The Durham Bulls in 2012 — The Hitters: Part I

Thirty-two different ballplayers came to bat in a Durham Bulls uniform this year. Some quite a few times (Leslie Anderson, 482 times), some hardly at all (Matt Joyce, 3 times). That compares to 25 last year, 27 in 2010, and 25 in 2009. So this year was well above normal.

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. A distinct oddity to this year’s Bulls is that 8 of the top 12 batted left-handed and one switch hit.

The Top 12 (50+ games)

Jesus Feliciano* (33) was in his first season with the Bulls and had a decent year.

• He played in the most games of any Durham Bull (125) and was #2 in plate appearances.  His line of .270/.312/.326 and 46 RBI helped. An unimpressive Weighted On-Base Average  (wOBA) of .294 and a Weighted Runs Above Average  (wRAA) of -11.5 does not auger well for his future in a Rays system that loves to crunch numbers. 
• On the other hand, it sure seemed to me that if anyone came through for the Bulls this year, it was Feliciano. He’s got time with several different AAA teams and played 54 games with the Mets in 2010. My guess is that he and his agent will be working on another minor league contract with invitation to spring training next year, but not with the Rays.
• Stats.

Leslie Anderson* (30) had a career year with the Bulls. For reasons known only to the Rays front office, it was not good enough to push someone off the 40-man and give him a place on the Rays bench at the end of the year.

• Anderson led the Bulls in plate appearances with 482 (116 games). His line of .309/.355/.450 led the Bulls and very nearly won him the International League batting title. He was also led the Bulls in RBI with 56. His wOBA of .355 was an improvement over 2011’s but below Rich Thompson’s .371. He was also one of very few with a positive wRAA (11.2). The loose end with Anderson is what position should he play? This year he had 24 games at 1B, 49 in the outfield, and 43 as DH.
• What we don’t know much about is his contract with the Rays. Does he have another year or not? We don’t know if he will be looking a minor league free agency this year. He was passed through waivers last year, probably because no other team wanted to pick up his contract (after his defection). This year he showed his worth as a ballplayer. Given the folks that the Rays invited last year (see below), seems to me that Mr. Anderson deserves a shot next spring.
• Stats. Story.

Reid Brignac* (26) was not a name I expected to be third on this list, but here he is at 99 games and 400 plate appearances.

• His line .228/.321/.347 with 46 RBI is not too impressive. His wOBA of .308 and negative wRAA (-5.6) are simply not very good numbers. And yet, from a fan’s perspective, he was a valuable Durham Bull this year. Unlike their parent club, the Bulls defense held up pretty well and that was, in my opinion, helped both by Brignac’s play and by his apparent mentorship of young Tim Beckham.
• At this writing, Mr. Brignac is back up with the Rays where he has made an appearance late in 5 games and has had 3 AB (0-3). Seems to me that the Rays have completely lost confidence in their starting shortstop of 2010 and 2011. You have to think that he’ll be looking for a new home this winter. And that might be good for both parties. But I like watching him play baseball. I’ll miss him if he goes.
• Stats.

Stephen Vogt* (27) had a slow start, including some time with the Rays, but seemed to be on track by the end of the year.

• He played in 94 games with 396 plate appearances. He had a decent slash line of .272/.350/.424 with 43 RBIs. His wOBA of .350 is above average and his wRAA was a valuable 7.4. 
• The puzzle he had to face each day was sorting out which glove he was going to use. He played catcher in 37 games, 1B in 16 games, and was in the outfield for 53 games. How much of this was necessity on Montoyo’s part (the Rays never bothered to look for outfielders to play in Durham this year) and how much was dictated by the Rays, we’ll never know. Certainly the hints are that the Rays regard Vogt as a second string player. He was called up to the Rays for September and has made brief appearances in four games (4 PA, 2 BB). He has not yet had a hit as a major leaguer. Vogt was one of the players caught up in the turmoil of the Rays’ early season injuries. I’d love to see him back. More than that I’d like to see him have some success with the Rays this month.
• Stats.

Henry Wrigley (25) had a solid season, playing 32 games with the Montgomery Biscuits before coming up and playing 94 games with the Bulls (380 PA). He’s also the first right-handed batter on this list.

• His numbers are pretty good: .285/.324/.472 with 52 RBI. And his wOBA of .350 and wRAA of +7.4 is a match with Vogt’s. Although he put in a few games in the outfield (6), he played mostly 1B (53 games) and as DH (31 games). The Bulls had some confusion around the first base position this year (9 different players there), so it’s hard to tell. From a distance (I sit over near third base), I’d say that he’s a solid, but not great, first baseman. If he could just get a chance to settle in there on a regular basis, he might turn out to be a real asset to the Rays system.
• My guess is that Mr. Wrigley has a good shot at coming out of spring training with a place on the Rays’ 40-man. If he spends the winter working on his 1B footwork, he might go places.
• Stats.

Cole Figueroa* (25) had 25 games with the Biscuits and 88 with the Bulls (347 PA). He just might be the most interesting of this year’s Bulls as far as the future is concerned.

• Numbers: .286/.344/.386 with 42 RBI. His wOBA was .330 and wRAA barely in the positive range (+1.3). So nothing special there. Nor is his speed all that great (Spd, 4.2). I just liked watching him play. He split time between 3B and 2B this year and my bet is that he’ll be back next year. One of the positive signs for the 2013 Bulls.
• Stats.

Matt Mangini* (26) played in 82 games with 329 PAs. From the stands he struck me as a very solid young ballplayer.

• Mangini’s numbers, .273/.337/.373, 32 RBI, were OK. His wOBA of .326 was average and his wRAA was neutral (0.0). He was part of a very large crew of ballplayers from outside the Rays system who signed contracts with invitations to spring training this year, but, it seemed to me, got pushed out as Rays players finally started getting healthy.
• Mr. Mangini was released by the Bulls in August and went to play for Mobile (the Diamondbacks franchise in the AA Southern League). He helped that team win a championship.
• Stats.

