not so fast

Read with interest this comment from Madison Central High star Ryan Bolden after he was drafted Monday by the Los Angeles Angels: "I'd like to end up in the big leagues in three years." If he signs, which he likely will, the young outfielder may be in for a reality check. Not many high school draft picks make it to the major leagues in three years. Jason Heyward, an exceptional talent, made it this year in his fourth pro season. More common might be the case of Justin Reed, a former Hillcrest Christian star who was considered more skilled than Bolden when he was drafted by Cincinnati in the fourth round in 2006. Today, Reed, 22, is still in A-ball. He is hitting .158 for high Class A Lynchburg. He has a .229 average over his five pro seasons. He's a long way from The Show. The lesson here is, it's hard enough just to get to Double-A. Bolden might want to lower his sights. Progress in pro baseball requires confidence but also great patience.
P.S. Drew Pomeranz went to Cleveland with the fifth pick, the highest any Ole Miss player has ever been drafted. What's the highest any Mississippi-connected player has been plucked? Mississippi State's Will Clark went No. 2 overall to San Francisco in 1985. ... A little history note: On this date in 1940, Ellisville native Harry Craft hit for the cycle for Cincinnati in a 23-2 win over Brooklyn.

where have you gone ...

Joe DiFabio will always hold a special place in Mississippi baseball history. He was the first player from the state picked in the major league draft. The former Delta State right-hander went 20th overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first draft in 1965. Some very familiar names were called that day: Rick Monday, Joe Coleman, Billy Conigliaro, Ray Fosse, Jim Spencer and Bernie Carbo were among the first rounders who made it to the big leagues. DiFabio got as high as Triple-A before hanging 'em up in 1971. His career numbers were good: 45-34, 3.24 ERA. He deserves a shout-out today, 45 years after his big moment.

4 to watch 4

1. Drew Pomeranz. The major league baseball draft starts Monday and the Ole Miss left-hander will go early. Both Baseball America and Sports Illustrated have him rated the No. 4 prospect in the draft. He'll surely go top 10. The first Mississippian picked last year was Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High shortstop, who went at No. 57. The only other Mississippi-connected players in Baseball America's Top 200 are Madison Central outfielder Ryan Bolden (No. 141) and Richton shortstop Jacoby Jones (No. 166).
2. Van Pope. The ex-Terry High and Meridian Community College star, released by Atlanta a couple weeks ago after a failed move from third base to pitcher, will surely get another shot somewhere, perhaps in independent ball. Haven't seen his name on any transactions list yet. Pope was once a top 10 prospect in the Braves' system but seemed to hit a ceiling with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, even though he did get some Triple-A time. Never seen a better arm on a third baseman. If he could only hit a little better.
3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The former M-Braves catcher reportedly (see recent mlb.com story) is making progress in conquering his throwing woes at Triple-A Oklahoma City in the Texas system. Saltalamacchia had developed a severe case of what might best be called Steve Sax Syndrome (see Phil Taylor's column in the June 7 Sports Illustrated); he was having great difficulty just tossing the ball back to the pitcher. When he was in Pearl — as Atlanta's top-rated prospect — Saltalamacchia worked hard on his defense and was pretty good behind the plate. His struggles then were with the bat, though he did pick it up during his short-lived second stint here in 2007. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the Rangers recall him to The Show. Very interesting.
4. Antoan Richardson. The M-Braves' diminutive new outfielder could make a big difference for this team. He brings speed to center field and to the top of the lineup, something the club has not had. The Bahamas native is off to a great start: .367 with 11 hits in eight games, four runs scored and one steal in two tries. Manager Phillip Wellman loves to play aggressively on the bases and Richardson gives him a weapon to use in that regard. The first half has gotten away from the M-Braves, but they may be better equipped now for a second-half run.

one?!?

Mississippi Braves left-hander Mike Minor, blending a 91 mph fastball with a nasty changeup, was brilliant on Thursday night, throwing eight shutout innings with 11 strikeouts, two walks and just three hits allowed. But Atlanta's 2009 first-round pick got no decision in a game the punchless M-Braves would lose 3-0 in 10 innings to Montgomery. Minor's record remains 1-4. One win is all he's got to show for his 11 starts. He has a 3.68 ERA and a Southern League-best 91 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. But just one W. In fact, Minor's tough luck extends back to last summer, when he posted a 0.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14 innings over four starts for Class A Rome but finished with an 0-1 record. If you haven't seen Minor pitch at Trustmark Park yet, go soon. He may not be around Double-A much longer.

hey, lookie here

Hattiesburg native John Lindsey, the 33-year-old career minor leaguer, is really trying to get the Los Angeles Dodgers' attention. He was named the Pacific Coast League's hitter of the week for May 24-30 after batting .407 with five homers at 13 RBIs for Triple-A Albuquerque. Lindsey also had a 17-game hitting streak in May. If the Dodgers have a need anytime soon for a power bat off the bench — and Lindsey can certainly provide that — maybe they'll reward his recent production and his perseverance (see previous post).

fine tuning

Chris Coghlan has changed his tune and, coincidentally perhaps, the direction of his season. The former Ole Miss standout, last year's National League rookie of the year and the first Cool Papa Bell Award winner (see previous posts), got two more hits for Florida on Wednesday night to boost his average to .242. He is 14-for-37 (.378) in the first nine games of a 10-game homestand that ends tonight. Coghlan's resurgence coincides with a switch in his walk-up song, from "Song of the South" by Alabama to Lecrae's "Rebel Intro." "I'm not a superstitious guy, but I definitely got tired of hearing 'Song of the South,'" Coghlan told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Maybe he should buy into the superstition thing. Coghlan, who hit .321 last year, had been scuffling around the Mendoza Line much of this season until his recent tear.
P.S. Fred Lewis, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star from Wiggins, is now hitting .310 as the leadoff batter for Toronto, which acquired him in mid-April from San Francisco. Lewis' 19 doubles rank among the American League leaders. And to think, it looked as though he might be done last year when he slumped with the Giants. ... Former Mississippi Braves right-hander Todd Redmond made his first start on Wednesday since throwing a no-hitter last week. In a Gwinnett Braves game televised by CSS, Redmond (5-5) got the victory in a 2-1 win and struck out 10 Indianapolis hitters. The former Southern League pitcher of the year could be another option for Atlanta if it needs a starter down the stretch. And it just might.

a sad note

Former Jackson Generals pitcher Jeriome Robertson was killed Saturday in California in a motorcycle crash, according to reports. Robertson, 33, won 15 games with a 5.10 ERA for Houston in 2003. The left-hander went 15-7 with a 3.06 ERA for the 1999 Generals, the last Astros club to play at Smith-Wills Stadium. Robertson was traded to Cleveland after his big rookie season and won only one more big league game. His last year in the majors was 2004 and he last pitched in 2007 in an independent league.