ones. In 49 games, 119 at-bats, Dyson has 18 runs, 11 RBIs, 15 steals, four triples, two sacrifice bunts, four outfield assists and zero errors. He is batting .261. Most important, his team is in first place.

14 Jul

field notes

Hot-hitting Adam Frazier, the former Mississippi State standout, is on the West Division roster for Wednesday night’s Eastern League All-Star Game at Portland, Maine. Frazier, playing shortstop for Pittsburgh’s Double-A Altoona club, is batting .373 with 16 RBIs and 33 runs in 51 games. He got a delayed start due to a spring injury this season, his third in pro ball. … Southern Miss’ Dylan Burdeaux was named the New England Collegiate Baseball League player of the week on Monday. Burdeaux, hitting .303 with three homers and 16 RBIs for the summer, will be joined by Golden Eagles and Ocean State teammates Tim Lynch and Chuckie Robinson in this Sunday’s NECBL All-Star Game at Sanford, Maine. … Matt Tracy, the former Ole Miss left-hander who was in the big leagues for one day in April, is back in Double-A and trying to find his form. Tracy, in the New York Yankees’ system, has a 2.89 ERA in four games at Trenton, including a quality start (one run in six innings) on Saturday. He was scuffling at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 5.79 in 12 appearances over two stints there. He has a career 3.95 ERA working mostly as a starter. Tracy got a call-up from the Yankees on April 11, when they needed an extra arm. He pitched two innings against Boston at Yankee Stadium, allowing two hits, two walks and three runs (all unearned) in an 8-4 loss. … Melvin Rodriguez, the SWAC player of the year at Jackson State, is just 1-for-12 in his pro debut with Washington’s Auburn team in the New York-Penn League. Rodriguez batted .422 for the Tigers in 2015 with seven homers and 65 RBIs. P.S. Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Kade Scivicque already has earned a promotion from the Detroit Tigers. The fourth-round pick from LSU, who was hitting .406 at Connecticut in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League, has been bumped to West Michigan in the Class A Midwest League.

09 Jul

the energizer

When All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon went down, Kansas City needed a lift. Enter Jarrod Dyson. Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College standout, replaced the injured Gordon, threw out a runner at the plate, hit an inside-the-park home run and helped the Royals beat Tampa Bay 9-7 on Wednesday night. “He brings energy, is what he brings,” KC manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star, referring to the speedy Dyson, whose twitter handle is @mrzoombiya. Dyson’s playing time has been limited this season – 42 games, 99 at-bats – but with Gordon expected to miss a significant amount of time with a groin injury, Dyson likely will get more opportunities for the first-place Royals. He is batting .273 (.321 on-base percentage) with 16 runs and 10 steals. His homer Wednesday was his first of the season and first inside-the-parker of his career. P.S. Matt Harrison got knocked around (six runs in four innings vs. Arizona) but just getting back on the mound for Texas on Wednesday was a victory for the former Mississippi Braves left-hander. Harrison is trying to come back from spinal fusion surgery. His last MLB start had come on May 13 of 2014. Injuries have limited the former 18-game winner to seven appearances the last three seasons. Harrison went 8-11 with an ERA around 3.50 for the M-Braves in 2006-07, when he was one of Atlanta’s top-rated prospects. He went to Texas in the Mark Teixeira trade.

08 Jul

just another day …

There were no walk-off homers, or any homers at all by Mississippi-connected players. Nobody had a bunch of hits or drove in a bunch of runs. No quality starts were delivered, no holds or saves recorded. And yet, Mississippians made their mark in Tuesday’s MLB games, splattering numbers all over the 17 box scores. Twelve Mississippians (natives or college alums) played on Tuesday, and they collectively delivered six hits, five walks, five runs, two steals, a sac fly, a win and 2 2/3 scoreless innings of pitching. The line of the day belongs to Southwest Mississippi Community College product and McComb native Jarrod Dyson. In Kansas City’s 7-1 win over Tampa Bay in Game 2 of a twinbill, Dyson put up a 2-3-1-0 with two walks and a stolen base. P.S. On this date in 1941, Ted Williams hit his legendary three-run, ninth-inning, game-winning home run in the All-Star Game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. The pitch was delivered by Claude Passeau, one of the greatest pitchers Mississippi has produced. The Waynesboro native and Millsaps College alum, who won 162 games in the big leagues, was working his third inning for the National League and would have been a winner (by a 5-3 score) had a double play been turned before Williams’ at-bat. Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber of Columbus called the game for Mutual Radio.