Tim Beckham (22) started off the year by blowing a hole in the Bulls’ lineup when he drew a 50-game suspension. He came back to play in 72 games (323 plate appearances) and learn something about a new position, second base.

• Beckham’s numbers are not particularly impressive overall, .256/.325/.361 with 28 RBI. The advanced metrics aren’t much better, wOBA of .317 and a wRAA of -2.2. Beckham came up through the system as a shortstop and that’s all he’d played until this year. His fielding percentage was better at 2B than SS, so maybe that’s his future.
• The Rays are going to undoubtedly give this young man every possible chance to succeed. But I have to say that, other than being a right-handed bat in a lineup full of lefties, he did not add much to the Bulls this year. Maybe next year? We can hope.
• Stats.

Chris Gimenez (29) got ensnared in the Rays injury turmoil early this year and, although I’m sure he didn’t mind, spent a good bit of time (34 games so far) at the beginning and end of the season with the parent team. As a Bull he got in to 71 games (301 plate appearances). He was one of my favorite players this year for a lot of reasons. Too bad he didn’t spend more time with the Bulls.

• His line of .310/.389/.483 was one of the best on the team. His 49 RBI computes out to a stunning 100 or so if he'd been with the Bulls an entire season. His OPS of .871 was far ahead of any of the regulars on the team. His other metrics were similarly impressive. He had a wOBA of .382 and a team best wRAA of 13.3.
• Although mostly he played at catcher, he did get to run around the outfield some (20 games). Unlike most of the September call-ups, he’s getting some playing time this September. So far he’s been in 10 games and has hit .353 with 2 RBI. Would I like to see him back with the Bulls? You bet. But I’ve got to think he’s got a shot at bigger things now. I hope so.
• Stats.

Jeff Salazar* (31) played in 68 games (234 plate appearances) but was released in mid-July.

• Salazar had some moments, but he was never able to put together a solid stretch in his time with the Bulls. On his departure he was at .216/.287/.327 with 22 RBI. His wOBA was only .284 and his wRAA was -7.7. 
• To some extent he was yet another victim of the previously mentioned Rays signing of a bunch of players just before spring training. When they didn’t make the Rays they ended up in Durham and, especially in the first several weeks, they never jelled. Salazar was not alone. I’ve not heard if he caught on anywhere else. If a reader has, add a comment and I’ll correct it here.
• Stats

Sean O’Malley# (24) played in 67 games (247 plate appearances) and finished out the season with the Montgomery Biscuits (35 more games). I like this guy.

• OK, his numbers aren’t very good. He was at .245/.304/.310 with only 18 RBIs. And his wOBA was just .294 and, even worse, his wRAA was -6.1. But, what can I say? He was really fun to watch. He did steal 11 bases and only got caught once. That was second to Rich Thompson’s 22 in a similar period. He was essentially pushed back to Montgomery in the post-All Star roster turmoil.
• O’Malley is a fan’s kind of ballplayer. Works hard. Runs like the wind. Seems to be having fun. Now if he can just start hitting a bit better.
• Stats

Rich Thompson* (33) rounds out the top 12. He played in 63 games (282 PA) and made quite a splash with the Bulls.

• I was surprised going through my notes that the trade of Kyle Hudson for Rich Thompson happened back in mid-May. The Rays needed an outfielder and Thompson was apparently made available by the Phillies. Thompson was a fan favorite with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and is becoming one with the Bulls. He went directly to the Rays and didn’t show up in Durham until early June. He brought some badly needed speed to the team. In his 63 games he stole 22 bases and only got caught 5 times. He was part of the September call-up crew. So far he’s done a bit of pinch-running/base stealing and is 1 for 4 at bat.
• Thompson’s numbers are among the best on the Bulls: .311/.369/.436. His wOBA was a fine .371 and his wRAA was +9.9. He had the highest Spd number (8.4) on the team. The only other player even close was Shawn O’Malley at 7.3. 
• Stats

Note: Primary statistics sources are Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Tough Loss

Season: 51-60; Road Trip: 3-4; Bulls v. Tides: 6-7; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

A walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th is a tough way to lose a game. But the Bulls parent club, the Tampa Bay Rays, one-upped them by losing in the bottom of the 15th out in Oakland.

The Bulls looked to have the game in hand when they scored four runs in the top of the 2nd. Unfortunately, the Tides came back with five runs. After that the game mostly stabilized itself. The Bulls went ahead in the top of the 7th, but several pitching moves in the bottom of the inning didn’t work,  and the Tides tied the game. Otherwise, the Bulls might have made it through.

In the 10th Leslie Anderson pinch-hit for Evan Longoria, was hit by pitch, and later thrown out at the plate. Here’s hoping his hand is OK. He’s having a great season and I’d hate to see him miss any time. DHing Longoria struck out twice, but singled in one of the runs and drew a walk.

In one of his more unusual moves, Montoyo put Jesus Feliciano in to pinch hit for Henry Wrigley after Anderson was hit by pitch in the 10th. Feliciano did manage to get the sacrifice bunt down (after two strikes) and move Anderson to second, but in the end the move didn’t pan out.

In the end, Romulo Sanchez came off the DL and into the game. Got a ground out and a fly out and then gave up a home run. Tough loss.

If you’re into grinding your teeth, please note that the Bulls have outhit the Tides in the last two games, 15-10 and 13-12, and lost both games.

Outside the game —

• As mentioned, Romulo Sanchez came off the disabled list yesterday. 
• Pitcher Bryan Augenstein went on the disabled list. He had a very long stretch on the DL at the beginning of the season. Let’s hope this is a short one.
• Rays blogger Tommy Rancel thinks the Rays may be looking to convert Cesar Ramos back into a starting pitcher.

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?

A Win!

