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.

One Hit Wonder

Season: 61-72; Home Stand: 2-3; Bulls v. Tides: 8-7

Home Games Remaining: 6; Standings; Wild Card

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Durham’s third batter of the night, Chris Gimenez batting as DH, hit a single to left field. That was it. He was the only Bull to get a hit for the entire night. For five innings the Tides’ Jake Arrieta pitched brilliantly until, with one out in the 6th, something went terribly wrong and he walked four batters in a row and let another in with a wild pitch. That was all of the scoring and that was enough. But you do have this weird statistical fluke on the record, a one-hit win.

In the meantime, Chris Archer had a simply outstanding evening, certainly the best I’ve seen him pitch since he came to Durham. Too bad that, if I’m guessing about the schedule correctly, we won’t have a chance to see him pitch again this season. At least we won’t be able to see him pitch in a Bulls uniform. He will undoubtedly be in a Rays uniform for at least September. And if they go into the playoffs?

Overall, a terrific pitching duel won and lost by the pitchers.

Note: Reliever Adam Liberatore had a nice evening. He and his colleague from Montgomery, Frank De Los Santos, have been pleasant additions to the team.

Outside the Game —

• Chris Kudialis, writing in the News & Observer, and following the lead of WDBB, has a nice feature on Leslie Anderson.
• Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez, who spent a couple of games with the Bulls back in 2009, will be back for a few days as part of some roster finagling on the part of the Rays. Trivia: he was part of the same deal that brought Alexander Torres to the Rays system.
• Matt Mangini has caught on with the Mobile BayBears, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ AA team. The Diamondbacks’ AAA team, the Reno Aces, is likely to win their division in the PCL. Bit of a stretch, but if Matt can get called up to Reno and Reno wins the PCL, he could be back at the DBAP next month.

Matchup

The Tides have a remote chance to get into the playoffs as a wild card selection. They've had a very good year. Notable is how much back and forth they have had with their parent club.

Roster Moves: Mangini & Conrad

Infielder Brooks Conrad cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Durham Bulls. That meant that someone had to go. The someone turned out to be infielder Matt Mangini.

Mangini had been the Bulls starting third baseman for most of the year, sharing duties with youngster Cole Figueroa.

Brooks Conrad just came down from Tampa Bay and was subsequently pushed off the 40-man to make room for Evan Longoria.

Torra Leads the Bulls

Evan Longoria tries to dodge an inside pitch on Saturday. Didn't.
Photo courtesy of Orin Day

Season: 55-60; Home Stand: 3-0; Bulls v. Braves: 10-8
Home Games Left: 16; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Matt Torra has brought a lot to the Bulls this year and we should acknowledge that. He doesn’t have a stunning ERA (but his 4.26 is the second best among the starters). He has pitched the most innings (118), tied for starting the most games (19), and accumulated the most wins (9). He was just fine last night, letting one run squeak across in the 1st and another in the 3rd. His unfortunate tendency to give up home runs was not in evidence although a few long balls went really long.

Meanwhile the Bulls scratched out three runs in the 2nd inning and that would be enough.

I can’t bring myself to overlook a bad call in the 5th. After a brilliant 12 pitch at bat at the top of the 5th, Rich Thompson singled to right field. According to the ump, he was then picked off. Thompson steals a lot of bases and he knows how to read pitchers. Certainly I am no one pontificate on the balk rule, but I’d say the opinions of everyone in the crowd were with Rich.

Rich Thompson is "helped" off the field by hitting coach Dave Myers while Charlie Montoyo reviews some of the finer points of the rules of baseball with umpire
(photo courtesy Orin Day)

Before that there was Stephen Vogt’s double followed by an “overslide” of second base in the 4th. Mr. Vogt’s a pretty big guy. Once he gets up to speed he sometimes finds it hard to stop. Ump had fun calling the play. I’m sure the folks in the dugout had fun calling the play as well.

A big play in the 6th, when Matt Mangini (playing third base for the first time in quite a while) pegged a ball over the head of Henry Wrigley at first, Wrigley chased it down and threw out the Brave who was  trying to go from first to home. Good hustle that made a difference.

Four wins in a row is a big deal for the Bulls. Congratulations guys.

Meanwhile a great ballplayer is not playing great baseball. Evan Longoria went 0-4, but did get on base when he was hit by a pitch. Otherwise, a K and two popups. At first base after the hbp, perhaps as professional courtesy, Gwinnett did not hold him on.

