The Durham Bulls in 2013 — Pitchers — Part 2

This continues our look at the Durham Bulls pitchers for 2013. They are discussed in the innings-pitched sequence shown in the table in Part 1. Charts in this post exclude a couple of pitchers who will be discussed when we get to them: Craig Albernaz, Matt Moore, Austin Hubbard, and Braulio Lara.

Durham Bulls Pitchers, 2013
click for larger image

Steve Geltz (RHRP) came to the Bulls out of the Angels system and made his first appearance with the team on April 6 (and got one of his 5 wins). He had the most innings of any of the relief corps (67) and appeared in 41 games. He was arguably the best of the relievers (not counting the closer crew of Lueke and Yates, but even there Geltz had 3 saves). Middle relievers are notoriously hard to evaluate. But Geltz has two stats that jump out at you. His Walks and Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) was an impressive 0.85, the best on the team among the regular pitchers, and his ERA was 2.82. The majority of games he appeared in the Bulls won (26 out of 41). The mystery will be, of course, if he can get a contract and an invitation to spring training next year. He should. Stats.

Kirby Yates (RHRP) had a great year, as we’ve discussed a few times. If he seemed a bit tired near the end, he did pick up four (!) saves in postseason play. Stunning WHIP, ERA, and FIP numbers over his 61⅔ innings and 51 appearances. Fortunately for the Bulls, if not for him, he was not on the 40-man, so he was with the Bulls all year. Next year? The Bulls can hope. The Rays may be coming up on a decision time for him. Stats.

Adam Liberatore (LHRP) was in a lot of games (43) for quite a few innings (60) mostly in short relief and occasionally in a left-on-left situation. Most years we have not seen the Bulls play matchup very often, but this year when there were sometimes four lefties available (Liberatore, Beliveau, De Los Santos, and Riefenhauser) we saw more matchup appearances. His numbers are sort of middle of the pack for the 2013 Bulls, which means they are pretty good. A particularly low FIP of 2.42 means that the coaches are likely to be talking about what else he’s got. He could make it to the 40-man or be part of a trade package in the off-season. Stats.

Josh Lueke (RHRP) did a terrific job for the Bulls all year, making him and Kirby Yates an almost unbeatable team at the end of a game. His 17 saves matched up with Yates’ 20. Lueke got called up 4 times during the year. He appeared in 19 games for the Rays with an ERA of 5.06 and a WHIP of 1.64, nothing approaching his numbers for the Bulls. On the other hand, it doesn’t look like the Rays were using him in save situations. A very deliberate presence on the mound, he could be irritating if you were ready to go home, but going home with a win was worth it. Not on first round post-season roster for Rays. Stats.

Chris Archer (RHSP) started the season with the Durham Bulls and pitched in 10 games, not particularly successfully. But he was very likely working on specific pitches and waiting for his opportunity with the Rays. When that came in late May, he was off and not looking back. As a Ray he’s accumulated a very respectable (great!) 9-7 record, ERA 3.22 over 23 starts. He is on the Rays’ post-season roster and will be starting one of the early games of the ALDS. We won’t see him back in Durham except as a visitor. Stats.

Cory Wade (RHRP) was a Bull back in 2011 and we were pleased to see the Bulls pick him up during the confusion of mid-May. We also thought he’d be working hard to get back on a major league team. He did just fine, including several crucial spot starts. His ERA of 2.17 over 30 games and 50 innings was superb, the third best among the regulars. When it apparently became clear to him in late August that he was not going to get added to the Rays’ 40-man, he was released. He finishied out the season with the New York Mets Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s. Maybe he will make it back as a Met next year. Stats.

Alex Torres (LHSP/RP) has been with the Bulls for parts of three seasons. We have been quite critical of the young man, especially as he struggled through last season with an ERA of 7.30 over 26 games and 69 innings. Rumor at the beginning of 2013 was that he had worked something out over the winter. That was surely the way it looked in his 9 games he started with the Bulls this spring. His ERA wasn’t great, but his WHIP was, for Torres, an exceptional 1.20. Other metrics looked just fine. The Rays, however, had an eye on him as a left-handed reliever. He went up in mid-May, came back for two games, and went back up after a late May game. With the Rays he’s appeared in 39 games, all in relief. He has had an extraordinary WHIP of 0.90 and an equally exceptional ERA of 1.71. He is on the post-season roster and unlikely to be back in a Bulls uniform any time soon. He is a great example of how fans can almost never really get a grip on a ballplayer’s potential. Folks in the Rays system did not give up on Torres and he has paid them back. Stats.

Jeff Beliveau (LHRP) joined the Bulls a couple of weeks into the season. From the stands we always perceived him as a left-handed reliever-in-waiting and he made numerous trips to the Rays during the season. But he did not get into a game until September, after the Bulls season was over. Used almost exclusively in short relief, at the end of the season we realized, much like Steve Geltz, that he was one the the guys who really made a difference this year. Some of his metrics are on the high end, but he was a pretty reliable guy. Unless he gets involved in some trading activity, we’d guess he’ll be back with Durham next year. Fine with us if he is. Stats.

