Roster Moves, a Couple of Losses, DJ Still in the Game

Game 36, May 13, BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte, North Carolina
Durham Bulls (Rays): 3
Charlotte Knights (White Sox): 8
Wrap, Box

Game 37, May 14, Charlotte
Bulls: 7
Knights: 4
Wrap, Box

Game 38, May 15, Charlotte
Bulls:4
Knights: 5
12 innings
Season: 16-22; Trip: 1-2
Wrap, Box

After a brief Bulls 1-run lead in the 1st, Blake Snell gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the inning. He seemed OK for the rest of his 5 innings. Then the Bulls uncharacteristically had a comeback moment in the top of the 9th and went ahead 4-3. However, Mark Sappington walked two batters (he did have a K in there) for his part of the 9th. Manager Jared Sandberg wisely(?) replaced him with Tyler Sturdevant who got the second out before walking the next two batters force in the tying run (which was charged to Sappington).

We had to wait until the bottom of 12th inning for the game to be over, although there was a high /low point in the top of the 11th when pinch-runner Patrick Leonard got picked off first base. Nevertheless, in the 12th a single, sac bunt, stolen 3rd base, and wild pitch by Parker Markel ended it all.

Bulls are now in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they will play the Gwinnett Braves tonight.

Outside the game (playing a little catchup) —

• Jhan Mariñez won’t be coming back. After being DFA’d by the Rays, the Brewers picked him up. Bad news for the Bulls. He had a stellar 2015 for the team with an astonishing ERA of 1.92 in 61 innings, over 45 games. Good luck with Milwaukee!
• Mikie Mahtook is off the disabled list (3 for 11 in last 3 games) and Jake Goebbert went on the disabled list.
• Danny Farquar got called up, but was then Designated for Assignment (don’t ask me how that works).
• RHP Neil Wagner, who started the season on the DL, got called up to Bulls after a few innings at Port Charlotte. 32 years old. Has not pitched regularly since 2013 (injured in 2014). Stats. He pitched 1⅓ innings on Saturday.
• Taylor Motter was called up to the Rays on Saturday. Good luck!
• Remember Dan Johnson? Well, he’s still playing baseball—a little bit of 1st base and he’s still working on his knuckleball — in an indy league. Good story about the impact of a torn fingernail on prowess of a knuckleballer. [Tnks to DRaysBay for pointing out the link.]
• Blake Snell is the only healthy pitcher with the Bulls who is on the Rays 40-man.

Good Grief! Dan Johnson is Back!

Dan Johnson Crossing Home Plate After Home Run, DBAP, 2010

Dan Johnson, who collected just about every award he could get during parts of three seasons with the Durham Bulls and is now 36 years old, has been signed to a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays — as a knuckleballer!

I'm not sure this is going to be fun to watch or not. Love watching knuckleballers, but can't remember one pitching for the Bulls in recent years. 

Stories all over the place, but all of them about his heroics as a Tampa Bay Ray. However, here at WDBB we mentioned him some 92 times! Guess we thought he made a difference. As a minor league signee, good chance he will show up at the DBAP eventually.

Stories on Rays website, RaysIndex, DRaysBay, and MLB Trade Rumors. With many more to come I am sure.

Update [6 March]: Former Bulls broadcaster Neil Solondz has a nice interview with former Bull Dan Johnson. Here.

Update [31 March]: DJ has been released by the Rays.

Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom

Season: 46-41; Trip: 2-1
Wrap, Box, Charlotte Observer

It was a quiet night in Charlotte last night … until the 6th inning. Up to then young Bradin Hagens had done a fine job and held the Knights to just one run. Hard to do in that new, but very hitter-friendly, park of theirs. Then it got interesting as the Bulls (and the Knights) started channeling the old John Lee Hooker song, “Boom, Boom”. (Don't know the song? You've missed something. Check out Mr. Hooker below.)

Richie Shaffer and Cory Brown hit back-to-back home runs in the 6th. In the 7th, after Taylor Motter double home Hak-Ju Lee and Tim Beckham, the Bulls went back to back again when J.P Arencibia homered and Richie Shaffer (again) homered in three more runs.

The Knights brought in five runs on small ball (and ineffective Bulls relief pitching) in their part of the 8th and the Bulls answered with some small ball of their own in the 9th.

It got scary in the bottom of the 9th when you’d think things were well in hand with a 10-6 lead. But the Knights were listening to the same song, I guess, because they led off with back-to-back home runs before Kirby Yates got back in control.

All-in-all an impressive night for Bulls hitters and Mr. Hagens. Not so much for the Bulls relief crew, who had been stretched out on Tuesday. None of the three who followed Hagens were on their game, but José Dominguez in particular has not been on his game all year. Not sure why he remains on the Rays 40-man. He’s averaged less than an inning per outing as a Bull (14 appearances, 10 innings) and has little to show for it (ERA-7.20, WHIP-2.30, FIP-4.80). He had some good outings with the Rays back in mid-April, but he has not brought much to Durham.