Season: 44-54; Home Stand: 1-1; Bulls v. Iron Pigs: 3-3; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Although a Rays’ blogger might have considered yesterday a “run of the mill day”, for the Bulls and Bulls' fans it was a really big deal to break that awful 7-game losing streak. The Bulls are hanging on by their fingernails at the edge of a statistical abyss, but there’s hope.

The hero was Jesus Feliciano whose 4 RBI from the number 9 spot made all the difference. The oddity was catcher Stephen Vogt batting leadoff. Vogt was 2-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. He made Charlie Montoyo look really smart and it did look like a great move.

Dane De La Rosa came out of the pen and redeemed himself from his awful inning up in Charlotte, although he was still really wild.

Lehigh Valley came to swing for contact last night. They did not draw a single walk the entire game. But they didn’t strike out either. The only freebie came when Jim Paduch hit a batter. Kept the infield and outfield very busy. The Bulls have had a couple of no BB nights this year, but I’m pretty sure it was the first no-K night.

And now for a modest rant.

I mostly like the Bulls new broadcaster Patrick Kinas and I like the depth and humor that John Manuel of Baseball America and Scott Pose bring to the booth. What I don’t like, however, is when they get so deep into story-telling that they get away from what I need as a listener — play-by-play, the basics of what’s happening on the field. All too often the play is over before Kinas even tells us what’s happened. We often don’t know whether the batter (or pitcher) is left or right handed or where the fielders have been positioned, or where the runners ended up after a play. Late in last night’s game both Manual and Kinas were wondering why a Bulls’ batter was walking back to the dugout. Well, he’d struck out, but Kinas and Manuel were so deep into arcane trivia (I think it was the top picks of the 1994 draft) that they didn’t notice. Come on guys. If I’m not at the game and I’m not watching on TV, you’re all I’ve got. You’ve got to draw me a picture and you know how to do that very, very well. But you don’t always do it. This is radio. Especially when the Bulls are on the road, you are all I’ve got (MiLB.TV is mostly terrible and a waste of money). Word pictures first, stories second.

Bashing the Bisons

Box, Wrap, Buffalo News

Oddity: Only one double, the rest were singles.

Season: 41-45; Trip: 3-0; Bulls v. Bisons: 7-0; Standings

Box, Wrap, Buffalo News

For the first time in what seems a very long time, Bulls pitching was superb. Three very important guys are back from Tampa Bay. They may not be very happy with their status, but Bulls fans should be. Chris Archer had a solid five innings with 7 Ks. Cesar Ramos, in his first appearance in a Bulls uniform since May 3rd, had a clean inning, as did Brandon Gomes back from his third trip to the Rays.

Leslie Anderson was back from the disabled list to lead the Bulls in hitting, but it was timely sac flies by O’Malley, Feliciano, and Gimenez that made the difference. Along with a steal of third base by Rich Thompson that set up a run.

Outside the Game, Transaction Edition —

• Pitchers from the Rays to the Bulls: Chris Archer, Brandon Gomes, and Cesar Ramos
• Pitchers to the Montgomery Biscuits: Matt Buschmann and Shane Dyer
• Pitcher released: Jhonny Nunez
• Hitters back on the roster: Leslie Anderson, Brandon Allen, and Craig Albernaz
• Hitters on DL: Stephen Vogt (collision at the plate on Sunday)
• Hitter to Hudson Valley: Jeff Salazar

Schedule Weirdness

• The Bulls play two games at home Wednesday and Thursday, hit the road for three games, take three days off, hit the road for four games, then come home. Put another way, if you don’t get to Wednesday’s or Thursday’s game, you won’t have another chance until July 16th!

Chart 

Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched

Keep an eye on the innings. A couple of these guys really haven’t had much time with the Bulls.

click on chart for larger view

Escape the Heat

Season: 39-45; Trip: 1-0; Bulls v. Bisons: 5-0; Standings

Box,Wrap, Buffalo News

Alex Torres had a solid outing and Bulls hitters went nuts, notably ex-Buffalo Bisons Chris Gimenez and Jesus Feliciano. With a game day starting temperature of only 84° it was a good day to be in Buffalo (it was 102° down here). Twelve runs on 16 hits with no errors? Great day!

Anyone keeping score at home must have had fun trying to deal with scoring one inning when thirteen batters come to the plate (the 5th) and score nine runs. With a single and a home run in the same inning, that has to be one of catcher Chris Gimenez’s personal bests.

Worries? Well, Josh Leuke and Jhonny Nunez did give back five runs. Their ERAs have ballooned up to 6.57 where they are tied for the worst ERAs of any Bulls relievers.

Outside the game —

• Matt Buschmann was sent back to Montgomery. 
• Chris Archer may start today, but keep an eye on Tampa Bay. Hellickson was injured last night.
• Leslie Anderson came off the DL and may play in today’s 1 o’clock game.
• The Bulls have scored 47 runs in five games against Buffalo!
• Charlie Montoyo isn’t the only manager who’s hands are tied by the big league club. See the Buffalo News article that explains some of the reasons behind the 5th inning disaster last night.

Torra, Quick Bats, Stop Slide

Game 65, Sunday, June 10, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 7; Toledo Mud Hens 1
Season: 27-38; Home Stand: 1-5; Bulls v. Mud Hens 1-1; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Matt Torra had a fine outing and the Bulls put up 15 hits, 14 of them singles (a Leslie Anderson double was the only extra-base hit). What a change from the last five awful games.

When the Mud Hens put up the first run of the game in the 2nd inning, things were looking pretty bleak. But then some nice baserunning by new guy Rich Thompson after he got on as a hit batsman helped out a lot. He made it to third on a Stephen Vogt single and came home on a sac fly by Jesus Feliciano. When Anderson doubled Vogt home the Bulls were ahead for the first time this home stand. The five-run 5th inning was icing on the cake.

