The Durham Bulls in 2012 — The Hitters: Part 2

In addition to the 12 ballplayers profiled in our last post, 20 other ballplayers came to bat for the Durham Bulls in 2012. Players are listed in order of number of games played. The “slash line” is Batting Average/On-Base Percentage/Slugging. An asterisk after a player’s name indicates he bats left-handed, a # sign indicates he is a switch hitter. Basic 2012 Bulls stats are here and here.

Short-Timers

Will Rhymes* (29) played in 46 games (194 times at the plate) in his two stretches with the Bulls. He was mostly at second base.

• Decent, but not particularly helpful hitting numbers, .256/.326/.361 with 21 RBI, an OK wOBA of .320 and a slightly negative wRAA of -0.9. Rhymes was an infielder-in-waiting all year for the Rays as they moved folks on and off the disabled list. Mostly Rhymes stayed with the Rays. However, the Rays dumped him off the 40-man at the end of the Bulls season, when the Rays designated him for assignment. I was mildly surprised to see him pass through waivers.
• Will the Rays want Rhymes back next year? A larger question might be, does Rhymes want to come back? Hard to tell. My guess is that everything will depend on how the Rays are looking at their future infield. 
• Stats

Juan Miranda* (29) started the season with the Bulls, then was moved on in early June. He was in 44 games (176 PA) primarily at first base.

• Miranda is one of the poster children for the Rays not treating the Bulls right this year. Signed at the last minute, he stuck with Rays through spring training then was assigned to the Bulls. He went 0-5 with three strikeouts on opening day back in April. He stayed until June when he was released to make room for Brandon Allen (see below). 
• His numbers: .187/.307/.273 with only 8 RBI. His wOBA was .279 and his wRAA was -6.3.
• Stats

Nevin Ashley (27) was one of the Bulls I was looking forward to watching this year. But he broke his hand in April and didn’t make it back until late July. He got into 35 games with 130 plate appearances.

• We are getting into small sample size issues here, take everything hereafter with a grain of salt. Decent numbers. Slash line: .245/.357/.455 with 13 RBI. His wOBA was a decent .363 and his wRAA was 3.8.
• If anyone didn’t think that catching was a tough job, they should look at what happened to the Rays this year. At least Mr. Ashley got back into a lineup. Robinson Chirinos spent the entire year on the DL.
• Stats.

Kyle Hudson* (25) was traded to the Phillies system for Rich Thompson. He started the season with the Bulls and played in 31 games (133 PA).

• As a Bull he had some decent numbers, .291/.378/.318, wOBA .327, wRAA 0.2. However, the rest of the year got pretty ugly for him as an Iron Pig with a wOBA of 281 and wRAA of -11.5. 
• Stats.

Brandon Allen* (26) was the last of the collection of late signers that showed up in Durham (following Feliciano, Salazar, Mangini, and Miranda). He played in 29 games (129 plate appearances) after being sent down by the Rays.

• His numbers are OK. Again, please note we are venturing well into small sample size territory here. His .263/.295/.451, 14 RBI, wOBA of .327,  and wRAA of .2 reflect end of tenure improvement, because his start wasn’t very good.
• Allen was off to play in Japan in late July.
• Stats.

Early, Late, and Mid-Season

Brandon Guyer (26) is a terrific young ballplayer who started the season with the Bulls (22 games), got called up, messed up his shoulder, and was on the disabled list for the rest of the year. Maybe in 2013.

Brooks Conrad (32) was a mid-season hire by the Rays who finished the season with the Bulls (25 games. He was very helpful at the end. Not likely to be back.

Hideki Matsui* (38) was one of the odder moments in Bulls history. He was signed by the Rays and sent to the Bulls to get in condition. He played in 13 games and apparently helped the Bulls out quite a bit on the financial side. Otherwise, his numbers were pitiful, .170/.231/.444. For a while it was fun having him around. But also a little sad.

Rehabbers

Evan Longoria, Jeff Keppinger, Sam Fuld, Jose Lobaton, Desmond Jennings, Luke Scott, and Matt Joyce all had rehab assignments. Other than having the opportunity to see the big leaguers on the field, an unfortunate reality of minor league baseball is that these fellows aren’t much help to the team. As a group they played in 31 games, had 125 plate appearances, and only managed 8 hits (.198) with a grand total of 8 RBI, half of those on Luke Scott’s two home runs.

Oddities

Catcher Craig Albernaz (29) was essentially with the Bulls all year, but only saw action in 23 games, 6 of those as a pitcher in the waning innings of a losing game.

Catcher Mayo Acosta (24) came up from Montgomery to lend a hand for a couple of games (9) in May. He had a decent year overall. Very good chance that he will be in a Bulls uniform at some time next year.

Infielder Sean Rodriguez (27) was sent down for two games at the end of the Bulls season in some roster maneuvering by the Rays. He won a game for the Bulls with a home run, then broke his hand in some sort of locker room incident.

Latecomers

At the very end of the season two players were jumped all the way up from the Charlotte Stone Crabs played a couple of games, then went on to help Montgomery in their playoffs.

Kevin Kiermaier* (22) played in four games and was the one and only young outfielder to play for the Durham Bulls in 2012. At a guess he’ll be playing in Montgomery next year.