Richie Shaffer wowed the home town crowd with a 4 for 4 outing (and an intentional walk in the 9th). Charlotte was where he spent the winter putting on a lot of muscle with obvious results. In his brief time in the IL so far he’s hit 14 home runs and is tied at #2 for the entire year (teammates J.P. Arencibia and Corey Brown are tied for first with 15).

Outside the game —

• Dan Johnson is back in the bigs. Long time WDBB favorite, Dan Johnson is up in the majors as a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. Durham writer Adam Sobsey has a nice piece on his return in yesterday’s Grantland. DJ  was high on our all-time hitters list for his performance over three seasons as a Bull (2008, 2010, and 2011). This year he started with the Louisville Bats in the Reds system then free-agented over to the the Cardinals system and the Memphis Redbirds. Good luck, Dan.

About those relievers —

Last time we looked it was the starters to had us worried. Now the bullpen trend is very worrisome.

click on chart

7th Inning, Again?

Season: 56-50; Home Stand: 1-4; Home Game Remaining: 18
Wrap, Box

What is it about the 7th inning? Déjà vu. And not as if it should have been unexpected. Enny Romero has only gone past 6 innings once this year, back on 1 June. Going into the 7th his pitch count was low at 79 pitches, so that must have been why he went out to face famous home run hitter Mike Hessman. Bad decision. Hessman hit a home run. Two more hits and one more run later the Bulls were three runs behind and had even less of a prayer of winning than before.

Because the Bulls simply have not been hitting lately, as yesterday’s chart showed. Last night Toledo’s pitchers tied them in knots. Only 5 hits, all singles, a walk, and a hit batsman. That’s just seven base runners. Plus the one time they did get a runner to second base (Mike Fontenot in the 4th), he was thrown out trying to steal third base. And the Mud Hens were able to pull off three double plays, which did away with three of those guys who got as far as first.

Outside the game —

• The Norfolk Tides have won six in a row and are coming on strong as the Gwinnett Braves fall off the edge of the cliff (see chart below and the standings) The Bulls’ lead in the South Division of the IL looks much less comfortable.
• Juan Carlos Oviedo is a Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher who started the season with the Durham Bulls. Technically he was on a rehab assignment and never counted against the roster. He made 7 appearances for the Bulls, pitching one inning in each appearance.[ Bulls stats]  A short reliever for the Rays, he made 32 appearances for 31.2 innings down there. Stats. I mention him because he has been designated for assignment by the Rays. That means that he could show up in Durham. The Bulls are short one man and the Rays did not send Jeff Beliveau back. Could be Beliveau is going to stay for a while. 
• Dan Johnson’s still up with the Blue Jays and “blasted” a 70-foot infield hit for a go-ahead RBI. He followed that with a 3-run, 9th inning homer to win a game against the Yankees. 

Karns & Moore Team Up for Win

Season: 53-44; Trip: 2-1; Last 10: 7-3; Standings

Wrap, Box, The Buffalo News

Regular readers will know that we are not yet fans of young Nathan Karns. To see why, take a look at our charts from a couple of days ago. But give credit where it’s due. He had a fine night last night going 7 innings and only letting in 1 run. There’s hope.

On the other hand, how about Jeremy Moore? Yet another game-winning home run! Then, just for grins, his last at-bat featured three pitches that went inside, inside, and even further inside. Those pitches brought Charlie Montoyo down to the plate to get between Moore and the ump. As it turned out, Moore hit a very sharp grounder to first for an out. But seemed to me to be kind of pointless on the part of the Bison’s pitcher.

Outside the game — 

• Reliever Jake Thompson has been put on the disabled list for an unspecified reason. Thompson has made 20 appearance since coming up from Montgomery and has done a good job over his 27 innings. Doug Mathis returned from Hudson Valley to take his spot on the roster. 
• Former Bull Dan Johnson was called up to the Bisons’ parent club, the Toronto Blue Jays, and went immediately into the lineup against the Rays last night. He drew four walks and scored three runs (including the winning run). That’s what DJ does — draws walks or hits home runs.

Win in Buffalo

Season: 51-44; Trip: 1-1; Last 10: 6-4

Wrap, Box, Buffalo News

The first thing to know about the Buffalo Bisons is that their first baseman is Dan Johnson. Johnson stands very high on the list off all-time great Durham Bulls hitters. He was a Bull in 2008, and was back for 2010 and 2011. He is #2 on the all-time list when the list is sorted by OPS. We should note that a hitter could not even get on the list without at least 1,000 plate appearances with the Bulls. He’s having more than a decent year with the Bisons. He leads the International League in home runs and is 4th in OBP and OPS. According to broadcaster Patrick Kinas there were persistent rumors last night that he was about to be called up to the Blue Jays. If so, that would really mess up the Triple-A Home Run Derby, where we were going to be able to see him and Mike Hessman square off for a championship (although doesn’t seem quite fair since Hessman bats right and Johnson is a lefty). DJ went 0-3 with a walk last night.

[Update: 12:30, Friday, twitter saying DJ has been called up and will appear in game against Rays tonight.]