We’ll have to keep an eye on it, but it may be that the Rays are looking to see if Alex Torres has some possibilities as a lefty specialist. At least that was what the commentary implied last night. He came in for three batters at the top of the 8th (righty, lefty, lefty) and got 2 Ks to go with his usual BB. He was pulled when a righty came to bat.

Outside the game

• When Matt Torra came off the DL someone had to go. Craig Albernaz has been shipped off to “Hudson Valley”.
• Some cute photos here from the Bark in the Park event earlier in the week.
• You may have noticed the signage in the outfield that designates the DBAP as “Goodman Field”. That would be Jim Goodman, the owner of the Bulls and certified medial mogul. Time magazine’s Joe Klein recently interviewed him. 
• The Bulls will be on national TV in tomorrow’s game that closes out the Mud Hens series.

Chart
Team ERA

It’s been a while since we’ve put up our cumulative ERA chart. This is the running totals for the last 20 games. Sure looks like the starting pitching (never all that good to begin with) really blew up. Trend line is ever so slightly downward, a good thing.

Matsui Wins a Game for the Bulls

Season: 19-27; Home Stand: 4-3; Bulls vs. Knights: 4-7; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

No doubt the stars of last night’s game were Hideki Matsui, Jesus Feliciano, and Lance Pendleton, but here’s the headline I wanted to write,

Brandon Gomes Gives Up a Run! ERA Soars to 0.69!

If Gomes hadn’t given up the run in the top of the 9th, then the Bulls wouldn’t have needed the heroics. On the other hand, an ERA of 0.00 can’t go on forever. Perhaps Gomes was being too cautious. He had Knights Hector Giminez down two strikes, but walked him on the next four pitches. On the next pitch Jordan Danks hit a double and Gimenez scored from first base. Gomes, very likely not happy with himself, struck out the next two batters.

Of course, the Bulls were only ahead by one run going into the 9th and both of those runs depended on mistakes by Charlotte that let runners advance. Otherwise, Bulls bats were very quiet.

The baseball gods were paying attention when we mentioned yesterday that Hideki Matsui had done nothing to help the Durham Bulls during his stay with them. That held true for his first four at-bats, included one that left his bat in three pieces between home plate and just in front of the second baseman. But then reliable hero Jesus Feliciano got on base in the bottom of the 10th and the gods of baseball decreed that Matsui could whack a one-out single to right field to win the game.

It was a game-winning hit. It was hit with authority. And it was the first of his admittedly few his to right field. Could I have been wrong?

Lance Pendleton has had three consecutive no-decisions. Too bad. Unlike his last outing, which was pretty shaky, last night was just fine. He’s become a reliable member of the rotation. Nice to have him with us.

Nice little crowd of 3,000+ in the DBAP. I guess it’s selfish of me, but sometimes it’s nice to pretty much have the place to ourselves without all the raucous clatter that makes for “family entertainment”. I didn’t plug my radio into my ear. I didn’t get out my scorebook. I chatted with the folks nearby. Strolled around a bit. Weather was perfect (except for that odd little mini-cloudburst at the end). And the Bulls won. Perfect.

Outside the game

• Transactions affecting the Bulls are not going to let up for a long while. To deal with yet another injury, the Rays reached out for an infielder named Drew Sutton. We saw Sutton when he was playing for the Gwinnett Braves earlier this year. 
• To make room for Sutton someone had to go off the 40-man roster and that someone was Durham Bulls reliever John Gaub. He’s been designated for assignment, which means that there’s ten days for legal/contractual mumbo-jumbo to ensue. Gaub may or may not be with the Bulls at the end of that time and it doesn't have to take ten days.
• Catcher Jose Lobaton should be with the Bulls today on a rehab assignment.
• A glance at the Rays’ 40-man roster shows six players on the 15-day DL: Catcher Lobaton, infielders Longoria and Keppinger, and outfielders Allen, Guyer, and Jennings. As they get heathy you can expect more transactions.
• The odd man out is Bulls shortstop Reid Brignac, who has missed the last several games with quad/back problems, but is not on any disabled list. He is only current Bulls position player on the Rays 40-man roster, but apparently not available to go up to fill in for this last Rays injury.

Have to pass on Stacy Long’s lead:

Promising youngster Hideki Matsui hit an RBI single to end [the Bulls game].

You're Welcome!

Season: 17-26; Home Stand: 2-2; vs Red Sox: 2-6; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, PawSox Wrap

My inbox is full this morning with emails thanking me for hexing Pawtucket shortstop Jose Inglesias. (Well, maybe not full ... ) Regular readers will recall that I wrote about him yesterday:

...Pawtucket shortstop Jose Inglesias [is a reason to come to the park]. If you’ve ever had one of those deep philosophical discussions about whether a shortstop needs a quick release or a strong arm (as if there’s a distinction), Inglesias is a poster-child for the quick release school. The ball simply doesn’t stay in his glove. It simply ends up flowing towards first base. Pretty to watch.

The gods of baseball saw that and struck back in the 8th Inning.

The Bulls were behind 2-5 and Hedeki Matsui grounded out to first. Henry Wrigley reached because Inglesias threw the ball past first base. Jeff Salazar doubled, moving Wrigley to third. Inglesias bobbled Cole Figueroa’s grounder, Wrigley scored (3-5) and Figueroa made it to first. Juan Miranda pinch hit for Craig Albernaz and drew a walk. Bases loaded. The real hero of the night (he went 4 for 5) Jesus Feliciano hit a triple and cleared the bases. Matt Mangini struck out, but the Bulls were ahead and Brandon Gomes came in to close it out. (Note to Tampa Bay — Please leave Gomes with us for a while. His ERA is still 0.00 and it's so nice to know the Bulls always have a shot if he's around.)

Two in a row says a lot about the Bulls and they gave the huge crowd a real thrill.