Jim Paduch (RHSP/RP) didn’t have all that good a year with the Bulls in 2012, but who did? So we weren’t too worried about him coming back this year. He won his first game pitching in relief of Mike Montgomery, but things really did not look all that good in his next several games. His best game was at the end of May, but by then it was too late. He was offered at job in Montgomery, but decided to retire instead. Always seemed like a nice guy to me, and he had a terrific backstory of getting up to AAA by way of several seasons in independent ball. But it wasn’t working out. Good luck, Jim. Stats.

Will Inman had a decent enough 2012 with the Pawtucket Red Sox, so he seemed a reasonable choice to help fill out the Bulls bullpen this year. But he wasn’t very impressive from the start and, while he didn’t have any truly disastrous innings, over time the bad news seemed to accumulate. By June his ERA was up to 6.47. He left the game with an injury on June 3, pitched in three more after coming off the DL, and was released in late June. Stats.

Frank De Los Santos (LHRP) is a pitcher who seems to have been around a very long time. But he actually hasn’t. He is only 25 years old. He just can’t seem to stay healthy. This year was no exception. He did appear in 26 games, but for just 32 innings. There were a couple of moments in 2012 where he looked very, very good. But we did not see any of that in this year's games. He appeared in 11 games, went on the DL, came back in early July and appeared in 15 more games. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox at season’s end. If he’d ever been truly healthy my guess is that he could have been something special. Stats.

Juan Sandoval (RHRP) spent most of his year with the Montgomery Biscuits (46 games/58 innings). But he sure was handy when he visited the Bulls. The first time was a stretch from late May to late June (11 games/19 innings) when he posted some good numbers and only got in trouble once. Then he came back at the end of the season for a desperately needed spot start in a end-of-season double header. In the Bulls’ post-season he was perfect over 4⅓ innings. At 32, Sandoval is famously coming back from serious injury and a lot of time in the Mexican League. Can he stick at AAA? Maybe we will find out next year. Stats.

C.J. Riefenhauser (LHRP) came up from Montgomery at the beginning of July and yet only appeared in 17 games and just 21 innings. He did OK, but each year of his professional career he’s been pitching fewer and fewer innings (2011 - 138, 2012 - 114, 2013 - 73). That leads to concerns about his fundamental strength and durability. He had one of the better WHIP (1.06) of the Bulls and if his time in Montgomery is included it was superb (0.83). Maybe it’s just a matter of opportunity. We’ll have to see next year. Stats.

Brandon Gomes (RHRP) spent a couple of weeks with the Bulls in August as he was working his way back to the Rays. Probably more time than he really needed, but the Rays were manipulating their roster at the time and Gomes had options left. He was very helpful as he pitched 10⅓ innings over 9 games with a WHIP of just 0.77. Stats.

Enny Romero (LHSP) was in only one regular season game for the Bulls, but that was a brilliant 8-inning shutout of the Norfolk Tides the last game of the year. He went on to pitch 2 innings in relief in the playoffs and after the AAA season’s end got called up to the Rays for one game start against Baltimore where he got a win. He had an excellent year in Montgomery, so we can expect him to start 2014 as a top Rays prospect, possibly with the Bulls. He is now on the Rays’ 40-man, although he was not at the end of the Bulls’ season. Stats.

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Players Not in the Charts

Ramon Ramirez (RHRP) was hired by the Rays in mid-July in what has to be described as a speculative flyer. At the time, however, there were a lot of Rays pitchers with injury problems. Ramirez appeared in just 6 games for the Bulls and pitched only 6 innings before being released at the end of the month. Stats.

Matt Moore (LHSP) had a one-game, 4-inning rehab appearance on August 29. Didn’t do all that great, but the Bulls won the game against the Braves 7-6. Adam Liberatore got the win. Box.

Craig Albernaz is a catcher, not a pitcher, but he did have three appearances on the mound this year and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and recording 2 strikeouts. Not one walk. Well done!

Braulio Lara (LHRP) came up from Montgomery at the very end of the season and pitched 3 innings in relief of Juan Sandoval, who had come up to pitch in that same game. He had a busy 45 game, 72 inning year in Montgomery, but did not have all that strong a set of numbers (ERA 4.38, WHIP 1.54). Stats.

Austin Hubbard (RHRP) came up from Single A Charlotte for just one game in mid-May when the Bulls were on the road in Rochester. The Red Wings scored 5 runs off of him in just ⅔ of an inning (they had earlier scored 5 runs in one inning off of Jim Paduch). He then went off to Montgomery where he had 31 more  not particularly good innings on the year. The relentless arithmetic of baseball stats left him with the highest ERA of any Bull this year (67.5) and the lowest number of innings pitched (⅔). No surprise if you think about it. Stats.

Players, Programs, Etc.

In remembrance of ... yesterday ... more moves.

