Jim Jarvis Honored as Gwinnett MVP Ahead of Braves' Wild Card Run
Timing matters in baseball, and Jim Jarvis picked the right moment to earn his stripes. The 25-year-old Alabama alumnus was named the Gwinnett Stripers' organizational MVP by Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate — an honor announced Monday, just before the Braves opened their NL Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jarvis didn't just ride the bench at Triple-A this season. The shortstop earned MLB cup-of-coffee time with Atlanta itself while the big-league club worked through instability at the shortstop position, making this recognition something more than a minor-league participation trophy. It caps a breakout year for a prospect who is now firmly on the radar as a depth piece with real organizational standing.
The timing — a club-wide honor bestowed on the eve of postseason play — underscores where Jarvis sits in the organization's pecking order. With Atlanta chasing October glory, the Braves thought enough of his season to spotlight him in the same breath as playoff preparations. For a former Crimson Tide infielder now navigating the upper rungs of one of baseball's marquee organizations, that's meaningful signal.
Elly De La Cruz Puts Up Historic Numbers in Cincinnati
The bigger Alabama name in the sport right now is doing things in Cincinnati that franchise history has rarely seen. Elly De La Cruz — the generational Reds shortstop — joined the 30/30 club during a Friday game in Toronto, becoming just the fourth player in Reds history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a single season. He's also only the second shortstop in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
The milestone drew praise from across the league, including Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who raved about De La Cruz amid ongoing speculation about his long-term future in Cincinnati. The Reds, meanwhile, reached a $7.9 million arbitration verdict with their star, keeping him locked in for now — though agent Scott Boras's presence in De La Cruz's corner suggests any long-term extension talk in Cincinnati will be an uphill climb.
For Alabama fans tracking the professional pipeline, De La Cruz is the program's most dazzling current export: a player making franchise history in one city while drawing the attention of championship-caliber clubs in another.
Dylan Smith Toes the Slab for San Francisco
On the pitching side, Dylan Smith made a brief appearance for the Giants on September 27 in a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers, working one inning and striking out one batter. Smith finished the outing with a 3.86 ERA — serviceable work for a young arm still carving out his role in San Francisco's rotation picture.
Three Alabama alumni, three distinct stories: a prospect cresting into organizational significance, a superstar rewriting franchise record books, and a young arm logging innings at the game's highest level. The Crimson Tide's MLB footprint is real — and this week, it showed up in a playoff city, a 30/30 leaderboard, and a San Francisco box score all at once.
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