USA Today Archives - All Mississippi Baseball

shopping season

Three Mississippi products, all right-handed pitchers, made USA Today’s shopping list of major league free agents, though none is deemed to be highly coveted. Madison Central High alum Spencer Turnbull is ranked No. 49 on the list of the top 120, ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn is No. 75 and former Mississippi State standout Kendall Graveman is No. 89. Turnbull, 32, posted a 2.65 ERA in an injury-shortened season with Philadelphia, with whom he signed a one-year deal for $2 million last off-season. Lynn, 37 and reportedly considering retirement, had a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts with St. Louis, where he was also on a one-year deal ($11 million). Lynn has 143 career wins — and 2,000-plus career innings. Graveman, 34, missed all of 2024 following shoulder surgery last off-season. He has a career ERA of 3.95 and was an effective middle reliever during Houston’s playoff run in 2023. Adam Frazier, the MSU alum cut loose by Kansas City last month, is also on the market; the versatile 32-year-old batted just .202 for the Royals in 2024. He has played for five teams over the past four seasons. … Onetime big league pitchers Konnor Pilkington, a State alum, and Michael Rucker, a Columbus native, are minor league free agents, as are ex-MSU standout Hunter Stovall, Madison Central product Regi Grace and ex-Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star Brandon Parker.

making a list

A pair of former high MLB draft picks from Mississippi colleges who’ve battled arm injuries have cracked the top 20 on the Oakland A’s list of Top 30 prospects, revealed today by MLB Pipeline. Ole Miss product Gunnar Hogland, the 19th overall pick in 2021, is Oakland’s No. 15, and Mississippi State alum J.T. Ginn, a second-round pick (by the New York Mets) in 2020, checks in at No. 17. Hogland has pitched just eight innings in pro ball so far. Ginn has made 30 appearances over two years, but just 12 last season before an Arizona Fall League stint. He is in big league camp as a non-roster player. It’ll be interesting to see how those two fare in 2023. Former Biloxi High star Colt Keith is ranked No. 4 in Detroit’s system; Southern Miss alum Matt Wallner, who debuted in MLB last summer, is Minnesota’s No. 7; ex-State standout Justin Foscue is Texas’ No. 7; former Bulldogs closer Landon Sims is Arizona’s No. 9; Will Bednar, the CWS star for State in 2021, is San Francisco’s No. 16; ex-Ole Miss standout Ryan Rolison is Colorado’s No. 28; and fellow Rebels alum Doug Nikhazy is Cleveland’s No. 30. (See previous post for the top prospects from the National League East and Central and American League East. All told, 17 state products made the various Top 30s.) … Six Mississippians made USA Today’s top 200 fantasy players for MLB ’23, topped by Austin Riley at No. 27 and Brandon Woodruff at 33. Eleven former Mississippi Braves are on that list, including Riley, the DeSoto Central High alum who also played for the Double-A M-Braves en route to Atlanta. … A handful of Magnolia State products have signed with independent clubs for 2023, including Jacob Robson, who is also slated to play for Team Canada in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Ex-MSU standout Robson signed with the American Association’s Kansas City Monarchs, for whom he played in 2022. Dalton Moats (Delta State) inked with KC, Delvin Zinn (Itawamba Community College) with Milwaukee and Conor Fisk (USM) with Lake Country. Milton Smith Jr. (Meridian CC) signed with Rocky Mountain of the Pioneer League.