Outside the game —

• I believe that I’ve failed to report that the Bull is alive and well and smokin’ and blinkin’ and helping us celebrate these last three wins.
• Alexander Torres has been put on the disabled list. 

Nice bunch of photos here by Bulls fan (and Duke women’s basketball expert) Orin Day. Thanks Orin!

Wool E. Bull checks out the 9,000+ fans at the DBAP on Saturday night
 (Photo by Orin Day)

Longoria in a lighter moment August 3
(photo by Orin Day)

Grounds crew show how it's done in Durham, Saturday night
(photo by Orin Day)

Youth vs. Age

Season: 54-60; Home Stand: 2-0; Bulls v. Braves: 9-8

Home Games Left: 17; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

The Atlanta Braves have taken an interesting approach to dealing with their end-of-season minor league pitching needs. Looks like they may be thinking about re-naming the team something like the Gwinnett Geriatrics. Last night they started out with a 41-year old (Miguel Batista), followed by a 34 year old, a 30 year old, and finished with a 33 year old.

The Bulls, for their part, began with new guy Alex Colome (23), followed by a 25 year old, a 24 year old, and then finished with the senior member of the corps, 29 year old Dane De La Rosa.

Alex Colome was terrific in his AAA debut outing. Possibly a bit nervous at first, his first five pitches were in the 95 to 97 mph range, but four of the five were balls. But he had a very solid, 98 pitch outing. The guy who scared me was Frank De Los Santos. For the first time since showing up here, the lefty had some pretty serious trouble in the 8th, giving up a home run after letting two guys get on base. Fortunately that came after Stephen Vogt’s heroics in the 7th when his triple put two runs across. That was followed by a single by Leslie Anderson that sent Vogt home and then a Chris Gimenez double that sent Anderson home. Terrific inning that won the game for the Bulls.

Outside the game —

• A pretty good crowd came out to watch Evan Longoria strike out, draw a walk, and hit a fly ball and a grounder. From my seat in the stands, he does not look good. He made it to third base after his leadoff walk in the 4th and stood on the base through three batters (another story there, the Bulls left 10 runners on base last night). The whole time he was stretching and keeping his weight off his left leg. He has not been particularly helpful as a Bull, 3 for 19 in this visit (all singles), with 6 walks and 5 Ks. Just about the same as Hideki Matsui, who managed four RBIs during his visit. Reports are that he’s off to St. Petersburg soon.
• Matt Mangini is off the inactive list and expected to play soon.
• On the bench: Mangini, Wrigley, Thompson (defensive sub in the 9th for Anderson), and Ashley (Albernaz on DL). 
• Some chatter out there that former Bull RHP Jeff Niemann is well into his rehab as he recovers from a  broken leg. That could mean him showing up to pitch for the Bulls. Also note Maddon’s comments in the same item about possibly calling up Alex Colome.
• Down in Daytona Beach, Florida, the DJ got ejected from the game and the audio shut down for the rest of a game. Reason: DJ was playing, “Three Blind Mice.” Story. Video.

Being By a Bay is Better

Season: 51-58; Road Trip: 3-2; Bulls v. Tides: 6-5; Standings

Box, Wrap

For those interested in numerical anomalies we must note that the Bulls began this road trip by allowing their opponent to score 8 runs per game for three games in a row. Fortunately for the Bulls, the Bulls scored more than 8 runs in the first two games (10-8 and 16-8). Not so fortunate was the third game when the Bulls only scored one run (1-8) and really not so fortunate for the fourth game when the streak was broken in a 1-13 blowout down in Gwinnett.

After a trek across the Carolinas, the Bulls scored 8 runs for themselves over in Harbor Park, and the pitching achieved a rare shutout (only 7 shutouts in 109 games).

Chris Archer continued his comeback from his muscle strain. Talk about being cautious: 17 pitches on July 7 (date twinge was noted), 41 pitches on July 22, and 60 pitches in 4 innings last night (July 28). I was not able to listen, but the stats look very good, only 1 hit, 1 walk, and 3 Ks.

I guess I need to quit calling Frank De Los Santos a new guy. He has become a bright light in the bullpen. When he came up from Montgomery on June 22 he was handled as if he were going to be a lefty specialist. Possibly making a virtue of necessity, he’s been having mostly longer outings recently, picking up two holds and two wins in his last five outings. He’s up to 14 appearances, 17 innings, a 1.38 FIP, and an ERA of 1.58. Here’s hoping he stays healthy to the end.

