Friday, March 4, 2011

Prep baseball: Milledge on the comeback trail



(photo by Ron Vesely, Getty Images, and used on ESPN.com)

Does that freshly-trimmed guy look familiar?
It's Palmetto native and Lakewood Ranch graduate Lastings Milledge, one of the player's mentioned in this column by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
Crasnick lumps Milledge in with Jeff Francoeur and Jeremy Hermida as a once highly-touted prospect looking for a road back to the big leagues. Milledge, who spent all of last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is in Arizona trying to win a job with the Chicago White Sox.
Despite getting into a brawl this winer while playing in the Venezuelan league, Milledge, according to the story, has taken some steps forward, and is lockering next to veteran outfielder Juan Pierre.
White Sox DH Adam Dunn, who also played with Millege in Washington, told Crasnick that Milledge is unlike his reputation.
"He's great," Dunn said. "But baseball is a game of reputations. Once you get one, you can't get rid of it. It's unfair, but that's how it is. He's not what you would expect or how you'd think he would be. Plus, he's just a little pup still."
The good news is if Milledge does latch on with the White Sox, he will get to have a homecoming of sorts when Chicago visits the Tampa Bay Rays for a four-game series beginning Monday, April 18.

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