The second is that the minor mystery of Mike Montgomery has not been cleared up, but he did have a decent outing. Mystery? Well, it’s this. Back on June 14 he pitched 5 innings in an 88-pitch no-decision. Then he did not pitch again until June 23, another 5 inning no-decision, where he threw 77 pitches. His next appearance was not until July 4, also 5 innings, throwing 76 pitches. Stated another way, he only made three starts after his June 9th win, and pitched only 15 innings for 3 no-decisions. Why? Unless I missed something, as usual, the Rays aren’t saying.

As Bulls fans, let’s just say that his win last night was welcome. Not that he was all that sharp, but he did reach 92 pitches even though they all came in just 5 1/3 innings. My guess? Rotation turmoil with Hellickson around and a desire to give him some rest. Is he back? Not sure. He did not look all that sharp on the TV last night.

Meanwhile the game was won by — who else? — Jeremy Moore, who smacked a 2-run homer that drove in Justin Christian. Christian had another great night as well with three hits and scoring two out of the three Bulls runs.

Outside the game — 

As we know, Wednesday’s game in Norfolk was rained out. So was yesterday’s against Gwinnett. Wonder why? Here’s what Harbor Park looked like yesterday.

Now, That's a Rainout!

Harbor Park, Norfolk, VA, July 10
Image courtesy Norfolk Tides

Where Nobody Knows Your Name

Book Review

John Feinstein, Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball, Doubleday.

John Feinstein, sportswriter/commentator of great repute, spent the 2012 baseball season roaming around Triple-A, mostly in the International League. He followed several players, an umpire, and two managers (including the Durham Bulls’ Charlie Montoyo). We heard him interviewed by our own Patrick Kinas during that season.

I really wanted to like this book because very little has been written about Triple-A baseball and Feinstein spends a good bit of time with managers and players I am intensely curious about. I am a fan of Charlie Montoyo and really wanted to hear what he’d said to Feinstein. Nevertheless, I have my reservations that I’ll get to later.

For Bulls fans you need to know up front that several Bulls, former Bulls, and DBAP denizens who were prominent in the 2012 season get at least some mention, including Craig Albernaz, Chris Gimenez, Dan Johnson (he was playing for the Charlotte Knights that year), Stephen Vogt, Jeff Salazar, Brooks Conrad, Reid Brignac, Wil Rhymes, Scott Strickland, broadcaster Patrick Kinas, Rich Thompson, the Matsuzaka/Matsui matchup game, and more names that I’m probably forgetting. But all of them also show up right here in WDBB if you search on them.

Feinstein worked hard to get inside the heads of the players and managers of Triple-A, reinforcing WDBB’s own view that Triple-A, while it is a minor league, is also different from the rest of the minors in that the players are so very, very close to the majors.

His technique is to introduce several players (veteran pitchers and position players), two managers (Norfolk’s Ron Johnson in addition to Durham’s Montoyo), and an umpire at spring training. He then spends some time with them throughout the season. Along the way he introduces a ton of other folks and, to be honest, I began to lose track of who was in the spotlight and could not follow just why they were introduced. All the players highlighted were players who had made it to the big leagues for at least a few games and were trying to make it back and/or decide to not try any more. I often lost the thread of the stories he was trying to tell.

Entirely missing is an effort to take Triple-A as a baseball experience of its own. Admittedly, that’s a rare thing to try to do, and there’s likely little audience. But some small fraction of the audience at the 2,000 games played in the International League each year go to the games because they want to watch a specific team play within a specific context of International League competition.

On the other hand, the book is full of trivia that I’ll probably be using for years.

Final assessment: Bulls fans might need to read this book, but it is a bit of a slog. Plus, what Bulls fan really wants to remember much about 2012?

On the shelf at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books.

Just Three Transactions Today ... So Far

As was written this morning, and in some detail yesterday, lots of movement. Three  more transactions today that directly affect the Bulls, one that’s off on a tangent, and one that’s just interesting.

• Left-Hander Enny Romero is coming up from Montgomery and will start at least one game for the Bulls (Monday). He has done very well this year in Montgomery.
• RHRP Brandon Gomes was called up to the Rays. That had to be expected.
• Catcher Craig Albernaz came off the temporary inactive list.
• RHP Jake Odorizzi was assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits. Long-time Bulls fans will recall all the players who used to go off to "Hudson Valley." This smells like the same thing. Odorizzi joins Jeff Beliveau on the Biscuits’ roster, but surely they both are in Oakland hanging out with the Rays.

The Bulls now have only 11 pitchers, but have 13 position players, plus three on major league rehab (Guyer, Scott, and Moore).

The interesting non-Bulls-related transaction concerns former Bull Dan Johnson. When he became available there was an immediate interest from at least one Rays’ blogger. But Johnson has signed with Baltimore, which means the Bulls could be pitching to him tomorrow. He might be a help to Norfolk in their wild card run. Or a help to Baltimore in their wild card run. Or both.