Rich Thompson had a terrific night at bat: 4 hits, 2 RBI, 1 runs scored. Henry Wrigley continued on his tear going 2-4, with a sac fly and a RBI. No 

Outside the Game —

• Rich Thompson got some love from the N&O this morning
• With his single and double last night, Henry Wrigley moves into some interesting company among fellow Rays prospects.
• The mystery of Brandon Allen’s trip to the inactive list has been solved. Apparently he is off to Japan. Too bad. I thought he showed a lot of potential to help the Bulls this year, even if there’s a crowd at first base.
• I missed the last couple of games, thank goodness. Has anyone heard what the story is on Matt Mangini? Last time seen in a game on 10 days ago, he’s been on the inactive list since.

Rhymes on Roster; Mangini Inactive

Matt Mangini has been moved to the "temporary inactive" list, which makes room on the roster for Will Rhymes. The inactive list usually is used for family/personal needs absences. Guess we'll have to wait and see. See an earlier post for some of the background.

Nice Win; Tough Loss

Box, Wrap, Rochester Democrat

Season: 32-42; Trip: 4-3; Bulls v. Red Wings: 2-1; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Rochester Democrat

These last games have been great baseball for the Durham Bulls. Yes, they lost last night in the bottom of the 9th, but look at all those hits — 16 hits on Monday, 14 on Tuesday, 15 last night. We, of course, must give some credit to Red Wings pitching; nevertheless, I sure wish I’d been able to see the Bulls at work.

Among other highlights, Reid Brignac climbed up above the Mendoza line on Tuesday and stayed there yesterday. Leslie Anderson had an outage last night, but remains the top hitter in the IL. Chris Gimenez got his first home run of the season. Stephen Vogt got one hit to go with his season-best 4-hit night on Tuesday. Shawn O’Malley got an RBI as a pinch-hitter! Brandon Allen’s hitting well, Henry Wrigley’s doing OK, Matt Mangini’s looking good. 

Is it a turnaround for the team? Well, no, because pitching is still the heart of the game and the Bulls' starters are trouble there. But for the first time this year, the hitters are making a difference. And that makes for fun baseball.

Have to point out that the two runs scored against Brandon Gomes last night are the first runs he’s allowed since the 21st of May and that the run on that date was the only run he’s allowed this entire season! Bad luck and a good eye by Rochester’s Wilkin Ramirez made the difference in the game.

Outside the game

• The kerfuffle over Rays reliever Joel Peralta’s pine tarred glove will affect the Bulls. Assuming he’s suspended, we can expect the Rays to call up a reliever to fill in. Unless I misunderstand the rules (probable) Brandon Gomes has to stay here for a while before he can be called back. That leaves Dane De La Rosa, Alex Torres, and Josh Lueke available without messing with the Rays 40-man.
• Rich Thompson hasn’t left the bench yet.
• Chris Archer did just fine in his debut. He looked terrific, but suffered some bad luck in the first inning when former Bulls Johnson and Rodriguez botched a play. He went on to strike out 7 Nationals and did not allow a run after the first inning.
• BurGi over at Rays Prospects has updated his analysis of pitchers in the Rays system. Nice work.
• I have to admit that it sort of creeps me out to see folks measure luck, but that's what's out there over at Rays Index. Interesting analysis of Rays hitting this year. Hard to bring that kind of analysis into minor league ball, but not too different from what Chris D did for us a while back.

Series Split; Off to New York

Season: 30-41; Trip: 2-2; Bulls v. Iron Pigs: 2-2; Standings

Box, Wrap, Allentown Morning Call

Yes, the Bulls lost, but this one was an interesting, well-played game. Lance Pendleton had as good a start as could be expected. He went five full innings (95 pitches) and kept the Iron Pigs to one run. Romulo Sanchez went three scoreless innings for his longest stretch of the year. Josh Leuke kept them scoreless for the 9th and 10th, but couldn’t hang in the 11th. Running one man short among the relievers, and not expecting any help from Tampa Bay, keeping Leuke in the game made sense. But sure would have been nice if the Rays hadn’t pulled Gomes when they did, or at least sent a replacement.

