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At long last, the Mayor is in the Majors

The SEC's all-time hits leader and the honorary "Mayor of Starkville" is finally getting his shot in the big leagues.
ByAndrew Miller|
June 10, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi St. center fielder Jake Mangum (15) celebrates after scoring to make the score, 6-3, in the ninth inning at the NCAA Super Regional at Hawkins Field. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY NETWORK
June 10, 2018; Nashville, TN, USA; Mississippi St. center fielder Jake Mangum (15) celebrates after scoring to make the score, 6-3, in the ninth inning at the NCAA Super Regional at Hawkins Field. Mandatory Credit: George Walker IV/The Tennessean via USA TODAY NETWORK | George Walker IV-Imagn Images

The 2025 Major League Baseball season is underway, and as always, Mississippi State baseball is well-represented in The Show. Nine former Diamond Dawgs were on Opening Day rosters, and several more find themselves in the Triple-A ranks, simply waiting for the opportunity to get the call-up.

And at long last, one of those Diamond Dawgs who's had to wait the longest in the minor leagues is finally getting a well-deserved and overdue call-up to the big leagues.

Mississippi State baseball legend Jake Mangum called up by Tampa Bay Rays

Saturday morning, Diamond Dawg legend Jake Mangum got called-up by the Tampa Bay Rays according to the official Mississippi State Baseball "X" account. "The Mayor" is finally in The Show. He becomes the 71st Diamond Dawg to play in the majors.

Mangum shined for the Rays in spring ball, but the organization chose to keep him in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls to start the year. However in Tampa Bay's season opener, outfielder Josh Lowe, brother of another former Diamond Dawg and current big-league Nathaniel Lowe, suffered an injury. Mangum was scratched from the Bulls' opening day lineup, signaling that he was finally getting the call-up. Sure enough, he's big league bound.

Jake Mangum is one of the greatest Diamond Dawgs in program history. As a true freshman in 2016, he led Mississippi State and the SEC with a .408 batting average as the Bulldogs would win their first SEC regular season championship since 1989. MSU reached Super Regional play in all four of his seasons, and he led MSU to consecutive College World Series appearances in 2018 and 2019.

As a senior, he would set the program record for single season hits with 108, and he'd become the SEC's all-time hits leader with 383. Mangum was a multi-time All-American and is the only two-time winner of the Ferris Trophy. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.

Mangum would work his way up steadily through the minor league ranks, being traded to the Miami Marlins organization for the 2023 season and then to the Rays organization for 2024. In 2024, he shined in Durham, leading the Bulls with a .317 average and 30 doubles while finishing second in hits (126) and RBI (56).

In spring training this year with the Rays, Mangum made it clear the time had come for him to be called-up. He batted .429 while slugging at .750 with nine RBI in 15 games. Much to the chagrin of Mississippi State fans, the Rays didn't initially believe it was Mangum's time.

But now, he's getting the opportunity, and I'd fully expect him to make the most of it. Tampa Bay is a team that needs to find much more production at the plate, and Jake Mangum does that as well as anyone. He's more than ready for this.

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