Hitting and Gifts

Game 49, May 25	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Durham Bulls (Rays)	0	0	5	3	2	1	0	0	0	11	10	1
SWB RailRiders (Yankees)	1	0	2	0	0	2	0	1	0	6	11	2

Season: 30-19; Trip: 4-1
Wrap, Box, RailRider

Not only did the Bulls hit well, their stunning OPS for the game (.950) was helped by 8 BBs and 2 hit batsmen (actually, that should be one batsman, hit twice, Rich Thompson). Things just clicked: Another home run by Wil Myers, doubles by Myers, Belnome, and Fontenot; sacrifice bunting by Albernaz and Thompson.

J.D. Martin gave up his usual bases-empty home run, but also got his fifth win.

The heralded matchup between Cory Wade and Dan Johnson came and went without any notable fanfare. In the 7th Johnson hit an opposite field fly ball to Jason Bourgeois in left field. Not exactly a “duel”.

Outside the game —

• Norfolk lost, so the Bulls have moved up to just a game out of the lead.
• The NC State-UNC game went 18 innings at the DBAP last night. Concessionaires cheered. Scott Strickland wept.
• One more plea for podcasts of Kinas’ pre-game interviews. Caught just a few minutes of a chat with Craig Albernaz. Very insightful comments on Bulls pitching and the craft of catching. Sure wish I could hear all of it.
• Grumbling down St. Pete way [Rays Index]. If they do shake up bullpen, then ...

Bulls Moving Up

May 26, 2013

click for larger image

Matchup: Bulls vs. RailRiders; And the Ultimate Durham Bulls Trivia Question

A small story first:

The year before last there was a Triple-A baseball team that played their games in Moosic, Pennsylvania. Moosic is sort of near Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. The team went by the name of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and they were the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The field in Moosic had a lot of problems, so it was closed for a year. The team was renamed the Empire State Yankees and played baseball last year as essentially tenants of various parks, mostly in New York. Now the team is back in Moosic and they are to be known as the RailRiders. There is apparently some regional connection to trolley manufacturing. Although, who are Bulls fans to judge a name? Who among you is even old enough to have even seen a pouch of Bull Durham tobacco, much less rolled a cigarette using the contents?

So, there they are, the Scranton/Wilke-Barre RailRiders, henceforth to be shortened to SWB. What other baseball park has a view of a golf course and a ski run?

The RailRiders are in the middle of the pack of the North Division and the Bulls have an edge in the matchup.

May 23, 2013	W-L	RS	RA	Diff	BA	OPS	ERA
Durham	27-19	234	187	47	.273	.748	3.77
SWB	21-23	169	166	3	.244	.689	3.84

However, the really, really big deal coming up is the possibility of a repeat of the all-time Durham Bulls trivia question. Here’s the question:

What two ex-Durham Bulls faced off in the bottom of the 9th inning in the most celebrated game in recent baseball history?

Answer:

Game 162, 2011, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, 9th inning, two strikes, pinch hitter Dan Johnson (a 2011 Durham Bull) faced …

Cory Wade (also a 2011 Durham Bull) ...

We all know what happened.

So here we are in 2013 and guess who’s in the Bulls’ bullpen? Cory Wade.

Cory Wade

Guess who’s playing for the RailRiders? Dan Johnson.

Dan Johnson

What are the odds of them facing off sometime in the next four days? Excellent. Probably not tonight since Wade pitched last night. But it will happen. Watch this space.

Johnson and Johnson and Canzler

News regarding three former Bulls ...

• Elliot Johnson is off to Arizona to join the Kansas City Royals. It turns out that he’s become the “player to be named later” in the Shield/Davis, Myers, et al trade. I don’t know a thing about KC, but always happy to see a Durham Bulls star do well. As regular readers will recall, Elliot ranks very high among the all-time Bulls stars.
• Dan Johnson, former Durham Bull, former International League MVP, and also very high on that all time list, has gone over to the dark side. He’s in spring training with the Yankees. He could show up back in Durham in a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders uniform. 
• Russ Canzler was a favorite of WDBB back in 2011 when he had a great season and was also an International League MVP. In a bizarre sequence of events this winter he has been claimed off waivers four times. He’s ended up with the Orioles where it looks like he’s got a great shot at getting a starting position. If he isn’t out of options, however, we could see him back in Durham in a Tides uniform. Part of Baltimore’s success last year came from very clever management of their 40-man roster as they constantly moved players back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk.

Johnson and Canzler Sent to IL Teams

Two former Durham Bulls and recent International League MVPs are likely to be playing against the Durham Bulls this year. Dan Johnson, MVP 2010, will be playing for the Charlotte Knights and Russ Canzler will be playing for the Columbus Clippers.

That means that the Bulls could be facing Johnson’s bat as early as April 9. We can only hope that it's the Dan Johnson of 2011 who comes to bat. But I'm very afraid that it will be the Dan Johnson of 2010.

The Bulls don’t play Columbus until August. We can hope that by that time Russ will be playing with the Indians and giving the Rays well-deserved fits. They should have hung on to Russ.

Watching Spring Training, and a bit more ...