Robby Price* (24) is an infielder who played only in the last two games that were played in Charlotte. He went 3 for 6 in a promising start.

Deeefense!

Season: 62-72; Home Stand: 3-3; Bulls v. Tides: 9-7

Home Games Remaining: 5; Wild Card

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Harold Gutman at the Herald-Sun link has the big story: five double plays, three of them started by third baseman Cole Figueroa, kept Norfolk away from home plate last night (well, a nifty play by Reid Brignac that caught a base runner trying to get home in the 1st helped as well). Meanwhile, two of the Bulls four catchers made up most of the offense. That is, Chris Gimenez hit a sac fly and Nevin Ashley hit a home run.

Decent pitching helped, but Paduch, Reid, De Los Santos, and Gomes did give up 11 hits. On the other hand, all but one of them was a single, and then there were those double plays and the caught stealing. The result was that the Bulls were outhit for the second game in a row yet won both games. Has to be frustrating for the Tides who are trying to stay in the wild card run. They are now 3½ back, so it does not look good for them.

The Bulls go against the Tides again tonight for the third game in a row, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again before wrapping up a two-game each home and away with Charlotte. We are really going to get to know the Norfolk players.

Outside the game —

• Charlie Montoyo gets a profile in, get this, the Paris Review! Holy George Plimpton! Nice piece by sometime Indy Week contributor Sam Stephenson.
• Rays Colored Glasses thinks that Reid Brignac can help the Rays in the last month of the season.
• Rays Prospects takes a look at pitching. Stats guys delight.
• Remember Darnell McDonald? If not as a Durham Bull in 2005-6, how about as a Redwing or Clipper or Bat or Red Sox or Yankee, all in the IL? Or a couple of solid stints with the Red Sox, Reds, and Toronto? At any rate, he’s now with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and has his own thoughts on the Red Sox locker room rumblings. (Thanks to Pawtucket blogger Jenks for the hint)

Bang! Bang!

Season: 57-63; Home Stand: 5-3; Bulls v. Clippers: 2-2

Home Games Left: 11; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

The Bulls had some fun last night. Good idea before this morning's early wakeup and trip to Toledo, Ohio.

Everyone got a hit and almost everyone scored a run in the biggest game the Bulls have had in a long time. Notable was Chris Gimenez’s two home runs (5 RBI), Brooks Conrad's homer announcing his return to the lineup, a Henry Wrigley homer, and Nevin Ashley returning to the lineup with a triple. Speaking of triples, Rich Thompson had his 7th on the year. Thompson just gets on base a lot and with his speed, if he gets a chance he’ll get to third base.

It was a nice end to a pretty good home stand, 5-3. Matt Torra gave up his usual home run(s), but both with no runners on base and they made little difference. Certainly not with the kind of run support he was being given.

Outside the Game —

• Henry Wrigley and Alex Colome were named the Rays Minor Leaguers of the Month for July. Congratulations!
• What would happen if a pitcher could throw the ball really, really hard? You wouldn’t want to be at bat (or be the pitcher for that matter).
• A look at the hitters in the Rays system is over at Rays Prospects. Cole Figueroa, Henry Wrigley, and Nevin Ashley show up fairly well except on the “speed” metric (but we knew that).

Matchup: The Toledo Mud Hens

The Bulls split a 4-game home series with the second-most famous team in minor league baseball, the Toledo Mud Hens, in the middle of June. They are not having a good year, even worse than the Bulls.

Two 1-0 Shutouts in a Row!

Season: 53-60; Home Stand: 1-0; Bulls v. Braves: 8-8; 

Home Games Left: 18

Standings, Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

For the first time this year, Bulls pitching put together two shutouts in a row. Congrats!

Somewhat similar to last Tuesday, the offensive side was small ball writ large: Nevin Ashley drew a walk, went to third on a Rich Thompson single, and scored when new guy Brooks Conrad hit into a double play. That was enough.

In the meantime, Chris Archer had his best game of the year. Six scoreless innings, no walks, one hit batter (to my eye the batter came out of the batter’s box and back in the dark ages of baseball would not have been called as a hit by pitch … but he (Jose Constanza) really was hurt by Archer’s fastball and had to leave the game), and 3 Ks. Tight control. MiLB story here.

His Braves counterpart, Yohan Flande is a pitcher who sometimes the Bulls get to and sometimes he gets to them. This time he got to them, mostly, even if he did take the loss.

The other big story was that the scoreboard got fixed and we had lights for balls, strikes, outs, hits, and errors. Don’t know about the Bull. The last time a Bulls batter hit a home run was on July 26 down in Gwinnett’s home park. Home runs are not a Bulls thing this year. So we may not find out for a while.

Well, maybe there is another big story. Former Bull (briefly) Evan Longoria was back in town and helped explain the 8,000 plus who came to a Thursday night game. They got to see him hit a single, draw a walk, and strike out twice. As much fun as it is to have him here, from a pure Bulls fan point of view the problem is that when he does get his eye back, he will be outa here. Nevertheless, the Herald-Sun and N&O write-ups are good reads. 

