#STATEtoTheShow Update - September 11
September 11, 2018 | Baseball
by Austin Coats, Student Assistant
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STARKVILLE – Former Diamond Dawg great and member of the #STATEtoTheShow club, Paul Maholm was named as one of five inductees in the 2018 Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame class on Monday (Sept. 10).
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A key member of the 2001-03 MSU baseball squads, Maholm was an All-American in maroon and white before spending 10 seasons with four MLB organizations from 2005-2014.
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Adam Frazier has raised his season batting average to .291 as he continues his hot streak for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over 38 games since his recall to Major League Baseball on July 25, Frazier is batting .350 (43-for-123) with 15 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs for a .993 OPS.
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Hunter Renfroe also continues to see the ball well, as he's hit in 14 of his last 16 games, with 20 total hits in that span for a .308 average. In those 16 games, Renfroe has seven homers and 13 RBIs for the San Diego Padres.
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In Boston on Sunday (Sept. 9), Mitch Moreland played hero as he connected for an opposite-field walk-off single to give the Red Sox their 98th win of the season. The 2018 MLB All-Star has help Boston to the best record in baseball at 98-46, eight games ahead of any other team.
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As the minor league baseball season comes to the close, several former Diamond Dawgs earned awards and honors, and helped their teams make playoff runs.
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Both Brent Rooker and Daniel Brown were named to Arizona Fall League rosters, compiled of six top prospects from each MLB organization. After batting .254 with 22 home runs and a Southern League-leading 79 RBIs for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (Minnesota Twins affiliate), Rooker earned a spot with the Salt River Rafters this fall. Brown pitched in 39 games with a 4.20 ERA for the Single-A Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers affiliate) and was selected to the Peoria Javelinas of the AFL.
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On Tuesday, Zac Houston was named the Detroit Tigers organization Pitcher of the Month. In August, Houston posted a dominant 0.61 ERA over 12 games. In 2018, Houston finished with a 1.63 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 55.1 innings pitched in Triple-A for the Toledo Mud Hens.
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Toledo's season was ended this week by former Bulldog Nate Lowe and the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate). Houston's teammate, and another former Diamond Dawg, Jacob Robson batted .305 in 57 games in Triple-A. Lowe and the Bulls are set to play for the International League title, the Governor's Cup, versus the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders. The winner of will play in the Triple-A National Championship.
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Two of the seven Bulldogs selected in the 2018 MLB Draft are set to face off in the Pioneer League Championship series this week. Hunter Stovall and the Grand Junction Rockies (Colorado Rockies affiliate) will go against Konnor Pilkington and the Great Falls Voyagers (Chicago White Sox affiliate) for the league crown in Single-A.
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Also in Single-A, Jacob Billingsley helped the Tri-City Valley Cats claim the New York-Penn League title last week.
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Arizona Fall League
Daniel Brown - Peoria Javelinas
Brent Rooker - Salt River Rafters
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MLB Pipeline Prospect Rankings
Brent Rooker – No. 5 1B; No. 7 Minnesota Twins organization
Nate Lowe – No. 9 1B; No. 13 Tampa Bay Rays organization
Dakota Hudson – No. 3 St. Louis Cardinals organization; No. 100, Top 100 MLB prospects
Reid Humphreys – No. 14 Colorado Rockies organization
Jacob Robson – No. 17 Detroit Tigers organization
Konnor Pilkington - No. 18 Chicago White Sox organization
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Diamond Dawg Pitchers Playing In MLB
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Diamond Dawg Hitters Playing In MLB
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Diamond Dawg Coaches In Pro Baseball
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The Road To the Show (Hitters)
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The Road To the Show (Pitchers)
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*- on 60-day DL, MLB 40-man rosterÂ
Other Diamond Dawgs In Pro Baseball
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STARKVILLE – Former Diamond Dawg great and member of the #STATEtoTheShow club, Paul Maholm was named as one of five inductees in the 2018 Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame class on Monday (Sept. 10).
Â
A key member of the 2001-03 MSU baseball squads, Maholm was an All-American in maroon and white before spending 10 seasons with four MLB organizations from 2005-2014.
Â
Adam Frazier has raised his season batting average to .291 as he continues his hot streak for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over 38 games since his recall to Major League Baseball on July 25, Frazier is batting .350 (43-for-123) with 15 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs for a .993 OPS.
Â
Hunter Renfroe also continues to see the ball well, as he's hit in 14 of his last 16 games, with 20 total hits in that span for a .308 average. In those 16 games, Renfroe has seven homers and 13 RBIs for the San Diego Padres.
Â
In Boston on Sunday (Sept. 9), Mitch Moreland played hero as he connected for an opposite-field walk-off single to give the Red Sox their 98th win of the season. The 2018 MLB All-Star has help Boston to the best record in baseball at 98-46, eight games ahead of any other team.