Russ Canzler, former Durham Bull

Dan Johnson, former Durham Bull

*** 29 days **

• I am eventually going to get over the fact that neither of these guys are going to be playing for the Bulls this year (or maybe not), but I can't help pointing out that former Durham Bull and International League MVP Russ Canzler introduced himself to the Cleveland Indians by hitting a grand slam. To make me feel even worse, former Durham Bull and International League MVP Dan Johnson introduced himself to the Chicago White Sox by hitting a home run, as noted on a Charlotte Knights blog (the sound in the background is the grinding of my teeth). 
• Looking to the future, here are some players who, if they don't make it to the Rays roster (and at best only one or two will), we could see with the Bulls. Over at ESPN Florida Tommy Rancel writes about Infielders Will Rhymes, Matt Mangini, and Juan Miranda, catcher Chris Gimenez, and pitcher Jhonny Nunez. At DRaysBay, JC Mitchell writes about infielder Mangini, outfielder Jeff Salazar, and pitchers Brian Augenstein and Ricky Orta.
• If you want a very interesting way to keep track of these guys, you can do no better than to keep an eye on Rays Index. Over there Cork Gaines has a table that's tracking innings played by everyone in camp. Fascinating, and a good way to do some guessing about the Bulls roster.
• How's your cynicism index these days? Here's one for you. As all those obsessed with the International League know, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees aren't going to be playing in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2012 (not that they ever did, but let's not go there). Their playing field is undergoing a year-long refurbishment. That presented an interesting marketing dilemma that was recently solved ... change your name! For 2012 only, they will be known as the "Empire State Yankees"! Why? 'Cause they'll be playing in the Empire State. Read all about it at a Rochester Red Wings Press Release. Now, just why is this being announced by the Red Wings? 
• Dirk Hayhurst's new book (Out of My League, haven't read it yet) is out. Over at his blog Mrs. Hayhurst has some interesting comments about baseball and life.

Hemstitching: Ruggiano, Dan Johnson, Hayhurst, & More

New Durham Bulls Clubhouse

57 Days!

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.

• Justin Ruggiano has signed with the Houston Astros. It’s a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Astro’s AAA team is in Oklahoma City, so either way we’re not likely to be seeing him unless he makes the team and we’re watching a Rays-Astro game someday when the Bulls are out of town. Sounds like he has a good shot at sticking. Good luck!
• Dan Johnson has signed a similar contract with the Chicago White Sox. That is potentially very bad news for the Bulls. They could could end up facing both Dan and Ray Olmedo (also signed with the White Sox) playing for the Charlotte Knights this year.
• But we won’t be looking at Dirk Hayhurst on an opponent’s mound. He’s off to Italy. He also devoted an entire blog post to Russ Canzler. Worth a read.
• Does anyone remember Edwin Jackson on the mound for the Bulls back in 2006? Of course you do. And he’s bounced around quite a bit since then to include time with the Devil Rays, the Rays, Tigers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, and the White Sox (again). Now with the Nationals. Jonah Keri over at Grantland has a terrific piece about pitching prospects that uses Mr. Jackson as an example.
• Bringing it back to Durham, look at what’s been done to the Bulls locker room. Here’s hoping it’s ready by April. 

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.

Hemstitching: Torra Signs, MiLB.com Picks All-Stars

Hubble Advent Calendar, Day 14

• MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that RHP Matt Torra has signed with the Rays. With no further information, we’ll just go ahead and speculate that it is a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. We like Torra. He showed up in Durham last year in July and put in quite a few innings (61⅓), 11 games started, 5-1, ERA of 3.67. Pretty good. At 27 you have to think that he’s a long shot with the Rays, but as we noted at the end of the season, we’d be happy to see him back in a Bulls uniform.
• MiLB.com is reporting a “Rays Organization All-Star” list. Quite a few 2011 Bulls on the list including Steven Vogt, Russ Canzler, and Brandon Guyer whom we might see next year, along with a couple we’re very unlikely to see, Dan Johnson and Desmond Jennings, and several that we might see. Worth looking at for the comments of Rays minor league exec Mitch Lukevics.

Dan Johnson Won't Be Back

DJ at Bat, 2010

Dan Johnson won’t be coming back to the Durham Bulls next year. When the Rays "outrighted" him to the Bulls a few days ago, he turned it down. He is now a free agent with no ties to the Rays at all. 

All of the commentary is about his several shining moments with the Rays. The best of these columns is by Bradley Woodrum over at SB Nation.

My interest is in what he did as a Durham Bull. We are going to miss him, a lot. He made major contributions to the Bulls in all of the three seasons he played here (2008, 2010, and 2011) and he had a lot to do with the Bulls winning the South Division of the International League in each of those years.

DJ After Home Run, July 2010

Every year he was with us we expected him to be called up. Every year he was. Every year he did something heroic for the Rays. But as Bulls fans we were interested in day-to-day performance and we were rarely disappointed.

We saw him mostly at first base and in the DH position. But he put in 61 games at third base and always surprised me with the strength of his arm and the intelligence of his play. He was a good first baseman in a time when the Bulls were blessed with two very good hitters at first (Chris Richard being the other one).