On the other hand, Chris Archer was a mess. In addition to the 7 hits and 4 walks, he was charged with three wild pitches (one of them letting a run score) and he hit a batter. Yes, he got 9 Ks, but he was simply lucky that the seven guys left on base weren’t able to get in. And it took him 106 pitches to get through just 4⅔ innings.

He can thank Hideki Matsui for preventing at least one run. Matsui was on the field for the first time, in left, and made a perfect throw to the plate on a runner who’d tagged up.

Have to mention Craig Albernaz. He seemed to be having a really tough time behind the plate last night, at least with Chris Archer and Jhonny Nunez. Lots of balls in the dirt. Lots of trips to the mound. Communications problems?

A win, and a pretty one at that. Before a full house. Great. The Bulls will not play Pawtucket again this year unless they meet in the playoffs.

Outside the game

• Doug Milhoan over at Rays Prospects has noticed that within the Rays system they have 25 players on the DL, rehab assignment, or the restricted list. That’s enough for a team. So he’s put one together. Actually looks pretty good.
• Ultra runner Diane Van Deren made it through the Linville Gorge/Wilson Creek area hitting some rough weather, but is now past Boone running the Mountain to Sea Trail. They seem to have the GPS tracking working this morning. Try the terrain view on the map and zoom in. Amazing.

Chart of the Day

Southern Division Teams, Games Above/Below .500

Charlotte comes to town today. The Bulls are 2-5 against Charlotte so far this year.

Serenity

Season: 16-26; Home Stand: 1-2; vs. Red Sox: 1-6; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

It was pointed out to me yesterday that perhaps I’ve been taking this game too seriously. It was suggested that I relax, try a pose or two, breath, chant, contemplate a crystal ... oooooommm ...

OK. Enough of that. Lets talk about ... Jim Paduch. Paduch had a brilliant outing in front of 10,000 fans, most of whom could have cared less about who he was or how he got there. But we Bulls fans did. Thanks for getting the Bulls out of their funk. His six innings of crafty pitching set up what is only the fourth shutout by Bulls pitchers this year. Followed by fellow indie ball escapee Dane De La Rosa (is he getting his groove back?) and waiting to be called back to the Rays Brandon Gomes, Bulls pitching was superb. Two home runs (a pleasant change) by Bulls hitters was more than enough (Jesus Feliciano and Henry Wrigley). Icing on cake was new guy Mayo Acosta’s sac fly RBI in the 7th.

Obligatory mention of the guys who drew the crowds: Daisuke Matsuzaka (松坂大輔) pitched for the Pawsox, made it through 6⅔ innings and looked OK. Notable that he was wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform, not a Pawtucket Red Sox uniform. Guess that’s a perk of being a major leaguer. Hideki Matsui was 0-3, but yet another catcher’s interference call got him on base and he scored on Wrigley’s homer. I hate to point this out, but he is not running well.

Amid all the Japanese signage, down in front of me was a lady waving the flag of Taiwan, probably for Pawtucket centerfielder Che-Hsuan Lin. Lin is something to watch out there. He’s made three spectacular catches in these games (taking two hits away from Matsui). He’s a reason to come to the park.

As is Pawtucket shortstop Jose Inglesias. If you’ve ever had one of those deep philosophical discussions about whether a shortstop needs a quick release or a strong arm (as if there’s a distinction), Inglesias is a poster-child for the quick release school. The ball simply doesn’t stay in his glove. It simply ends up flowing towards first base. Pretty to watch.

I’ve got to mention the latest spin of the Montoyo Merry-Go-Round that put infielder Shawn O’Malley in right field and new guy Henry Wrigley at first base. I think Wrigley has played a good bit of first base. O’Malley reportedly hasn’t played outfield since high school. They both did just fine in the field and Wrigley showed his power at the plate.

Then there was the mystery man coaching at third base. That was Michael Johns the manager of the Princeton (as in Princeton, West Virginia) Rays. Guess he’s here to keep his head in the game until his team’s season starts next month.

Outside the game

• Stacy Long at Biscuit Crumbs is reporting that RHP Shane Dyer is coming from AA Montgomery to the Bulls. Probably in anticipation of Alex Cobb going to the Rays in a day or so. Pretty good stats.
• I really like the continuing improvements to the big video board. It is now showing the pitch count (and ERA) of the pitchers. And on the board out in right field they are starting to put up the in-game stats for batters. Better and better.
• Elliot Johnson and Reid Brignac: There’s been a flurry of interest in the recents exploits of the well-liked former Durham Bull Elliot Johnson. He’s been having a grand time lately with the Rays. This column looks at EJ’s recent work (with a really gratuitous cheap shot at the end). But this one extends the discussion into concerns about a current Durham Bull whom we’ve mentioned here, Reid Brignac. A bit of armchair psychologizing, but it makes sense to me. Elliot, however, was one of my favorite Bulls and I couldn't be happier to see him succeed. I  have never forgotten Neil Solondz calling EJ’s two homers over in Norfolk, one batting left, the other batting right. Maybe not a record, but certainly worthy of remembering in a blog that celebrates the obscure and quirky. A couple of other mentions of EJ over the years are here (2009) and here (2010).

Pain

Season: 15-26; Home Stand: 0-2; vs. Red Sox: 0-6; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Seeing all these big name baseball stars can be fun. But only if you’re not a fan of Durham Bulls baseball. In that case, not so much. In fact, watching Durham Bulls baseball is painful.

I once had a stretch of several months when I spent an inordinate amount of time in a dentist’s chair. That’s what last night was like. I felt a bit like the Dustin Hoffman character in Marathon Man.

I know it’s masochistic of me to do this (and perhaps sadistic to inflict it on you), but let’s go over last night. In the 1st inning, after two outs, Lance Pendleton walked the next two batters. But he got away with it. In the 2nd inning he started out with two BBs. Even with a double play, one of the walks scored. In the 3rd inning after two outs, he walked a batter, but, as in the 1st, got away with it.

