Former baseball stars rising in professional ranks

Several former Madison County area baseball stars are making major impacts in professional baseball this year and are leaving their mark on the game.

There are two players from the Madison County area currently on a MLB-level roster, Will Warren and Jake Mangum, who both played at Jackson Prep in their high school days.

Warren is a 25-year-old pitcher for the New York Yankees and Jake Mangum is a 29-year-old outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Mangum and Warren were high school teammates, with Warren graduating in 2017 and Mangum graduating in 2015. However, the two did face off in an April 17th matchup between the Yankees and Rays, which resulted in Mangum hitting a single off of Warren.

Warren is in his second season as a starting pitcher for the Yankees, compiling a 5.19 ERA in 52 innings. He has also earned 69 strikeouts and held hitters to a .246 batting average. 

Mangum is in the midst of his rookie season with the Rays and has put together a very solid campaign thus far. He has hit for a .310 batting average, adding 12 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Mangum also recently hit his first career home run at the MLB level on May 31st against the Houston Astros. 

Former Madison Central pitcher Spencer Turnbull is also worth mentioning, as the former Jaguar baseball star recently signed a $1 million dollar contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He is currently working his way through the minor leagues and is expected to be on the MLB roster for the Blue Jays in the coming weeks. 

Four former Madison County area players were drafted last season and all four are finding success early in their careers.

Former Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin is living up to expectations after being selected ninth overall last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Griffin has hit for a .330 average, adding 33 RBIs, 8 home runs, and 25 stolen bases for the Single-A Bradenton Marauders. 

Madison Central alum Braden Montgomery has looked comfortable so far in his minor league career, despite being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox, after being selected with the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft. Through the Single-A and High-A levels, Montgomery has compiled a .263 average, 39 RBIs, 7 home runs, and 8 stolen bases. 

Finally, two former Madison County natives are teammates for the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Dakota Jordan, who played at Canton Academy and Jackson Academy, and Niko Mazza, who played at MRA, are off to solid starts in their minor league careers.

Jordan was a star at Mississippi State and was selected in the fourth round last year. Jordan has compiled a .286 batting average in his high school career, adding 40 RBIs, 4 home runs, and 19 stolen bases.

Mazza was one of the top pitchers at Southern Miss last year and was selected in the eighth round of last year’s MLB draft. He has been stellar on the mound in his first minor league season, compiling a 1.98 ERA and 38 strikeouts, while holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average.