Jarrod Dyson’s hometown in Mississippi named a street after him
Kansas City Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson grew up in the smalltown of McComb, Miss and in the wake of him becoming a World Series champion in October, the town has decided to rename a street in his honor.
Mayor Whitney Rawlings first encouraged the town board to consider the change in late November and it has since been approved. Warren Street in McComb will become Dyson Drive. It’s a pretty cool honor for anyone to have a street named after them.
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Dyson has been remarkably effective at stealing bases in the big leagues He has been caught stealing only 23 times in 169 attempts over six seasons. Earlier this winter Royals general manager Dayton Moore said the team is ready to give Dyson a bigger role and that he could be a starter at a corner outfield spot in 2016.
Dyson make $1.7 million in 2016, a $500,000 raise from his 2015 salary, according to a report on the team’s official website. He hit .250 in 200 at-bats in 2015 with 26 stolen bases and 31 runs scored.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Dyson can earn the starting job in the outfield during spring training and the early part of the season. He’s serviceable defensively and his speed is certainly an asset in the batting order when he gets on base. But he is unlikely to be a leadoff man because he is a career .255 hitter who has walked only 100 times in 1,202 plate appearances.
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It would be interesting to see whether Dyson’s numbers change dramatically as an every day player. To this point in his career he has largely come off the bench to pinch run and pinch hit. He’s never had even 300 at-bats in a single season. It’s certainly possible his numbers could improve seeing more pitches on a consistent basis.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