Stephen Vogt, Matt Mangini and rehabbing Evan Longoria were not in the game. Would their slightly better bats have made a difference? Also hard to tell. The Bulls did not have a lot of opportunities against a pretty good Lehigh Valley pitching staff. 

The Iron Pigs second baseman Kevin Frendsen, who gave the Bulls fits all through the series, singled to start the 11th. Got to second base on a balk. And came home on a Jason Pridie single. That was enough.

Outside the game

• Brandon Gomes is coming back and a position player will be sent to join Tampa Bay in time for the Rays' Tuesday game in DC against the Nationals. That gives me an opportunity to guess wrong, again. I’m going with Rich Thompson, again.
• Wonder if the major leaguers will travel to Rochester with the Bulls or ride in greater style? Broadcaster Kinas probably said something about that but I missed it.
• The Bulls are off to Rochester to play the Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins AAA team. The last time the Bulls were in Rochester was just last month, but they were there to play the homeless Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Yankees. This time they are playing the actual residents of Frontier Field. The Red Wings are 32-37 and in fifth place in the six-team North Division of the International League.

Other Than Godzilla Being in the House ...

Season: 15-25; Home Stand: 0-1; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Matt Torra has an unfortunate tendency to give up home runs. Last night he gave up two more, making it an even dozen so far this year. What made it worse was that in the 1st inning after he’d gotten two outs he then walked and then hit a batter, then gave up the first homer. With two freebies, the three run homer really hurt. Then in the very next inning he walked a batter, then gave up a home run. Two hits, five runs. A deep hole to try to get out of.

In contrast, the Bulls also hit two home runs (Matt Mangini and Leslie Anderson), but the bases were empty.

One bright note was the first 3⅓ innings of Alexander Torres’ 4⅓ inning relief appearance. Torres was throwing strikes (6 Ks) and inducing ground balls. The only baserunner until the 9th was a hit batsman. But the 9th started out with 4 hits and two runs. Pitching coach Neil Allen made his obligatory trip to the mound (I wonder if any other pitcher on the Bulls has been visited by Allen more than Torres?). Still, no walks! Something of a breakthrough for Torres.

We also saw catcher Mayo Acosta make his Triple-A debut. He singled in his first at bat and drew a walk. Here’s a question. Coming up from A ball, I’d guess that Acosta had never caught Matt Torra before, but maybe in spring training. But he at least caught warmups. What about when Torres came in? Was the bottom of the 5th inning the first time that Torres had ever seen Acosta behind the plate? How can a pitcher trust a catcher he’s never even seen before?

I’ve been avoiding mentioning Reid Brignac since his return to the Bulls, but just have to say something about his awful night at the plate. He hit into two double plays to kill two rallies early on; struck out looking in the 6th, and hit weak grounder to second in the 8th with a runner in scoring position. Other than new guy Hideki Matsui, Brignac’s BA of .145 is the worst on the team.

Speaking of Matsui, 0-4, but one was a long shot to deep centerfield.

Outside the game

• I noted much earlier that the appearance of Hideki Matsui might even bring out the Raleigh News & Observer to the DBAP, and at first I thought that was the case. But then I checked the bylines on the N&O, Examiner, and IndyWeek stories. All by the same veteran sports writer Mike Potter.
• Over at WRAL they haven’t get gotten the memo sent out from St. Petersburg about five years ago, the team down there is called the Rays, not the Devil Rays.
• Hudson-Thompson trade. In yet another example of how little I understand about this game, the Rays have traded Kyle Hudson for Rich Thompson, who had one major league at bat (with the Royals) in 2004. He’s hitting .307/.390/.398, 7 SB, 0 home runs for Lehigh Valley this year. Stats. Hudson, on the other hand, is 6 years younger with more (but not much more, 28 ABs) major league experience and roughly the same batting numbers .291/.378.318, 7 SB, 0 HRs. So what was the point. Going to look a bit foolish if Hudson gets hot next month when the Bulls play Lehigh Valley. More on trade here, and he once made a movie.

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. 

End With a Win

Season: 11-20; Home Stand: 5-5; Standings
Box(1), Box (2), Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

At four o’clock Sunday the Bulls picked up where they left off in the rain on Saturday night, this time with Jhonny Nunez pitching and the Bulls still behind by three runs. Nunez left the bases loaded for Alexander Torres in the 6th by walking three batters, but Torres got a dribbler for a 1-3 putout to end the inning. In the 7th inning, after two outs, Torres loaded the bases himself on three walks before getting a comebacker end that inning. He ran out of luck in the 8th when two more of his BBs came in on two hits. He stayed on in the 9th and managed a 1-2-3 inning.