Outside the game —

• According to both the Herald-Sun and Indy Week, Will Rhymes has been called up to Tampa Bay.
• Last night probably wasn’t new guy Brooks Conrad’s first time in the DBAP. He played 110 games with Gwinnett back in 2009.
• A circus act, the Russian Bar Trio, performed between innings, and drove the cynic out of me. They really were fun to watch. Wonder how they get the bar into their carry-on luggage? Couple of good videos at their website.

Four Pitcher Shut Out

Adam Liberatore

Season: 48-56; Home Stand: 5-3; Bulls v. Red Wings: 6-2; Standings
Home Stands Remaining: 3; Home Games Remaining: 19
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

This was one of the most fun-to-watch Bulls games of the year. Were there mistakes? You bet. But there were also a couple of brilliant defensive plays, decent pitching, a timely home run by a fellow just back to the team, and a win against one of the best pitchers in minor leagues. Just plain fun.  Oh, and the Bull is partially back in service.

After starter Matt Torra called in sick, Charlie Montoyo had to go with an all-reliever approach to the game. He kept with his disciplined approach to his lineup, however, sitting out Reid Brignac, Brandon Allen, Leslie Anderson, and Sam Fuld (or maybe Fuld’s gone back to Tampa Bay).

First of all, of course, was the obligatory rain delay, this time just half an hour. The tarp crew has earned they pay this week. Ooops! They don’t get paid for pulling the tarp? How fair is that?

Montoyo started with Ryan Reid, who’d done a 20-pitch inning on Sunday night. Reid gave up two doubles and a walk, but they all ended up standing on the bases. Meanwhile back-to-back doubles by Tim Beckham and Jesus Feliciano in the 2nd inning put the Bulls up 1-0. Nevin Ashley, starting as catcher with catcher Chris Gimenez in left field and catcher Stephen Vogt at first base, had his first at bat as a Bull since April 27th in the bottom of the 2nd. He flew out to left, but it was great to see him back in the game.

For the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings it was Josh Lueke’s turn. He got past a few messy moments, including his own throwing error in the 4th (where Ashley backed up first base and ran the loose ball down almost to the bullpen — I said it was a fun game to watch). He struck out four and stranded one more. He was also supported by a spectacular running, diving stretched-out catch by Rich Thompson in right for the second out in the 5th. Beautiful, beautiful play. Meanwhile Rochester’s Liam Hendriks was showing his stuff, including two strike outs looking to end the 5th.

New guy Adam Liberatore came out for the 6th and 7th and had an ugly stretch after giving up a leadoff single followed by a K. He threw seven straight balls before putting strike across and then getting the second out on a liner to centerfield and then a K with runners on second and third. He didn’t have any problems in the 7th at all. Meanwhile in the Bulls 6th Henry Wrigley drew a walk in the 7th, moved to third on a Vogt double and came home on a wild pitch. Vogt moved to third on that same wild pitch and came home on what should have been a sac fly by Cole Figueroa, but the ump blew the call. The baseball gods made it right in the 7th when Nevin Ashley hit a two-run home run off the Rochester reliever.

The 8th and 9th were Dane De La Rosa’s turn and, although he made it exciting, we fans were rewarded with a spectacular Rhymes to Beckham to Vogt double play to end the game. Beckham seemed to leap straight up into the air to avoid the incoming baserunner while making a perfect throw to first. Pretty, pretty, pretty.

OK, this year’s Bulls may not be the best team in the league, but every now and then we get to see an exciting game. That’s why we go, isn’t it?

Outside the game —

• The Bull was smokin’ but he wasn’t blinkin’. Guess it takes some special circuitry to make the lights work (or maybe special bulbs?)
• The story on the grass is, essentially, what would you do if it was 105° for a couple of days in a row? And you just had to lie there and take it? You’d turn brown and die wouldn’t you? All to be made well while the Bulls are on their trek to Lawrenceville and Norfolk.
• Rays Index does some interesting number-crunching regarding the Ichiro trade. Did the Yankees just waste a couple million more dollars? Will anyone notice?

Split

Season: 47-56; Home Stand: 4-3; Bulls v. Red Wings: 5-2; Standings

Box (102), Box (103), Wrap, Indy Week

First, let me admit that I watched the first game at the DBAP and the second on TV at home, so I missed some of the pain and fun of yesterday’s games.

Jim Paduch pitched pretty well in the opener, the home run to Clete Thomas being his only big mistake. The rest of the runs were gifts to the Red Wings by the Bulls infield.

Sam Fuld looks ready to play the outfield for Tampa Bay, even if his bat and running shoes may not be. He handled a lot of plays in right field in game one, at least six outs and two singles in front of him. He made a terrific throw in the 4th to stop a Red Wing from stretching a single. At bat in his time with the Bulls so far he’s only gone 3 for 18 with a double, 3 walks, 3 Ks, and was thrown out in his one steal attempt. At .167 he’s done better that some rehabbers who’ve come through this year (Lobaton, Joyce), is tied with Jennings, and lags Longoria’s 1 for 5. If he plays tonight, it could be his last game with the Bulls.

A very scary moment came in the 5th when Stephen Vogt chased a foul ball into the brick wall near the Bulls dugout. Could not tell if he’d hit his head or his shoulder, but pleased that he was able to stay in the game. Did note that Nevin Ashley started to put on the gear for a few minutes there and Ashley was seen trotting down to the bullpen in Game 2.