His numbers were simply extraordinary. How does this sound? In his three seasons:

304 Games — 68 Home Runs — 230 RBI 

Looking back, here's what we said (in 2010) about his 2008 season:

But what Bulls fans remember about 2008 was his stellar year with us. He played in 113 games; hit 25 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a batting line of .307/.424/.980. Dan was our player of the year for 2008. For a really hard core Bulls fan, as much as we admire his heroics for the Rays that Fall, we have this wistful feeling that maybe the Governors’ Cup would have been ours if he’d stayed with the Bulls through all of the playoffs.

Dan Johnson, Joe Dillon, Jose Lobaton after Lobaton Home Run July 5, 2010

Of course, 2010 was DJ's great year as a Durham Bull. Here's what we said at the end of 2010:

Dan Johnson was our superstar this year. His home run and RBI pace was extraordinary and he collected a whole bunch of AAA awards even though he didn’t even play the last month of the season. It is a bit puzzling that the Rays did not notice that for the last two years he was mostly a third baseman, not a first baseman. This year he only made one error in 36 games at third. We were also more that a little surprised that he wasn’t traded off during the year, but that could easily just mean that we don’t really understand the business of baseball very well. We are having great fun watching him play for the Rays and have high hopes he will go to the postseason with them.

And if 2011 was a mild disappointment compared to 2010, surely Dan was even more disappointed. After all, he'd expected to spend the whole year with the Rays. Nevertheless, he did a pretty darned good job for the Bulls. Here's what we said at the end of the season.

Played in 93 games (395 PA). Starting very slowly, his numbers improved as the year went on — .273/.382/.459,wOBA .375. Low extra base production (for him) of 23 doubles and 13 home runs. 52 RBI. 59 games at 1B, 15 at 3B, and 21 as DH.

What I'd like to wrap up with is just a little bit of balance. I'm a Durham Bulls fan and Dan Johnson has been a great Durham Bulls baseball player. For three seasons I've gone to the park and Dan's been on the field and has given me a bunch of thrills and won a bunch of games for us.

Thank You!

Best of luck in 2012!

Dan Johnson, June, 2011

Bulls/Rays Playoff Thread

Let's see if we can keep track of our Bulls as the Rays move forward. But first to backtrack a bit.

September 28, 2011
Tampa Bay Rays 8, New York Yankees 7 (12 innings)
Wrap, Box

This was, of course, the most important game of the season for the Rays that, combined with Boston's loss, earned them the wild card spot. Dan Johnson got the game-tying home run. Other recent Bulls who were in the game included Desmond Jennings, LF (0-6, 1 BB), Russ Canzler, PH (0-1); Justin Ruggiano, RF; Brandon Guyer, RF (1-1); Dane De La Rosa, 1⅓ innings.

Interesting links:

• Rays Prospects looked at the game
• Adam Sobsey/Indy Week looked at Dan Johnson
• Dirk Hayhurst chimed in
• Rays Index looked at Dan Johnson
• A bunch of interesting links, also from Rays Index
• And more links from DRaysBay

September 30

Tampa Bay Rays 9, Texas Rangers 0

Wrap,Box

For Bulls fansMatt Moorewas the story on Friday, pitching to a catcher he'd never pitched to before, Kelly Shoppach (who got two home runs). Other than Moore, none of recent Bulls call-ups except Desmond Jennings got into the game. Jennings batted an uncharacteristic 8th in the order and went 1-3. Another oddity was seeing Wade Davis in relief.

Links:

• Not many of the recent call-ups made it into the playoff roster, although some are traveling with the team. Recent Bulls missing are Dan Johnson, Russ Canzler, Justin Ruggiano, Brandon Guyer, Matt Torres, Dane De La Rosa, and probably a couple of others I've missed.
• Moore was very impressive, as noted in DRaysBay analysis.

October 1

Texas Rangers 8, Tampa Bay Rays 6

Wrap, Box

Desmond Jennings moved back to his leadoff position, but no other recent Bulls were in the lineup (mostly because few of them are on the playoff 25-man). James Shields pretty much single-handedly lost this game for the Rays hitting batters and throwing pitches away. Almost a heroic comeback later in the game.

Upcoming games in St Pete: October 3, 5:00 pm

• Big day for the Tampa Bay region, sold out for both football and baseball |St Pete Times|
• David Price scheduled to start. Lineup

Update, 4 Oct

Rangers 4, Rays 3
Wrap, Box

Jennings did his job, 2 home runs. Price has six good innings, needed seven. J.P. Howell, seen briefly in Durham this year, gave up the winning run(s).


Game 4, October 4, 2 pm

Rangers 4, Rays 3

Wrap, Box

Thus endeth the season.

The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Hitters: Part I

Twenty-five different ballplayers came to bat in a Durham Bulls uniform this year. Some quite a few times (Russ Canzler, 549). Some not so often (John Shelby, 3 ). That compares to 27 in 2010 and 25 in 2009, so 2011 was about normal. Players are listed in order of games played. The "slash line" is Batting Average/On-Base Percentage/Slugging.