I’m sure that Mr. Torres is as much a puzzle to himself as he is to everyone close to him (and those of us up in the stands). So far there isn’t any hint that being moved to the bullpen makes a difference, although he’s only made two appearances. He was left in after those very messy 7th and 8th innings. Was that to save the bullpen or Torres’ confidence?

The seven-inning second game was much less frustrating. New guy Lance Pendleton had five solid innings. A terrific right field to third base throw by Jesus Feliciano in the 7th inning saved at least one run, possibly the game, for the Bulls, because Ryan Reid was not his usual sharp self.

Have to mention Craig Albernaz’ work in this game. First of all, there should be no doubt that he’s one of the best defenders in AAA. He showed that last night with a bullet to second base that caught Xavier Avery trying to take advantage of a slight bobble (could it have been intentional?). And he just has style. Ryan Reid came in with two outs in the 6th to face Norfolk’s Jamie Hoffman. Reid got to a 3-2 count and Hoffman fouled off the next pitch. On the next pitch Albernaz jumped up and began running toward the bench before the ump even called the strike and signaled the out. That’s style. Read on to see how well he can bunt.

This year’s Bulls need small ball innings like the 3rd. In that inning Jeff Salazer singled, moved to second base on a ground out sacrifice bunt by Albernaz, got to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a sac fly by Cole Figueroa. The home run by Matt Mangini an inning later was the difference in the game, but the little stuff is what’s going to keep the Bulls in games this year.

Really nice to end the home stand on a win. Here's hoping this road trip is better than the last.

Outside the game

• As mentioned yesterday, Cesar Ramos is off to the Rays to see if he can help there. Brandon Gomes will join the Bulls sometime later this week.
• There’s a Durham Bulls connection to that 17-inning Orioles-Red Sox game yesterday. The losing pitcher for Boston, outfielder Darnell McDonald, played for the Bulls in 2005 and 2006. Too bad he was essentially the last man standing up in Fenway yesterday (not that I mind the Red Sox losing, mind you).

Chart of the Day — Standings

In the International League South Division the Bulls ended their long slide and came back a bit. This will be an important trip for the Bulls.

click on chart for larger image

Best Bulls Game Yet

Season: 10-19; Home Stand: 4-4
Box, Wrap, Indy Week, Herald-Sun

Pitchers pitched, hitters hit, fielders fielded. What more could you ask for in a baseball game? A win? That too.

All in all a very satisfying game.

Alex Cobb had a couple of tough moments in the 6th and 7th innings. But he was helped out by decent fielding (and poor base-running) in the 6th and relief pitching in the 7th.

In that 7th lefty John Gaub came in for one batter and struck him out. Is he a LOOGY-in-training for the Rays?

He was followed by Dane De La Rosa who got the final out of the 7th inning and stayed for the 8th and 9th. De La Rosa made a terrific comeback from that disaster the night before last. Here he went 2⅓ with one BB and 4 Ks.

The hitters: Everyone got at least one hit except for Shawn O’Malley, but even O’Malley got an RBI with a grounder in the 2nd with Vogt on third base and one out. Of note was Stephen Vogt getting his first home run of the year, Reid Brignac hitting a double, and Matt Mangini a double. Brandon Guyer returned to the lineup and hit a couple of singles.

The fielding: Jeff Salazar made an important catch and then threw out a runner who was trying to make it from third to home. Pretty straightforward play, but nice to see. As was an astute play of a carom off the right field wall by Brandon Guyer in the 6th that held a Bat to a single.

A good day at the DBAP.

Outside the game

• A few days ago we provided a link that discussed the knuckleball. But whatever happened to the spitball? Inquiring minds want to know. And Tampa Bay’s Jim Hickey might have a couple of answers.

Chart of the Day — ERA

It's been quite a while since we looked at the team, starter, and reliever ERA trends. Things are getting better. Nice to see. Nevertheless, the team ERA of 5.29 is still the worst in the International League (behind Louisville at 4.96), so there's a ways to go to get back on track.

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 — 1

This looks like a very solid bunch of ballplayers led by a very experienced coaching staff.

Take as an example the story with two videos from WRAL yesterday. Manager Charley Montoyo gives us a few insights into his approach, that is, everybody plays, everybody stays ready to move up.

