the journey’s end

Former Southern Miss standout Scott Copeland recently became the fourth (and presumably last) member of the Mississippi draft class of 2010 to make the major leagues. When you consider that just getting out of A-ball is an accomplishment, that’s a pretty good number. Twenty-four from the state were drafted, 14 signed. Drew Pomeranz, picked fifth overall out of Ole Miss by Cleveland, made the big leagues in 2011 with Colorado. Now with Oakland, he has a 4.28 ERA over 59 games. Ryan Bolden, picked 40th overall out of Madison Central High by the Los Angeles Angels, did not get past rookie ball in four seasons. He died tragically in December (see previous post). Corey Dickerson, picked in the eighth round out of Meridian Community College by Colorado, reached the majors in 2012 and has batted .296 in 224 games. Aaron Barrett was plucked in the ninth round out of Ole Miss by Washington and made his MLB debut in 2014. He has a 2.42 ERA over 64 games. Three others were drafted in the first 10 rounds, but none of them has played above A-ball. Jones County JC alum Chris Lofton (ninth round, San Francisco), played in high Class A in 2014 and is now a free agent. UM’s Tim Ferguson (10th round, Kansas City) made it to high-A in 2013 but wasn’t in the game last year. And former Terry High star Deshun Dixon (10th round, Tampa Bay) topped out in short-season A-ball in 2012. Copeland, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, finally reached The Show in his sixth pro season. He was drafted in the 21st round by Baltimore and is now in the Toronto system. He pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances for the Blue Jays over the weekend, then was shipped back to Triple-A Buffalo today.