[Is that a mosquito in my ear? Am I having a flashback? Are the screams for Matsui or the “Yuuk! Yuuk! Yuuk!” cheers morphing into some weird auditory hallucination?]

The 4th inning’s walk came after only one out. That runner was wild-pitched into scoring position, but Pendleton escaped unharmed. The 5th inning, ahhh, the 5th inning. No walks here. Just pure baseball: single, double, home run, single, single off the team of Lance Pendleton and Romulo Sanchez.

But wait, here comes the 7th inning. Two outs. Gaub on the mound. Walk. Reid comes in. Walks his first batter. Runners on first and second. A run scores on a single to right. That play was highlighted by a really crappy throw by Jeff Salazar, although I think the run would have scored anyhow. (Red Sox ahead 5-4). 8th inning. Two outs followed by a walk, but no runs score. 9th inning. Two outs followed by a walk.

For those who might be counting (not really a mentally healthy activity under the circumstances) Bulls pitchers walked 7 batters after they had two outs last night. (11 overall, but who’s counting?)

As the Herald-Sun quoted Charley Montoyo after the game:

No excuses — tough to watch when you keep walking people. This game was the story of the whole season: Leaving people on base and walking people.

I guess I didn't mention that the Bulls left 10 runners on base. Charley has it right.

But new guy Hideki Matsui did get his first hit. It was a pretty wall-ball double that scored two runs.

Outside the game

• It becomes more clear why Kyle Hudson was shipped off to Hudson Valley yesterday. Sometime in the past few days recently called-up Brandon Guyer was injured. Showing (what’s the right word here? Contempt?) extreme lack of confidence in either Jesus Feliciano, Jeff Salazar, Leslie Anderson, Henry Wrigley, or Mr. Hudson, the Rays went off to the Phillies to get a guy who has had one major league at bat. How can that not work on the heads of the Durham Bulls outfield?
• Most recent word out of St. Pete is that Will Rhymes, who collapsed on the field after being hit by a pitch last night, is OK. Good news. The hammering we’re hearing from down that way is coming from the crews hard at work expanding the Rays’ rehab facility. Depending on how you want to count them, at least 10 Rays are on a disabled list.

Chart of the Day

Walks/Hits per Inning

WHIP is not particularly popular with the stats geeks. But it's an easy stat to compute and understand. Essentially, WHIP tells you how many guys get on base per inning. Sabermetrics guys think that 1.62 is awful. We've got a bunch of guys well above awful and only a few who make the "average" (1.32) cut line. I left Josh Lueke on the chart because I'm guessing he will be coming back in a day or so.

Archer/Albernaz Earn Split

Box (1), Box (2), Wrap, Herald-Sun
Season: 12-21; Trip: 1-1; Standings

Brandon Guyer was gone from the lineups last night, on his way to New York City and the Rays to fill the slot opened by infielder Jeff Keppinger, who has been placed on the "restricted list". Not sure what that means, but I'm sure we'll find out soon.

In the first game, the Bulls offense was held in check for all except the 3rd inning. I was not able to listen, so can't add anything to the wrap.

I was able to listen to the second game. Chris Archer was showing his stuff for his best start of the year. And when the Chiefs walked Juan Miranda to get to Craig Albernaz (loading the bases), Craig rose to the occasion with a single that sent two runs in.

Good thing. Two Bulls, Jesus Feliciano and Matt Mangini, got run out of the game for arguing calls with umpire Gerard Ascani. That meant that with Guyer's departure the bench was empty of position players. Inquiring minds want to know: Which Durham Bulls pitcher moved over next to Charley Montoyo and pleaded, "Send me in, coach. I could really crush the ball in (choose one) Little League, Legion Ball, University of ...?"

Outside the game

• The rosters tab on the Bulls website now gives you access to both the Bulls roster and the Rays 40-man. Great! Was useful today in chasing down who Jeff Keppinger is.
• Alliance Bank Stadium (pictured above) seems to be part of a not very successful redevelopment effort up in Syracuse. Reviews here and here. It came in 22nd in a rating of AAA baseball stadiums. As noted in one of the reviews, sort of looks like Norfolk's stadium. 

Jesus the Hero!

Game 26, Tuesday, May 1, DBAP

Durham Bulls 5, Indianapolis Indians 4 (10 Innings)

Season: 8-18; Home Stand: 2-3; Streak: 2-0

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Jesus Feliciano, one of nine left-handed hitters in the game, got to be a hero, twice. The first time was in the 8th inning when he hit a double that scored Sean O’Malley and Kyle Hudson putting the Bulls ahead 4-3. But the Indians got a run back in the 9th and the 4-4 tie went into the 10th. One more time Feliciano came to bat, with O’Malley again on base (this time on third), and a single was enough to win the game.

Meanwhile Lance Pendleton got his first start since joining the Bulls and Montoyo got to  play matchups with the rest of the bullpen. Nunez, Gaub, Leuke, and Ramos all did just fine, even if Ramos did give up a home run to force Feliciano’s heroics.

Speaking of home runs, the last home run hit by a Bull was Will Rhymes’ against the Norfolk Tides six games ago (the Bulls have only hit 7 home runs this year, the fewest in the league). 

Speaking of Will Rhymes, he got called to Tampa Bay yesterday afternoon. That left the Bulls with exactly one position player on the bench, catcher Craig Albernaz, who besides being the only right-handed batter on the team, was busy warming up pitchers all night. 

That left Charlie Montoyo the job of making sure his guys were nice to the umps, otherwise he’d probably have to use a pitcher as the DH. That was a difficult task when the ump made a particularly bad call invoking a fairly obscure rule. The ump was flashy about it though. You could just see him back in ump school when he learned the rule and thinking, someday I’m going to be able to call this and somebody’s going to argue with me and I’ll get to throw him out of the game. 