The Durham Herald-Sun focuses on the pitching staff, and it does look very, very good.

Mike Potter, one of my favorite local sports writer, gives his take over at The Examiner, and I find myself agreeing with most of what he says. I particularly like him pointing out that we have two local lads on the team. Along with pitcher Chris Archer, infielder Matt Magini comes from the Triangle. He played at Apex High and NC State.

The Apex Herald jumps in with its assessment.

Outside of the local folks, over at Rays Prospects they handed out grades for the Bulls:
Rotation - B, Bullpen - B, Catching - C, Infield - C, Outfield - D. So they obviously have some concerns.

But this is going to be a roster in transition for quite some time. I’ll get to more later, but for an example, yesterday, not long after the “Meet the Players” luncheon, catcher/utilityman Stephen Vogt was called up and reliever Josh Leuke is expected to be called up today. Outfielder Jeff Salazar is reported to be coming to the Bulls.

Vogt caught a plane last night and is playing today down in Florida. As much as I was looking forward to watching him play, I couldn't be happier for him.

Update: Here's a video of Stephen talking to the press today.

Stacy Long Goes to Spring Training

Stacy Long is a reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser and blogs about the Montgomery Biscuits, the Tampa Bay Rays AA team. He is, as far as I can tell, the only print reporter who goes to Port Charlotte to see what’s going on in minor league camp. I’d been wondering if he was going to be able to make it down there this year, and he has. He is a terrific writer with a good sense of humor. If you are wondering who might be in line to show up later this summer as a Durham Bull, you can do no better than keeping an eye on Biscuit Crumbs. Link also at my sidebar.

Over on his blog yesterday he reported that catcher Craig Albernaz, just about my all-time favorite Durham Bulls catcher, has just been sent down to minor league camp.  Four other ballplayers, pitchers Jhonny Nunez and Romulo Sanchez, infielder Matt Mangini and outfielder Brad Coon were also sent down. All of those, with the possible exception of Albernaz are very likely to be in a Bulls uniform at the start of the season. Although Craig has spent a good bit of time in Durham over the years, by far most of his time has been in Montgomery. The Rays seem to like him there where he can help bring young pitchers along.

Long quotes Joe Maddon as saying: “He’s [Albernaz] been a big part of our success just by what he does on a daily basis. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He doesn’t complain about the workload. This guy has coach written all over him.”

In an even more recent post, Long quotes Rays GM Anthony Friedman as saying Matt Bush won’t be playing for the Rays, hence not for the Bulls, this year. “I think it’s safe to say that he’s not going to play for us on the field.”

In his story in the Advertiser, Long reports on the competition between former Biscuits (and former Bulls) Jeff Neimann and Wade Davis for a starting pitching slot.

Great stuff. Good reporter.

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.

Hemstitiching: More on Mangini, Hayhurst Opines, and Dress Codes

Hubble Advent Calendar, Day 13

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.

• As mentioned earlier, we think there’s a good chance Bulls fans will get to see Matt Mangini play for the Durham Bulls next year. Sure would be fun to see two local lads (Matt is from Holly Springs, RHP Chris Archer is from Clayton) on the field together. Certainly the Bulls front office would like to see that happen. Why is he available? That is not entirely clear. He was the Tacoma Rainiers’ (the Seattle AAA team) MVP in 2010, with very solid numbers. But looks like 2011 was a bit of a nightmare for Matt with quad injuries that must not have healed properly and then a concussion in July. As to why the Mariners released him, someone who knows the team better than I would have to guess at that. I’d speculate that they were happy with their 1B/3B situation and needed to make room on their 40-man. Played for Apex High School, NC State, and Oklahoma State before being drafted by the Mariners. Interesting mid-2010 interview here. I wish Matt well at Spring Training, but it sure would be nice for the Bulls to have a solid player at 3B for a change. For that matter, with Dan Johnson gone and (in my modest opinion) Leslie Anderson not working out, 1B would be interesting.
• Former Bull Dirk Hayhurst is providing an insider’s view of the Ryan Braun situation and the Pujols and Matt Moore deals while he waits for his new book to hit the street and obsesses about the greyhound he rescued.
• And then there’s the dress codes that have been established for baseball's sports writers. Who knew? Who cared? But it is interesting to learn that there’s not supposed to be any cheering in the press box.