Chris Archer looked terrific in his first inning of Game 2, OK in his second, and a little shaky in his third. I hope the trade rumors are wrong. I’d really like to see him back on form and able to really get into a game for the Bulls. Undoubtedly the best pitcher the Bulls have, when they have him.

Rich Thompson’s talent is rattling the opposition with great baserunning. He did that to win the second game. Bunt single, stolen base, perfect tag-evading slide into home on a Henry Wrigley single to win the game. Just terrific.

Just up from Montgomery Biscuits reliever Adam Liberatore made a one batter/two-pitch/blown save appearance. That goes with his four batter/thirteen pitch appearance back on April 14th. He remains the leading candidate for the 2012 WDBB Moonlight Graham Award for pitchers.

Outside the game —

• Brandon Gomes has been optioned back. Former Bull Matt Moore went a bunch of innings in yesterday’s loss to the Mariners, so he was not needed. Guess it made the folks down there feel better having him on the bench. No telling how Gomes feels about his 1,400 mile trek.
• Indy Week writer Adam Sobsey has been optioned back as well. He returns with an assessment of the 2012 Durham Bulls up at the Indy Week link. A bit of tough love there.
• As most probably know, the Bull (and the scoreboard) took a lightning strike the other day. Hence the quiet response to Anderson’s and Vogt’s home runs yesterday. Repair parts are being Fedex’d to the DBAP. Repairs done by tonight? Maybe. In the meantime, let me repeat my appreciation to the scoreboard guys for figuring out how to keep us informed regarding balls and strikes. Now if they could just help me out with the illegible uniform numbers … (yeah, I know I’m old, but when Jesus Feliciano (23) made it to first I was hard-pressed to tell the difference between his uniform number and Charlie Montoyo’s (25)). Those jerseys do look comfortable though, I just don’t have the $95 it’d take to buy one with my name and an illegible number on it.
• Just in: Jeff Manship, the Red Wings pitcher who got the win against the Bulls in the opening game, has been named IL pitcher of the week.

Even More Roster Stuff

You are probably as tired/confused as I am, but as the infomercial says, "Wait, there's more!"

Nevin Ashley (Remember him? Catcher? Played in a couple of games at the beginning of the season) is off the disabled list and due back. Tonight? Don't know.

Reliever Romulo Sanchez has been placed on the disabled list

Pitcher Adam Liberatore has been called up to the Bulls from Montogomery (We've saw him early in season.

Infielder Shawn O'Malley has been sent to Montgomery (Too bad. I like Mr. O'Malley. He'll be back someday).

That's six, count 'em, six roster transaction affecting the Bulls today, and that doesn't count Mangini and Albernaz or what may happen if the Rays' Alex Cobb isn't able to make his next start.

Ashley to Disabled List; Albernaz Promoted

I could not bring myself to write about last night’s disaster. I’ll put up the basic links later on.

Those of you who were at the game saw Nevin Ashley in severe pain when he was hit on his throwing hand by a deflected pitch in the 3rd inning. That was what led to that extraordinary bit of lineup shuffling: Left fielder Stephen Vogt ran in to put on his catching gear, second baseman Sean O’Malley ran out to left field, third baseman Will Rhymes jogged over to second base, and Matt Mangini off the bench to third base.

It turns out that the injury to Ashely’s hand is serious and he’s been place on the disabled list.

Catcher Craig Albernaz has been “promoted" from Hudson Valley. That is, he's taken off the windshirt he's been wearing and can now appear in a full Durham Bulls uniform. Welcome back, Craig. Sorry about the circumstances.

The Bulls have no depth whatever left on their bench since all of the players there are nursing an injury of one sort or another.

One More Chart: wOBA

I left this out this morning because it seemed too early in the season. But what the heck, the numbers are there.

Weighted On Base Average (wOBA) is one of those nifty sabermetrics stats that have been around for several years now. What’s important about wOBA is that it puts into one number for just about everything a batter does.

Here’s a good description of the formula I used and a good background article from some years ago.

click on chart for larger view

Just what do those numbers mean? Well, I’m afraid that the news isn’t good. This table from Fangraphs is one way to look at them. Going by the table the only even average hitters we’ve got this year, so far, are Leslie Anderson and Nevin Ashley. That surely will change and this is a very early look.

First Impressions — Part 3 — Position Players

This collection of twelve mostly very experienced ballplayers should serve the Bulls well this year. Defensively they look very good. Base running speed and power? Maybe a problem. We’ll see.

The only players with a lot of time with the Bulls last year are Leslie Anderson (121 games) and Brandon Guyer (107 games). Nevin Ashley got in 32 games last year as one of six different catchers who played with the Bulls in 2011. Top prospect Tim Beckham came up in August and got in 24 games at SS. He played some second base in spring training, so we might see him there. He was usually the leadoff hitter. Comments on their play last year is here.

That leaves eight guys new to a Durham Bulls roster. However, only Shawn O’Malley is new to AAA baseball. Brandon Guyer is the only position player on the 40-man.

The depth of major league experience is substantial. Nine of the 12 players on the Bulls has at least some major league  time. Only Leslie Anderson, Shawn O’Malley, and Nevin Ashley do not.