The Top 14 (40+ Games)

Russ Canzler (25) was in his first season with the Bulls and had a brilliant year. He was the International League MVP.

• Played in the most games of any Durham Bull (131) and had the most plate appearances (549). He led the Bulls in batting average (.314), was second in OBP (.401) and was first in SLG and OPS (.530 and .930), and led the team in wOBA (.399). His 83 RBI were way ahead of #2, Leslie Anderson, who had 65. He also led in home runs (18), doubles (40), second in triples (5). He was the team leader in walks (67) and strikeouts (129). The all-around offensive star of the year.
• His great year was rewarded by a call-up (and placement on the Rays 40-man) as soon as the Bulls season was over in early September. As of this writing he has had one ML plate appearance where he drew a walk. Defensively, the Bulls never quite figured out where to play him, although by the end of the year you could consider him a regular corner outfielder. He had 40 starts at 3B, 17 at 1B, and 68 games in the outfield. He also had 6 games at DH. He certainly is not the Rays' future third baseman, but no reason why he couldn't spend more time at 1B and see how it goes. As we'll see, however, it looks like 1B could be crowded in 2012. Really was fun watching him play.
• Stats

Ray Olmedo (30) came back to the Bulls after a year with Nashville, the AAA team of the Brewers that plays in the PCL.

• Played in 124 games (500 PA). Ray had 95 games at SS and 29 games at 2B. For a guy who usually batted at the end of the order, he had very good numbers — .260/.303/.322, wOBA .306. 27 RBI, 22 doubles, 3 triples.
• I like watching Ray Olmedo play baseball. I especially like the way he moved over to second base when young Tim Beckham came up and how well he covered that position. Here's hoping the Rays find room for him next year.
• Stats

Leslie Anderson (29) joined the Bulls late in 2010. He had defected from Cuba earlier in the year and quickly moved up through the Rays minor league system as an outfielder and first baseman. This season was a decent, but not breakout, year.

• Played in 121 games with 494 plate appearances. He had 63 games at 1B and 42 in the outfield, mostly in LF. The rest of the games he was the designated hitter. Decent numbers of .277/.314/.413 with a wOBA of .323. His 65 RBI was second-best on the team; his 24 doubles were third-best; and his 13 home runs was third best as well.
• I'm not sure Mr. Anderson is going to make it beyond AAA. He isn't very fast. He's something of a streaky hitter and only a so-so first baseman. Plus he's beginning to age out.
• Stats

J.J. Furmaniak (31) was with the Bulls with most of 2010 and we were really pleased to see him back in 2011. He did not have a good year at the plate, but he had a bunch of timely hits and sacrifices, and was vital to keeping the infield sorted out.

• Played in 116 games (433 PA). In the field he played 2B (52 games), SS (15), 3B (43), outfield (11), dh'd a game, and pitched a shutout inning(!). Most of the year his numbers were off, but they got much better near the end. Numbers — .215/.267/.308 with a wOBA of .258. J.J. led the Bulls on successful sacrifice bunts with 15.
• I really like J.J. I think he adds a lot to the team. He did not have a good year at bat, but until the Rays start bringing up some infielders, the Bulls really need someone like J.J. on the roster — an experienced, mature, quick-handed infielder.
• Stats

Brandon Guyer (25) came to the Bulls as part of the big Tampa Bay Rays/Chicago Cubs deal over the winter. A lot to like about this young ballplayer. He would have played in more games if a back injury had not taken him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks in the middle of the year.

• Played in 107 games (443 PA). All of his games were as an outfielder, mostly in right and center field. Very good numbers — .314/.401/.530, wOBA .387. Hit 18 home runs (second on team), had 61 RBI, and led team in getting hit by pitches (12). Very fast, but needs to work on base running a bit (16 stolen bases, but caught 6 times).
• Brandon was on the 40-man all year and was called up once, before going up in the September callups. As of this writing he's been in 10 games for the Rays. Expect him back next year and looking forward to it.
• Stats

Dan Johnson (31) started the year with the Rays and came to the Bulls in late May. Something must have gone awry over the winter, since the 2010 Bulls superstar was having serious troubles in St. Petersburg. He passed through waivers and accepted an assignment to the Bulls.

• Played in 93 games (395 PA). Starting very slowly, his numbers improved as the year went on — .273/.382/.459,wOBA .375. Low extra base production (for him) of 23 doubles and 13 home runs. 52 RBI. 59 games at 1B, 15 at 3B, and 21 as DH.
• Dan was called back up to the Rays at the end of the season, but he's got to be thinking about his future as a ballplayer. I'm guessing that he will not be back with the Rays in 2012.
• Stats

Desmond Jennings (24) began his year with the Bulls and, to our surprise, stayed with the team until mid-July.