04 Jul

the short and long of it

Jarrod Dyson earned a Gatorade shower from his Kansas City teammates on Friday night after simply putting the ball in play. Sometimes that’s all it takes. With the potential winning run at third base and the Minnesota infield playing in, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College standout chopped a ball toward the first baseman and Lorenzo Cain beat the throw home to give the Royals a 3-2 win over the Twins in 10 innings. KC extended its lead over Minnesota in the American League Central to 4.5 games. Dyson said he went up to bat “thinking just put it in play and show the world what speed do.” Cain had just enough speed to score before the catcher’s tag, which was confirmed by replay. Dyson, the Royals’ fastest player, generally does a good job of putting the ball in play, an underrated skill in today’s game. He has struck out just 17 times in 92 at-bats this season and is batting .272. … Ole Miss alum Seth Smith also put a ball in play on Friday that had a big impact. Smith hit one over the wall in Oakland, giving Seattle a sixth-inning lead in a game the Mariners would win 9-5. Smith strikes out a good bit – 55 times in 216 at-bats – but he has power, which MLB teams will always crave. Smith’s homer was his seventh of the season and 92nd of his career. P.S. Another ex-Southwest CC star, Kade Scivicque, made his pro debut on Thursday and went 2-for-4 for Connecticut in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League. Scivicque, a catcher, was a key player for LSU in its run to the College World Series. Detroit drafted him in the fourth round; he could rise quickly.

25 Jun

big league chew

He ranks first in runs, first in home runs, first in RBIs and second in slugging percentage among American League second basemen. Brian Dozier’s 56 runs are tied for the most in the entire AL, and he is second in the league in doubles. Surely, the ex-Southern Miss standout will make his first All-Star Game this year. He had two hits against Chris Sale on Wednesday, scoring a run and knocking in another to help Minnesota to a 6-1 win against the Chicago White Sox. Dozier is batting .261 with 14 homers and 36 RBIs for a good Twins club. … Kendall Graveman, the Mississippi State alum pitching for Oakland, beat Texas to square his record at 4-4 and trim his ERA to 3.86. Graveman is 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA in seven starts since returning from a stint in the minors. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, back in the leadoff spot for Cincinnati, drew a first-inning walk, stole second and third and scored to start the Reds on their way to a 5-2 win at Pittsburgh. Hamilton was hitless in his other four at-bats, dropping his average to .223, but he has 35 steals and 33 runs in 62 games. … Ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College star Jarrod Dyson, whose speed may rival Hamilton’s, stole his eighth bag (in 34 games) for Kansas City in a win over Seattle. … Ole Miss product Lance Lynn (4-4, 3.07) is slated to come off the disabled list and start today for St. Louis against Miami. The Cardinals are 47-24, best record in MLB. … Worth remembering: Wednesday (June 24) was the 53rd anniversary of Silver City native Jack Reed’s only big league homer. It came in the 22nd inning of the New York Yankees’ 9-7 win at Detroit. Reed played parts of three seasons (1961-63) with the Yanks.

18 Jun

bear tracks

Though he is not the main attraction on a star-studded LSU team, Kade Scivicque, a two-time All-Stater at Southwest Mississippi Community College, has been much more than an extra on the big stage in Omaha. LSU’s senior catcher, the team’s leading hitter at .352, is 4-for-8 with two RBIs and a couple of runs in the Tigers’ two games in the College World Series. He drove in a run and scored two in Tuesday’s do-or-die, 5-3 win against Cal State Fullerton. LSU faces TCU in another elimination game tonight. Scivicque, who has six homers and 47 RBIs and is also regarded as a strong defensive catcher, was first-team All-SEC this year, along with fellow Tigers Alex Bregman, Conner Hale, Andrew Stevenson and Alex Lange. Scivicque was a second-team All-America choice by Baseball America and was drafted in the fourth round by the Detroit Tigers. He played for Southwest’s Bears in 2012 and ’13, batting over .300 with nine career homers. … Also on the LSU roster is Hunter Devall, a Centreville Academy product who has a 4.20 ERA in 17 appearances. He allowed three runs in 2/3 of an inning in a 10-3 loss to TCU on Sunday. P.S. Former Harrison Central High star Bobby Bradley, the reigning Midwest League player of the week, is batting .264 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in just 40 games at Class A Lake County in the Cleveland system. The lefty-hitting first baseman, only 19, is coming off a 9-for-22, four-homer week and is on pace for 30 bombs. … Mississippi State alum Adam Frazier, who, like Bradley, missed some time with an injury, is hitting .352 with 10 RBIs and 17 runs in 28 games at Double-A Altoona in the Pittsburgh organization. Frazier, a lefty-hitting shortstop, has a .412 average over his last 10 games.