The Bulls had the bases loaded and no outs in the 4th inning. Kyle Hudson hit a grounder to second. The first part of a fairly routine double-play effort was started, but a nice, hard slide by Sean O’Malley into second broke it up. Should have been one out and a run scored, but no. The ump dances into the play, calls interference and deems both O’Malley and Hudson are out, plus the runners have to come back to second and third, and there's two outs. I guess that’s the rule, but I think the ump was just showing off.

Outside the game:

• The News & Observer noticed that the Bulls exist with a page one story. Unfortunately it was about Tim Beckham.
• Even with the arrival of Cole Figueroa from Montgomery, the Bulls will still have a vacant spot on the roster. Sure wish Guyer would get well soon. Figueroa is, of course, a left-handed bat.
• Bulls games are also being broadcast on HD radio. I’m going to have to look into that. You will see at the link the AM 620 coverage. No wonder I can barely get the games at home!

Chart(s) of the Day

This is an update of the runs scored-runs allowed chart. As of last night’s game, the Bulls have scored 88 runs and allowed 146 runs. The chart shows the game-by-game path to that condition. If you run these numbers through the Pythagorean Expectation formula, it will tell you that the Bulls "should" be at 7-19 rather than the 8-18 they are. In general, differences between expectation and actual is attributed to relief pitching and luck. I’ll take the pitching.

click on chart to enlarge

Just to show new Bulls fans what we old farts are so upset about this year, this chart shows how things were going at this point in previous years. It ain’t pretty. But it’s getting better. It’s getting better. It’s getting better. We hope. We hope. We hope.

click on chart to enlarge

At Last!!!

Game 25, Monday, April 30, DBAP, Durham, North Carolina

Durham Bulls 1, Indianapolis Indians 0

Season: 7-18; Home Stand: 1-3; Streak: 1-0

Box, Wrap 

Matt Torra went eight innings allowing only 1 baserunner (a walk) in the 7th and gave up just one infield hit in the 8th. A brilliant bit of pitching. He was followed by Cesar Ramos who gave up one hit, then earned the first save of his eight years of professional baseball. Together they set the stage for breaking the Bulls’ long, long, long losing streak and won Bulls’ first shutout of the season.

To win, of course, the Bulls had to get at least one run, which they didn’t do until the 8th inning. Sean O’Malley drew a walk, scooted off to second base on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Jesus Feliciano double.

This has been a difficult road. Kyle Hudson’s single at the top of the 3rd inning was the first hit of any kind in more than 14 innings. It took a couple of brilliant plays by shortstop O’Malley and second baseman Reid Brignac to pull it off.

Second baseman Reid Brignac? There’s another mini-story. Will Rhymes was so upset being called out when he thought he beat a throw to first 6th he managed to get himself thrown out of the game. Reid Brignac was the only infielder on the bench, so he was in. I think Rhymes was the first ejection of a Bull this year.

Which brings up another mini-story. Stephen Vogt was the DH for the game and Craig Albernaz was catching. Vogt went out to warm up Ramos while Torra was pitching, then switched off with Albernaz so he could go to bat in the 8th.

About that bench. Ain't hardly anybody there. Brandon Guyer went on the DL.

Outside the game:

• According to broadcaster Patrick Kinas, big changes are coming for the pitching crew. Alexander Torres has been moved to the bullpen. Lance Pendleton makes his first start tomorrow. Jim Paduch will be here tomorrow as well and will go into the starting rotation. Torres is reportedly not upset at the change. Something clearly needed to be done.
• Over at Rays Prospects, BurGi has a spectacular analysis of all the pitchers in the Rays system. A swimming pool for stats folks to dive into.
• The Rays have done the deal with Hideki Matsui. He should be showing up in Durham in time for his 38th birthday. Setting up the trivia question: Who is the oldest player to put on a AAA Bulls uniform? 
• Jose Lobaton, who has spent a lot of time in a Bulls uniform, may be coming through on a rehab assignment. It’ll be nice to see him in the dugout again. 

Chart of the Day

Pitching Efficiency (Pitches Per Out)

This is a really simple stat with some interesting results. How many pitches are thrown per out? The fewer pitches, the more "efficient" you are. Matt Torra got through eight innings today with just 89 pitches. That's spectacular efficiency.

Click on chart for larger image

Correction: In the chart it shows Alex Cobb only pitching 2⅓ innings. It should have read 28⅓ innings. PE computation, however, is accurate.

Home at Last

Game 21, Wednesday, April 25, McCoy Stadium, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk Tides 4; Durham Bulls 2
Season: 6-15; Trip: 1-13; Streak: 0-10
Box, Herald-Sun

I turned on my radio and it was the bottom of the 4th inning. Matt Torra was having a brilliant night. At the end of the inning not a single Tidean had made it to first base. Driving through the night I had to crank up the radio (reception of AM620 more than a few miles from their tower is crappy) and I discovered that not only was Torra having a great night but the Bulls were ahead 2-0. The reception faded away for a while. When it came back it was the bottom of the 5th and the bases were loaded. Not long after that the Tides picked up four runs. That was all, but it was enough to lose.

Too bad, because Torra put in about the best single game performance of any Bulls pitcher this year. But lacking any run support it wasn’t enough.

One game oddity was Jeff Salazar leaving the game before taking the field in the 5th. Jesus Feliciano took his place. No explanation was given for his departure.

Today is the Bulls first day off this season. They need it. They are home for ten games; four against Pirates affiliate the Indianapolis Indians; four against Reds affiliate the Louisville Bats; and two games against these Norfolk Tides.

Charlie Montoyo is reportedly going to use the day off to reset his pitching rotation and put his four starters in sequence. Maybe he’s hoping that by the end of the sequence (Torres, Archer, Cobb, Torra) he’ll have a fifth starter. That would be nice. The Bulls have had a full five-man rotation for only the first five games of this this season. It would not the complete answer to the Bulls problems, since even the four starters they have aren’t doing all that well, but it sure would help.