Is there a concern? Well, yes. With the exception of Kyle Hudson (26 stolen bases in 2011), none of them has shown anything special in terms of base running speed, although Guyer did steal 16 over 107 games last year.

We also have to worry how many are on “opt-out” contracts. An opt-out contract allows a player to leave the team at a specified time if certain conditions haven’t been met (promotion to the active roster or at least the 40-man roster, for example).

On the other hand, I have to say that the defensive “diamond”, catcher, SS, 2B, CF looks very good with two solid catchers, three above average middle infielders (Beckham, Rhymes and O’Malley), and Guyer in CF.

For a change the infield corners look promising with Mangini and Miranda in place. That’s the first time in many years I’ve been able to say that.

Is there some bat pop missing? I’m not sure. Maybe.

For those who’d like to chase the stats on the new guys, here’s some links:

• Catcher Chris Gimenez (28): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Matt Mangini (25): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Juan Miranda (28): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Will Rhymes (29): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Jesus Feliciano (31): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Kyle Hudson (24): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Jeff Salazar (29): Major, Minors

Probable Durham Bulls

## 24 Days ##

As reported in Rays Index, Pitchers Alex Cobb, Alex Torres, Chris Archer, and Ricky Orta; catchers Nevin Ashley and Mark Thomas; and 1B Juan Miranda have been sent to minor league camp. My guess is that all except Mark Thomas will be on the Bulls roster come April 5.

Cork Gaines has also updated his spring playing time chart and speculates that while Chirinos and Vogt should be headed for the Bulls, Brandon Guyer has a shot at staying with the Rays.

Hemstitching: Four Bulls (maybe), Ruggiano, Kinas, and More

Justin Ruggiano at the DAP

** 71 Days **

• The Rays recently signed four players to minor league contracts, most of whom have experience in Durham, if not always with the Bulls. 
• Will Rhymes has put in a lot of time with Detroit’s AAA team, the Toledo Mud Hens, the last three years (so he’s probably played at the DBAP). Looks to be a solid 2B. Signed to a minor league contract, probably with an invitation to spring training, you’ve got to think he’s on the hunt for the Rays 2B slot. Good possibility to end up with the Bulls this year. He sounds happy.  Stats.
• Jesus Feliciano, an outfielder, spent most of last year with the Mets’ AAA team, Buffalo. An outfielder, at 32 he might bring some maturity and depth to the Bulls. Trivia: He was in the Devil Rays system back in 2004. Stats.
• RHP Romulo Sanchez is 27 and has some time with Indianapolis and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so he’s likely to have visited the DBAP as well. He spent 2011 in Japan, so we’ll have to wait and see how he comes out of spring training. Stats.
• Then there’s Matt Torra, whom we know and like from his time with us last year. Glad to have him back.
• Durham Bulls stalwart, Justin Ruggiano, has been designated for assignment. He doesn’t sound too happy about it. Can’t say that I blame him. He spent a good bit of time in Durham last year, but my bet is that if he isn’t picked up on waivers he’ll try free agency. 
• The Bulls have hired well-known local broadcaster Patrick Kinas to fill Neil Solondz's slot as the “voice” of the Bulls. Thirteen seasons in Double-A. Time to get called up. See commentary at a recent post on this blog.
• Catcher Nevin Ashley cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Durham. Good news.
• Dirk Hayhurst, possibly channeling his inner yoda, is offering advice to minor leaguers (here and here) as spring training approaches. His new book, Out of My League, is on the cusp of being published. However, as I recall, that was what he was saying when he showed up here last spring.
• For the stats geeks among you, here is the godfather, Bill James, speaking out on the subject of great pitchers duels.

Hemstitching: DJ, EJ, Aging Hitters, and Ashley

In the weaver’s world the word hemstitching is used for two purposes: to tie up loose ends (literally, because an “end” is a thread in a warp) and for decoration.

• Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune did an interesting piece on Dan Johnson, with a nice photo accompanying it. For the first time in the years of running this blog, however, a paper refused permission to reproduce a photo, so you will have to click the link to see it. For Bulls fans who have been following Dan a long time there’s two new bits of info (new to me anyhow). First, he and his wife Holly have a new baby girl (congrats!). Second, he was playing with an injury essentially all of 2011 (he was hit by a pitch on April 15 and never quite recovered). He’s looking for work. Here’s hoping he finds it and does well. He’s brought Bulls fans a lot of pleasure over the years. [Thanks for the tip on this one, DRR]
• I don’t quite know what to make of Adam Sobsey’s adaptingT. S. Elliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock to celebrate (?) former Bull Elliot Johnson’s failure to lay down a bunt. Baseball certainly attracts the literati, but I simply can’t figure out if Sobsey is mocking Johnson, trying to make some obscure point about the difficulty of being a low-roster guy, or just showing off. Seems a bit invasive of EJ’s space to me. But then in my day it was our affectation to scorn expatriate T.S. Elliot in favor of the “new guys” like Alan Ginsberg, Gregory Curso, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, so I probably never quite got the point of Prufrock either.
• And then there’s the chart above copied from fangraphs. Fascinating bit of statistical analysis that seems to show that hitters mature even earlier than may be usually thought. [And thanks to DRaysBay for the hint on this item]
• Lastly, Bulls catcher Nevin Ashley has been "designated for assignment" to take him off the Rays' 40-man roster. We'll have to see if he passes through waivers.