Â
As the minor league baseball season comes to the close, several former Diamond Dawgs earned awards and honors, and helped their teams make playoff runs.
Â
Both Brent Rooker and Daniel Brown were named to Arizona Fall League rosters, compiled of six top prospects from each MLB organization. After batting .254 with 22 home runs and a Southern League-leading 79 RBIs for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (Minnesota Twins affiliate), Rooker earned a spot with the Salt River Rafters this fall. Brown pitched in 39 games with a 4.20 ERA for the Single-A Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers affiliate) and was selected to the Peoria Javelinas of the AFL.
Â
On Tuesday, Zac Houston was named the Detroit Tigers organization Pitcher of the Month. In August, Houston posted a dominant 0.61 ERA over 12 games. In 2018, Houston finished with a 1.63 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 55.1 innings pitched in Triple-A for the Toledo Mud Hens.
Â
Toledo's season was ended this week by former Bulldog Nate Lowe and the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate). Houston's teammate, and another former Diamond Dawg, Jacob Robson batted .305 in 57 games in Triple-A. Lowe and the Bulls are set to play for the International League title, the Governor's Cup, versus the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders. The winner of will play in the Triple-A National Championship.
Â
Two of the seven Bulldogs selected in the 2018 MLB Draft are set to face off in the Pioneer League Championship series this week. Hunter Stovall and the Grand Junction Rockies (Colorado Rockies affiliate) will go against Konnor Pilkington and the Great Falls Voyagers (Chicago White Sox affiliate) for the league crown in Single-A.
Â
Also in Single-A, Jacob Billingsley helped the Tri-City Valley Cats claim the New York-Penn League title last week.
Â
Arizona Fall League
Daniel Brown - Peoria Javelinas
Brent Rooker - Salt River Rafters
Â
MLB Pipeline Prospect Rankings
Brent Rooker – No. 5 1B; No. 7 Minnesota Twins organization
Nate Lowe – No. 9 1B; No. 13 Tampa Bay Rays organization
Dakota Hudson – No. 3 St. Louis Cardinals organization; No. 100, Top 100 MLB prospects
Reid Humphreys – No. 14 Colorado Rockies organization
Jacob Robson – No. 17 Detroit Tigers organization
Konnor Pilkington - No. 18 Chicago White Sox organization
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Diamond Dawg Pitchers Playing In MLB
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Diamond Dawg Hitters Playing In MLB
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| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM |
| Adam Frazier   (2011-13) | Pittsburgh | Pirates |
| Mitch Moreland (2005-07) | Boston | Red Sox |
| Hunter Renfroe (2011-13) | San Diego | Padres |
Diamond Dawg Coaches In Pro Baseball
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| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Travis Chapman (1997-00) | New York (AL) | Scranton | AAA |
| Buck Showalter (1977) | Baltimore | Orioles | MLB |
| Chris Maloney (1982-83) | Atlanta | Mississippi Braves | AA |
| Chris Young (2000-02) | Philadelphia | Phillies | MLB |
The Road To the Show (Hitters)
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| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Gavin Collins   (2014-16) | Cleveland | Lynchburg | Class A |
| Ryan Gridley (2015-2017) |
Oakland | Beloit | Class A |
| Jack Kruger      (2016) | Los Angeles (AL) | Mobile | AA |
| Nathaniel Lowe (2016) | Tampa Bay | Durham | AAA |
| Rafael Palmeiro (1983-85) | Cleburne | Railroaders | Indy |
| Jacob Robson (2013-16) |
Detroit | Toledo | AAA |
| Brent Rooker (2014-2017) |
Minnesota | Chattanooga | AA |
| Hunter Stovall (2016-18) | Colorado | Grand Junction | Rookie |
The Road To the Show (Pitchers)
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| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Jacob Billingsley (2014-18) | Houston | Tri-City | A |
| Ben Bracewell (2010-14) | Oakland | Midland | AA |
| Daniel Brown (2015-16) |
Milwaukee | Carolina | A |
| JP France (2018) | Houston | Quad-Cities | A |
| Kendall Graveman (2010-13) | Oakland | Nashville | AAA |
| Zac Houston (2014-16) | Detroit | Toledo | AAA |
| Reid Humphreys (2014-16) | Colorado | Lancaster | A |
| Zach Neff (2018) | Minnesota | Cedar Rapids | A |
| Konnor Pilkington (2016-18) | Chicago (AL) | Great Falls | Rookie |
| Austin Sexton (2014-16) | St. Louis | Palm Beach | A |
*- on 60-day DL, MLB 40-man rosterÂ
Other Diamond Dawgs In Pro Baseball
- Jeff Brantley – Cincinnati Reds Broadcaster
- Will Clark – San Francisco Giants Special Assistant
Players Mentioned
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