Why has this season started so badly? Well I’ve commented on that at good bit already. For another look, see what Adam Sobsey has to say over at Indy Week.

Outside the game:

• Wool E. Bull has started a video blog.
• Scorekeeping. Now that the Bulls are back home it’s time to put together my gameday stuff, which includes a scorebook. I’m not all that obsessive about keeping a scorecard. (At least I don’t think so. My wife might not agree.) But it really does help me keep track of what has happened in the game. Patrick Kinas does a good job, but I like being able to look back as the game goes on and it gives me a record to look at for this blog. There’s as many approaches to scorekeeping as there are folks who keep track. See this [Thanks for the tip, DRR] for some examples. I like the Reisner system, but admit that it takes a bit of getting used to. I’ve tried a couple of iPod/iPad systems and they are pretty slick, but, for me, they distract from the game in front of me.

Running Rampant

Game 5, Monday, April 9, DBAP
Durham Bulls 13, Charlotte Knights 8
Season: 4-1; Remaining Home Games: 2
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Wow! That was fun to watch.

Every Bull got at least one hit, except for center fielder Kyle Hudson, and he got two RBI. First baseman Juan Miranda got his first hits of the season, a double and two singles, scored three runs, and got two RBI.

The most fun sequence to watch of the night began with a top of the 4th bunt by second baseman Shawn O’Malley. He simply danced around Charlotte first baseman Hector Gimenez to get to the base. Then he went to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Hudson and to third base on an infield ground out by Jesus Feliciano. He then scored the Bulls fifth run of the game on a wild pitch. Tim Beckham was at bat and went on to single and be brought home on a very pretty Brandon Guyer home run (his second of the year).

When Matt Torra first came to the Bulls last year he had a game or two where he had some problems. Then he settled down and had a great year for the Bulls. Last night he was being hit really, really hard. Fortunately, most of them were being gloved. After two home runs in the 6th he was pulled and you have to wonder why he even went out for the inning. Here’s hoping he settles down. Cesar Ramos bailed Torra out in the 6th but came on in the 7th and threw 9 straight balls. Worrisome. But he then got a K, ground out, and fly out. Very pleased to see Romulo Sanchez on the mound for the 8th after getting hit hard by a line drive a couple of nights ago. Three quick outs. He’s going to be an asset as long he stays with the Bulls.

Outside the game:

• Time to talk about the video board. It’s pretty, but it needs a couple of tweaks to make me happy. I’d like to see two things added: in-game stats and info on relief pitchers. I took a poll of those seated near me and they both agreed. I keep a scorecard, so I can glance down and see how a player is doing in the game. But it sure would be nice to see it up on the board. As for the pitchers, I know they get announced, but it would be nice to put something up and hold it while he’s warming up so we could get a sense of who’s out there.
• The Rays got a day off yesterday after only three games. That gives me the opportunity to mention the relentless nature of AAA baseball. The Bulls have played five games so far. They have two more at home and then hit the road for 14 more games before they get their first day off! That will be 21 games in 22 days. Meanwhile their astronomically better paid colleagues will have played in 19 games (9 at home, 10 on the road) with two days off).
• Adam Sobsey has an interesting interview with Dan Johnson at the Indy Week link. Worth a look.

Thriller in the Ninth

Game 3, Saturday, April 7, DBAP
Durham Bulls 6, Gwinnett Braves 5
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun
Season: 2-1; Games left in home stand: 4

Talk about ups and downs. The Bulls weren't exactly cruising, but at the top of the 9th we felt comfortable enough to start heading for the gate. New guy Romulo Sanchez had a good rep, so even if the Bulls were only up by one run, it seemed as if the game was in hand.

A walk, a hit batter, a sacrifice, and a single later, Mr. Sanchez was being helped off the field and the Bulls were down by one run with Braves on the corners. Cesar Ramos came in and gave up a walk, but got out of the inning on a double play. But with the score now 5-4 it sure looked like the Bulls were, at best, heading for another extra inning game.

Not so fast. Tim Beckham draws his second walk of the night to lead off the 9th. Brandon Guyer moves him to second. Matt Mangini singles Beckham in and is replaced by pinch runner Jesus Feliciano. Leslie Anderson's second double of the evening brings Feliciano around for the win.

This was the second come from behind win in the first three games.

There's nothing in Bryan Augenstein's recent history to show him to be a starting pitcher. In 2011, for example, he was in 26 AAA games, all but one as a reliever. And yet, after a tricky first inning when his own fielding error set up a run, he had a very impressive six innings. He finished out the 6th by striking out the side — 8 Ks, 0 walks, 1 ER. Of his 80 pitches, he threw 61 for strikes.

Recent arrival John Gaub didn't look all that great, but Brandon Gomes kept things on track until Sanchez' troubles in the 9th.

In the meantime, the Bulls collected their first extra base hits of the year. Brandon Guyer and Jeff Salazar hit home runs, Chris Gimenez had a double and, as mentioned, Leslie Anderson had two.

We saw Will Rhymes at third base last night and Shawn O'Malley at second base. O'Malley did just fine. Notable was a couple of heads up moments covering first base.

Anderson showed some flash with the glove and at bat. Trying to work his way back to the 40-man?

At the time of this writing, no news regarding Sanchez's injury.

The Braves Julio Teheran looked nothing like the pitcher we saw last year. The Bulls got to him by the 2nd inning, forcing the Braves once again deep into their bullpen.

Beautiful late afternoon game at the DBAP. Chris Archer tomorrow.

Outside the game:

• The DBAP comes in as #2 in AAA according to a new rating.
• The Biscuits lost to the Wahoos 4-5.
• After all the demolition, big changes underneath the stands. And changes coming on the outside.
• Josh Leuke, who sort of started the years with the Bulls, did not have an auspicious beginning as a Tampa Bay Ray reliever: 1 1/3 inning, gave up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks.

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