Winter Ball

How do you measure real baseball fanaticism? Well, maybe take a look at Jim Donten’s work over at Rays Prospects He is diligently tracking down once and future Rays who are playing elsewhere this Fall and Winter. As each league opens up, he posts a list of players he's found on the rosters. Then he’s been doing daily updates. That's real dedication and we thank him for it.

Players of immediate interest to WDBB:

Arizona Fall League (Surprise Saguaros)

• SS Tim Beckham
• RHP Marquis Fleming

Venezuelan Winter League

• C Robinson Chirinos (Navegantes del Magallanes) (Note: Robinson has reportedly broken a wrist)
• C Jose Lobaton (Leones de Caracas)
• IF Daniel Mayora (Leones de Caracas)
• LHP Alex Torres (Aguilas de Zulia)
• C Stephen Vogt (Leones de Caracas)
• IF Ray Olmedo (Tiburones de la Guaira)
• RHP Rob Delaney (Bravos de Margarita)

Dominican Winter League

• RHP Richard De Los Santos (Estrellas de Oriente) (Happy to see him pitching after last year’s troubles)
• IF Omar Luna (Aguilas Cibaenas)
• C Nevin Ashley (Gigantes del Cibao)
• IF Elliot Johnson (Gigantes de Cibao) (Note: Why would he he playing winter ball? Caribbean vacation?

Keep an eye on Rays Prospects (maybe add the RSS feed) to keep up).

Another ex-Bull to keep an eye on this winter:

Jon Weber is playing for Venados dos Mazatlan, as he has for several winters. Turns out that the 33-year old Weber returned to professional baseball with the Indy League Winnepeg Goldeyes last summer and had a decent year.

Update, 18 Oct: Rob Delaney in Venezuela (Thanks, Anon!)

The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Hitters: Part II

The new guys, the rehabbers, and the visitors

John Matulia (24) has been playing professional baseball since he was 18 years old. When he came to the Bulls in July, it was his first time in AAA. He was up and down a couple of times in July as the Bulls' roster seemed to turn over almost every day. Eventually he stuck in Durham by early August.

• Played in 36 games (134 PA). Mostly he took over for Desmond Jennings/Brandon Guyer/Justin Ruggiano in center field (29 starts there). Not strong numbers — .238/.278/.429, wOBA .290, and they were about the same as he was showing in Montgomery. He hit 5 home runs and got 16 RBI. His speed got him 2 triples.
• At the end of the season John was one of the few Durham Bulls showing any speed in the field or on the bases, so he was needed. But even as a youngster, he needs a really good year to keep moving up. Not sure he will be back next year.
• Stats

Nevin Ashley (26) also came up from Montgomery in mid-July after Bulls catcher Jose Lobaton got called up, got hurt, then Bulls catcher Robinson Chirinos got called up to St. Pete. This was his sixth year as a pro. He had a couple of games with the Bulls in 2010 and is on the Rays 40-man.

• Played in 32 games (112 PA) mostly as a catcher (1 DH appearance). One of six different catchers who played for Durham this year, he had almost as many games as Jose Lobaton (38) by end of the season. Not very good offensive stats — .218/.273/.307, wOBA .256. However, 10 of the 21 guys who tried to steal on him got caught.
• A fan really can't judge a catcher's game-calling skills from the stands, but it looks like Ashley has a home in the Rays' system if he can get his hitting stats up.
• Stats

Stephen Vogt (26) came up from the Biscuits at the end of July and a more versatile player I haven't seen in a very long while. This was his fifth year in pro ball and first time in AAA.

• Played in 31 games (131 PA) at catcher (5 games), 1B (5 games), outfield (10), and DH (11). Good, strong, left handed bat — .290/.305/.516, wOBA .351.
• Seems like the Bulls have always had at least one strong left-handed bat in the line-up. Vogt may be that guy for 2012.
• Stats

Tim Beckham (21) joined the Bulls in early August, the last of the Biscuit call-ups on the year. In his fourth year as a pro. It was his first time at AAA.

• Played in 24 games (111 PA) all at shortstop and, I think, all as the leadoff batter in the lineup. Stats were OK — .255/.282/.462, wOBA .310, but they will need to improve as he moves up.
• Does he look like a superstar? No. Does he look like a good, solid middle infielder? Yes.
• Stats

Matt Carson (29) was signed out of the Oakland system at the beginning of August to fill in some big holes in the Bulls' outfield. Although he was briefly injured he helped keep the Bulls on track to win the South Division title.

• Played in 22 games (95 PA) all in the outfield. Good power — .250/.337/.512, wOBA .354.
• A long-time AAA ballplayer, hard to tell if he will be back. At a guess, probably more a matter of clubhouse "fit" than anything else. Heck of an arm.
• Stats

* * * * * 

The Bulls had a few players down from the Rays on rehab assignments. Shortstop Reid Brignac was in town for 11 games, catcher John Jaso for 6 games, Elliot Johnson was back for just 2 (both on the road), and Justin Ruggiano put in 6 of his games while on rehab.

* * * * *

Lastly, three players that don't really fit into any category.