• Played in 89 games (397 PA). The big difference between this year and 2010 was that he stayed healthy and he had some big improvements in his power. Numbers — .275/.374/.456, wOBA .362. A leadoff batter is going to be a bit low in the RBI column, and he was with only 39. But he scored 68 runs and stole 17 bases. Mostly a center fielder this year, with a few starts in right field and a couple as the DH.
• He's had 52 games in the majors as of this writing, and he's tearing things up with a .292/.386/.510, 9 homers, 22 RBI, 38 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. Don't expect to see him back with the Bulls next year.
• Stats

Robinson Chirinos (27) is another of the players from the Cubs/Rays deal. He had a spectacular spring training and came to the Bulls with very high expectations. He had a good, not exceptional, year. And was able to get in 20 games with the Rays.

• Played in 78 games (319 PA). He had a terrible start, so his final numbers actually represent a big improvement on the year — .259/.343/.376, wOBA .324. Because of his terrific spring training, most thought Chirinos was going to have a real breakout year and, at 27, he needed it. Not quite, though. He got the most starts at catcher (63) of anyone on the Bulls' roster and did pretty well.
  
• His main counterpart, Jose Lobaton, had a much better year as a catcher and a hitter. When Lobaton got a call-up he was almost immediately injured and Chirinos followed him to St. Pete within a couple of days, then came back in August.
• Stats

Omar Luna (24) started the season with the Bulls and then was essentially swapped out for infielder Daniel Mayora in late June.

• Played in 56 games (182 PA). Not very good numbers — .203/.229/.227, wOBA .229. Pretty much the worst numbers of anyone who had any serious amount of time with the Bulls this year. Mostly played 2B (47), but had a game at 3B, a game at shortstop, and 3 games in the outfield. He also made two appearances as a pitcher.
• Pretty good second baseman, but Furmaniak better, with a better bat. Luna went to Port Charlotte in the Rays system where he did OK. Hard to tell if he will be coming back.
• Stats

Jose Lobaton (26) had a breakout year and he was fun to watch as long as he stayed with the Bulls.

• Played in 54 games (224 PA). Terrific numbers — .293/.410/.489, wOBA .382. His OBP was the team best. Most of his ABs were as a catcher, but 18 games as DH. Above average catching skill as a catcher.
• His third best OPS (.899) and skills behind the plate earned him a call-up in early July. Unfortunately, he was immediately injured and did not return to the Rays lineup until September. Expect him to stick with the Rays next year.
• Stats

Chris Carter (28) started the year with the Bulls.

• Played 54 games (233 PA) for the Bulls before exercising an opt-out clause in mid-June, 26 games as DH and 28 games in a corner outfield position. Pretty good, but not stellar, numbers for his time with the team — .270/.309/.460, wOBA .323. He brought some power to the team, 10 HR and 11 doubles.
• He signed with the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta) and was having a great run (OPS of .974) for 23 games before he was injured and went out for the rest of the season.
• Stats

Daniel Mayora (25) came up to Durham from the Montgomery Biscuits in late June.

• Played in 51 games (205 PA), almost exclusively at third base. Of the six different third basemen the Bulls used this year, he was tied for the most games (40) with Russ Canzler. Numbers are OK — .262/.317/.353, wOBA .306.
• Not a standout third baseman and doesn't seem like he will get past AAA level. And yet the Bulls needed him for the second half of the season and may need him again next year.
• Stats

Felipe Lopez (31), a veteran infielder, started the season with Durham, went back and forth to the Rays a couple of times and then moved on to the Milwaukee Brewers system.

• Played in 48 games (207 PA) and had excellent numbers — .305/.357/.474, wOBA .374 with 37 RBI and 7 home runs. 25 games at 2B, 12 at 3B, and a few as DH.
• Lopez was with the Bulls primarily because the Rays' infield situation was unsettled at the time. Once that was sorted out, he left the system. I would have preferred to see more young players under development.
• Stats

Justin Ruggiano (29) has a five year history with the Durham Bulls and holds a number of hitting records. He started this year with the Bulls, but went up to Tampa in May and stayed there, with the exception of a brief rehab visit in August.

• Played in a total of 43 games (190 PA) and had excellent numbers — .304/.378/.518, wOBA .398. Almost an RBI per game (34), 7 HR and 11 doubles.
• Unlikely that we will see him in Durham next year.
• Stats

Next: New guys, rehabbers and visitors.

Bulls in Boston

The Rays/Boston game was on local TV last night. (An oddity. Must’ve been because they were playing Boston. Rays won 9-2.) What jumped out at us was that when the Rays took the field in the bottom half of the inning we knew all of the players. We’d seen every one of those Rays on the field in Boston in a Bulls uniform, many of them this year.

The only Rays to see action in the game who had not worn a Bulls uniform were DH Johnny Damon and relief pitcher Juan Cruz.

Seven of the twelve Rays who came to bat and three of the five pitchers played for the Bulls this year, including Dan Johnson, Russ Canzler, and Alex Torres who joined the Rays in the last couple of days.

Doesn’t pass the “So What?” test? Well, maybe it does. It says that if you go to a Bulls game you’re going to see a lot of current and future major leaguers. Also, it says a lot about the ability of the Rays organization to grow their own ballplayers.

* * * * *

IronPigs fans filled the ballpark, but the Clippers won a key game last night. The Columbus team now leads Lehigh Valley in the Governors' Cup series 2-1.