mining the jucos

Major league scouts don’t sleep on the Mississippi junior colleges. Among the eight state juco products picked in the MLB draft were the 17th overall selection (shortstop Tim Anderson of East Central Community College by the Chicago White Sox) and three players from Northwest Mississippi CC (including second-rounder Cody Reed, a left-hander pegged by Kansas City). Farther down the list was Hinds CC’s Beau Wallace, a corner infielder from Vicksburg. The third Mississippi-connected player picked by Pittsburgh in the first 12 rounds, Wallace could be one to watch if he elects to go pro this summer. He was an NJCAA All-American in 2012, when he batted .387 with three homers and 37 RBIs for a state championship club. His numbers fell a bit in 2013 — as did the Eagles, who failed to make the postseason after being ranked in the top 10 to start the year — and he wound up at .321 with four homers, 33 RBIs and a .533 slugging percentage. ... Also commanding attention is Silento Sayles, the national high school stolen base king from Port Gibson who was drafted 411th overall by Cleveland. Will he sign or go to Chipola (Fla.) Junior College? Signing deadline is July 12. Sayles figures to be a project in pro ball, but you can’t teach his kind of speed. Alcorn State doesn’t have many players drafted, so it was good to see shortstop Angel Rosa go to the Los Angeles Angels in the 13th round. He is reportedly a slick fielder with speed, and he hit .294 this season. P.S. The Mississippi Braves fell out of first place on Saturday when they lost to Pensacola and Mobile beat Tennessee. The M-Braves are a half-game back in the Southern League South with eight to play as they chase their first postseason berth in five years. Also still in the hunt are Jacksonville and Montgomery. It could be a crazy finish. … Former Alcorn star Cory Wimberly, who began this season in the Atlanta Braves’ system, now plays for Pensacola, a Cincinnati affiliate.