Craig Albernaz (28) was present with the Bulls almost the entire season, not going down to the Montgomery Biscuits until the end of July when Nevin Ashley came up. But he rarely got into a game as he was mostly confined to a bullpen role. From the stands he appeared to be a vital part of the team, his good spirits infectious even at a distance.

• Played in 8 games (25 PA). Pitched in 4 innings in 3 games. Back in Montgomery at the end of the season he got in 29 games catching, an inning pitching, and a game at 2B (!).
• Obviously, we like Craig. Would be happy to see him in a Bulls uniform again.
• Stats

Casey Kotchman (28), the Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman, actually started the year on a minor league contract with the Durham Bulls. That's going to be a trivia question some day. However, the Bulls' season started a week after the Rays' season, which allowed enough time for the Manny Ramirez fiasco to start playing out. Played in 1 game (5 PA), single and a walk, and was called up to the Rays.

John Shelby (25), got in one game (3 PA) with the Bulls in late July and then went back to the Biscuits. We might see him next year.

What's Next?

How are we going to get through the winter?

First, if you want the 2011 South Division Champions T-shirt you need to check with the DBAP store, because they only had a few printed up. Not sure how many, if any, are left.

Then we can speculate on who might get called up to the Rays. Rays Index is reporting a statement by Joe Maddon that one or two Bulls might be called up right away, mentioning, tongue in cheek I am sure, Dan Johnson and Matt Bush. The Tampa Tribune blogger Roger Mooney also mentions Matt Moore as a possible call-up.

After that, we might watch a couple of Rays games, assuming the local TV folks deign to put them on the air.

About call-ups:

Current Durham Bulls on the Tampa Bay 40-man roster are: Pitchers Chris Archer, Jay Buente, Matt Bush, Dane De La Rosa, Rob Delaney, Mike Ekstrom, and Alex Torres; Catchers Robinson Chirinos and Nevin Ashley.

Not on this list are a couple of well-regarded Bulls, notably Russ Canzler and Matt Moore (and the third Matt, Matt Torra). If the Rays want to call them up (or anyone else on the Bulls roster) then they’ve got to do a bit of roster manipulation — something they are more than capable of doing.

Here are a couple of guesses. The Rays are going to want to divide up these guys into players they want to look at right now and players they are willing to wait until spring to look at. I see a big decision coming up regarding Alex Torres and a lesser decision regarding Mike Ekstrom, so take another look at them. All but Chris Archer on this list got a “taste” this year, so maybe give him a look.

Who could actually help them? For that they might want to give Jay Buente a real test before putting him back on waivers. Robinson Chirinos has already been up and Jose Lobaton reportedly tweaked his knee again, so look for him to go up. Russ Canzler might be a good guy to give a look, because he will surely be a solid candidate for a different team if he goes back into minor league free agency.

Again, please remember that the possibility that I don’t really understand the business of baseball is very high. I could easily be very, very wrong. Notably, I don't understand the "Rule 5 Draft" rules at all and there could be someone in the system the Rays need to look at before exposing them to that process.

See also other folks' comments over here.

Last note: I loved this year's fan appreciation video until I realized it was missing something — Baseball!

6000!

Game 108, August 1, Knights Stadium, Fort Mill, South Carolina
Durham Bulls (Rays) 18, Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 3
Season: 61-47; Streak: 2-0; Home Game Remaining: 17
Wrap, Box, MiLB.com

6000 wins is an amazing number. I'm not enough of a Bulls historian to chase down the high points of the history of the franchise, but what cannot be doubted that 6000 wins since 1902 is worthy of a few shouts from the top of the DBAP, the DAP, and all the other places all the other Bulls have played.

In the meantime, the new guys and the vets put on a show over in Charlotte's home park. Matt Carson in his first game went 2-4, 1 RBI; Steven Vogt in his third game hit 3 doubles, 1 RBI; Nevin Ashley went 2-4 with a double and 4 RBI. Not to be outdone, veterans Reid Brignac and Dan Johnson both homered, as did Russ Canzler. They collected 10 RBI between them.

They did this (scored 18 runs) in their last road game. Wish they'd do it at the DBAP some day. Would be fun to watch.

Matt Moore picked up his third win. Montoyo wisely took him out after only 5 innings. He was spending a lot of time on the bench, got in 85 pitches, and the bullpen needed some work with the recent rainout and day off. 9Ks, 1BB, no runs.

Brian Baker got sent off to "Hudson Valley" to make room for Mike Ekstrom. I will be updating my Bulls in August post for the next week or so if the shuffling continues.

Bulls Win; Jennings Leaves; Brignac Back

Game 99, July 23, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, NC

Durham Bulls (Rays) 4, Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) 3

Season: 56-43; Last 10: 7-3

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week, MLB.com

Matt Moore had a terrific first day in AAA baseball, Desmond Jennings (finally) went to the Rays, Reid Brignac is coming back to the Bulls, a ballplayer we've never seen before gets the winning hit, and the Bulls go 13 games over .500 staying in first place in the South Division of the International League. 

But you know what struck me most about the game? The remarkable physical fitness of the players on both teams. The temperature down on the field was easily over 100°. And yet there they were playing their hearts out. 

