Tag Archives: Stan Cliburn

11 Dec

short hops

With Atlanta’s signing of ex-San Diego closer Robert Suarez, ex-Ole Miss star Ryan Rolison has been squeezed off the Braves’ 40-man roster and designated for assignment. The Braves recently traded with Colorado to get the lefty Rolison, who was DFA’d by the Rockies last month. Rolison had a 7.20 ERA in 31 games last season as a 28-year-old rookie for the Rockies. It’s unclear if he’ll remain in the Braves’ system. … Jackson native and ex-big leaguer Stan Cliburn has stepped down as manager of the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after seven seasons with the Atlantic League club. Cliburn went 458-447 with the Blue Crabs, making three playoff appearances and winning a manager of the year award. Cliburn, 68, has 2,083 minor league managerial victories, ranking 12th all time, per a league release. Cliburn said in the release that he will “pursue other challenges.” … No Mississippi products were selected in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft of unprotected minor leaguers. (There had been speculation that Blaze Jordan, the ex-DeSoto Central High slugger, might be plucked out of the St. Louis system.) … Jackson Smith, a Mississippi College alum, re-signed with the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters. The right-hander posted a 3.06 ERA in 20 games (two starts) in 2025. … Former Mississippi Braves standout Vaughn Grissom has been traded again, going from Boston to the Los Angeles Angels. Grissom, an infielder, made little impact with the Red Sox after coming from Atlanta in the Chris Sale trade. … Ex-Biloxi Shuckers star Brice Turang has committed to play for Team USA in next spring’s World Baseball Classic. The slick-fielding second baseman batted .288 with 18 homers last season for Milwaukee. … Former Shuckers closer Devin Williams, who had a rough go with the New York Yankees in 2025, has moved to the Mets as a free agent and faces the unenviable task of replacing Edwin Diaz in their bullpen. P.S. Kyle Schwarber, returning to Philadelphia as a $150 million DH, has built his legacy on monster home runs, the so-called “Schwarbombs,” many of them game-changers. In an article in the November/December issue of Baseball Digest, Scott Lauber writes about two impactful homers Schwarber hit long before his MLB days, back in 2012, when he was playing in the Cape Cod League, the college summer circuit. His manager was Cooper Farris, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College coach. As the tale goes, Schwarber, coming off his freshman season at Indiana, was having a tough day in the Cape’s championship game, having made an error and struck out three times as the game reached the ninth inning. “Well, are we going to do something about it?” Farris asked Schwarber. “Yes, sir, I got this,” was Schwarber’s response. He homered in the ninth and again in the 10th as Wareham won the title. The next summer, again playing for Farris, Schwarber returned from a trip to Japan with Team USA, scrambled back to the Cape and went 4-for-4 with a homer in his first game, per the BD article. “Craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Farris said.

21 May

hot and cold

You won’t find a hotter team in pro ball than the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Jackson native Stan Cliburn’s club in the independent Atlantic League is 21-4. After having an eight-game win streak snapped on Thursday, the Blue Crabs bounced back Friday with a 13-2 win against Long Island. Ole Miss product Braxton Lee had an RBI and scored a run in that game, and ex-Southern Miss standout Bradley Roney pitched a clean inning in relief. Forest Hill High alum Cliburn, a longtime minor league manager, was the Atlantic League’s manager of the year in 2021 and appears to have another strong team this season. The Blue Crabs lead the loop in runs and have outscored their opposition by almost 70. Lee, a Picayune native who also played at Pearl River Community College, is one of the few players on the roster with major league experience (Miami, 2018). The outfielder is batting .278 with nine RBIs, nine runs and four steals in 22 games for the Blue Crabs. Roney, who reached Triple-A in affiliated ball and spent parts of three seasons with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, has a 3.48 ERA in 11 appearances. P.S. Buck Showalter’s New York Mets still sit atop the National League East with a 26-14 record, but the ex-Mississippi State star saw ace Max Scherzer land Thursday on the injured list, where he joins fellow pitchers Jacob deGrom, Tylor Megill, Trevor May and Sean Reid-Foley. Not sure what kind of omen this might be, but the Mets were greeted Friday by a snowstorm in Colorado.

21 Apr

play ball

It’s opening day in the independent Atlantic League, where Jackson native Stan Cliburn will manage his 3,570th minor league game when his Southern Maryland Blue Crabs meet Lexington. Cliburn’s club includes former Ole Miss star and onetime big leaguer Braxton Lee and Southern Miss product Bradley Roney. Cliburn, entering his 33rd season as a pro manager, was the Atlantic League’s manager of the year in 2021 when he steered the Blue Crabs to a 63-57 record and into the playoffs with a late surge. Forest Hill High alum Cliburn had a long playing career in pro ball and spent part of the 1980 season with the California Angels. Lee, a lefty-hitting outfielder from Picayune, played in the Cincinnati system in 2021, batting .224. A former Southern League batting champ, he got 17 at-bats with the Miami Marlins in 2018. Roney, a right-hander, pitched in the New York Mets’ system last season, finishing at Triple-A. Roney, who pitched for the Mississippi Braves in 2016, ’17 and ’19, has a 3.71 career ERA in pro ball. … Also in the ALPB is former East Mississippi Community College standout LeDarious Clark, an outfielder with Lancaster. P.S. Mississippi State product Nathaniel Lowe snagged a screaming line drive Wednesday night and started 3-6 triple play, the seventh in Texas Rangers history. Caught up in the tri-killing was ex-State star Adam Frazier, who redeemed himself quite nicely by going 3-for-4 with a walk and a run in Seattle’s 4-2 victory. Frazier is batting .294 as the Mariners’ new leadoff man.

23 Sep

independent variables

Stan Cliburn’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs begin play in the independent Atlantic League postseason tonight. Currently in his 24th season managing a minor league club, Jackson native Cliburn reached 1,500 wins this year en route to winning the Freedom Division first-half title. He also got a contract extension for 2016. The Blue Crabs (69-71 overall) open the division playoffs on the road for Games 1 and 2 against Lancaster, then return home on Sept. 25 for the rest of the best-of-5 series. Fred Lewis, the former Stone County High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star is a key player for Cliburn’s club. Ex-big leaguer Lewis hit .238 (.335 on-base percentage) with 39 RBIs and 63 runs in 118 games. P.S. Hattiesburg High product Robert Carson also toiled in the Atlantic League this season as he tries to get his career back on track. The left-hander was hit with a drug suspension this past off-season, which cost him an invite to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training camp. Released by the Dodgers, Carson signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish and went 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 23 games, mostly as a starter. He might have shown enough to get another look from a major league club. Carson, 26, was a 14th-round draft pick in 2007 by the New York Mets and has made 31 MLB appearances (6.82 ERA), the last in 2013.

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.