Young Matt Moore did just fine. His fastball was routinely in the 95-96 range. He struck out 7 over 5 innings. His only shaky moments came after two outs in the 2nd inning when he walked two batters in 9 pitches, but he settled down for the next three innings — with the notable exception of a home run. 

The Mud Hens picked up two more runs when Jay Buente's very first pitch went over the fence in the 6th and in the 7th when a grounder bounced over a drawn-in infield.

Which brings me to the managerial choices that seemed to make all the difference in this game. Montoyo took his starter out after 5 innings and 89 pitches on a blazingly hot day. Toledo manager Phil Nevin left his starting pitcher in to start the 7th inning with a 3-1 lead, but at 96+ pitches. A single, double, run scored on a wild pitch, and a Nevin Ashley single bounced over a drawn-in infield scored another and the game was tied. A reliever was finally called in, but a wild pitch sent Ashley to second, he was sacrificed to third by Ray Olmedo, and came home on John Matulia double.

I'm no fan of Lance Cormier, but he did come in the game in the 7th with two runners on base and only one out. He first gave up a single and loaded the bases, but then got a K and a flyout to get out of the bases loaded situation. In the next inning a leadoff error put a runner on second, but a nifty pickoff got him out. He got through that inning and Rob Delaney got his first save.

How'd the new guys do? John Matulia was a last minute addition to the lineup playing center field and leading off. Two K's, ground out, game-winning double. He's fast. Nevin Ashley started at catcher, batting eighth in the order. He went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI.

* * * * *

As has been widely reported, Desmond Jennings was pulled from the lineup and then sent to Kansas City to join the Rays. Shortstop Reid Brignac is being sent down. From the Bulls point of view what may matter most are Rays' manager John Maddon's comments. |MLB.com| The way I read that, Brignac arrives with some very specific instructions on how he's to be treated by Montoyo and hitting coach Dave Myers. 

The Bulls now have an abundance of infielders: Brignac, Daniel Mayora, Ray Olmedo, J.J. Furmaniak, Felipe Lopez, and (sort of) Russ Canzler. Assuming that Brignac takes over at shortstop (unless he's to be transitioned to second base) and is to get a bunch of at bats, it sure looks like someone is going to get kicked off the bus. 

* * * * *

Speaking of getting kicked off the bus, Indy Week's Adam Sobsey is reporting that reliever Marquis Fleming, whom we've never seen, is on his way back to Montgomery.

For Joe Bateman fans, here's an interview he did after his return to the Bulls. |Bulls Podcast|

All Hail the Bullpen

The Rochester Red Wing Photo courtesy Baseball Stadium Reviews

Game 95, July 18, Frontier Field, Rochester, New York
Durham Bulls (Rays) 4, Rochester Red Wings (Twins) 1
Season: 53-42; This Trip: 5-2
Wrap, Box, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Let's stop obsessing about the roster changes and talk about baseball. How about the Bulls bullpen crew?

Going into the game the fact that the Bulls only had 9 pitchers on the roster hinted that the Bulls best strategy would be to take advantage of the storm clouds out over Lake Ontario. That is, score some runs and pray for rain. Turned out that an even better strategy was to just let the bullpen pitch. Ryan Reid and Lance Cormier combined for six innings. Jay Buente, Rob Delaney, and Dane De La Rosa did one each. Only one run scored. Great job.

New guy catcher Nevin Ashley went 0-4, but his ground out RBI in the 4th started Durham's scoring. In the next inning Brandon Guyer got a rare triple (his second, only the Bulls 11th this year) and then came home on Felipe Lopez's single. The icing on the cake was Dan Johnson's homer in the 8th that brought home Felipe Lopez.

The win guarantees a successful road trip and put the Bulls 11 games above .500, the best level this year. Gwinnett, however, kept on with their winning ways are are still a half-game ahead in the South.

I know it's just listening to the radio, but this game had a team-like feel to it. I like that. Andy Sonnastine starts today. Lets see if he can keep it up.

Elsewhere:

• Here's a bit more on the Lobaton injury. |St. Pete Times|
• Fernando Perez is back in professional baseball with the New York Mets. Makes sense. Fernando is something of a New York lad. He has a minor league contract and will be with Buffalo Bisons. The Bulls play the Bisons next month in Buffalo. |Bisons.com|
• Stacy Long over at Biscuit Crumbs keeps track of several players who've gone through the Rays system (scroll down). Note familiar Bulls names such as Jason Cromer, Chris Mason, and others. |Biscuit Crumbs|

Lobaton Hurt; Chirinos to TB; Ashley to Bulls

Just be happy you're not the guy who has to set the type for the Durham Bulls programs this Thursday.

Jose Lobaton hurt his knee in last night's 16-inning marathon in Tampa St. Petersburg and has been put on the disabled list. |MLB.com and St. Petersburg Times| This was his first start for the Rays and he'd gotten a lot of love from manager Joe Maddon.

The same articles tell us that Robinson Chirinos has been called up to take Lobaton's place.

The Rays reached down to Montgomery where Stacy Long is reporting that Biscuits catcher Nevin Ashley is on his way to join the Bulls in Rochester. Ashley spent some time with the Bulls last year in the regular season and into the playoffs (and a couple of games with the Rays). He's on the Rays 40-man. Looks like he'll be with us for at least a couple of weeks.