• Jim Paduch has been sent to Montgomery. Punishment for finally having a good game? That's what happens when good things get said.
• Jeff Beliveau is coming back from wherever the Rays were this time (Cleveland) after not pitching again.
• Alex Torres (to have been tonight's starter) has been called up. He is pitching as I type this.
• Josh Lueke is coming back after a pretty good midnight special last night.

There are days when I think this stuff isn’t worth keeping track of. Why don't we just go to the game and see who shows up in a Bulls uniform?

Paduch Pitching; Bulls Banging

Game 55, May 31	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rail Riders (Yankees)	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	4	7	3
Durham Bulls (Rays)	1	0	1	1	2	2	1	0	x	8	14	0

Season: 35-20; Home Stand: 5-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Jim Paduch had by far his best game of the year last night. In fact, if it weren’t for those two pesky home runs by Rail Rider Thomas Neal, Paduch would have had a no-hitter through five innings and 3-hitter through six. The 7th didn’t go so well, with the RRs getting yet another homer and putting three more guys on base before he left the game for new guy Matt Buschmann. So the numbers aren’t great, but after all the criticism we have made of Mr. Paduch, we are happy to say that last night he looked just great. Well-done!

Please, please respect the streak. All the streaks. The team is looking simply superb. Three triples last night, by Jason Bourgeois, Tim Beckham, and Cole Figueroa. Three stolen bases, by Rich Thompson, Jason Bourgeois, and Brandon Guyer. A boomer by Brandon Guyer. And then Tim Beckham channeled Fernando Perez at home plate just to top things off. See the nifty video below.

Outside the game —

• If you don’t get to a game in this home stand, do what you can to get your hands on a program. It has a terrific feature on Charlie Montoyo and his 500 wins. A couple of great quotes and a trivia-lover’s delight.
• I failed to bring a spare battery, so I was without a radio at last night’s game. And then the scoreboard went out. There I was with just my scorebook to follow the game. You get used to those aids: being able to check the pitch count, in game stats, etc. Even glanced up one time and noticed a side-arming RR pitcher. When did he come in the game? (Beginning of the inning as my wife informed me). 
• To be perfectly honest I can’t quite get my head around what they are up to over at Bull City Summer. That’s probably my problem. I sometimes can't figure out what I'm up to here. Essay on Tommy John surgery, with video, a bit creepy, and yet fascinating. Video trailer pretty nifty. There's an oddly self-referential feel to all of it: Watch me watching baseball watching me watching baseball. Is baseball art? Is it only art if artists are watching it? Is the art in the watching the watchers? Worth keeping an eye on or setting your RSS feed to keep up with it. That's what I'm doing.

Enjoy Tim’s dance.

Durham Bulls Pitching ... and Today's Matchup

Catcher Craig Albernaz made his first 2013 appearance as a pitcher last night. I like Mr. Albernaz and I think he’s actually a decent pitcher, but his presence on the mound speaks to more than just the perception that the game was a lost cause.

Let’s try to track the changes among the Bulls pitching staff. Josh Lueke was called up when when the Rays’ Brandon Gomes went on the DL. He’s had three appearances since getting there and is doing just fine. That same day Bulls reliever Frank De Los Santos went on the disabled list.

A few days later the Rays signed reliever Cory Wade to fill one of the holes in the bullpen. He has had two appearances and looks OK, even though he coughed up one of the many, many home runs the Bulls offered up to the Rochester Red Wings.

The Bulls were still one pitcher short.

Then the Rays called up the Bulls best starting pitcher, Alex Torres, and put him in to throw five pitches to get the last out of a lost game Thursday evening. He was called up because starting pitcher David Price went on the DL. (Does a ⅓ inning relief appearance in replacement for David Price make any sense to you? No? Me, either.)

The Rays, apparently offering a AAA “cup of coffee” to Single-A reliever, Austin Hubbard, sent him from the Charlotte Stone Crabs up to Rochester to lend the Bulls a hand. Not so helpful — an awful ⅔ of an inning last night — 5 runs on 4 hits and three walks for a stunning ERA of 67.50.

A consequence of this turmoil (I haven’t mentioned Chris Archer’s troubles) is that Jim Paduch keeps getting called on to start games or come in for a long relief session — and Paduch is by far the least effective member of this year’s Bulls staff.

And the Bulls are still short a pitcher (remember, no replacement for De Los Santos was ever named). Hence Craig Albernaz on the mound.

And even if Torres only stays with the Rays for a few days, he would be out of any rotation for at least a week.

The Rays giveth, Cory Wade and Austin Hubbard; the Rays taketh away, Josh Lueke and Alex Torres; some players get broken, Frank De Los Santos, Mike Montgomery.

As this picture of ERA trends shows, this ain’t looking good at all.

Matching Up 

The Orioles farm team, the Norfolk Tides have been on quite a ride over the last couple of weeks and are now 4 games ahead of the Bulls in the South Division. Statistically, they are similar teams. Their pitching seems to be improving. Only two games, then the Bulls are out of town so that the ACC can rip up the turf of the DBAP.

May 18, 2013	W-L	RS	RA	Diff	BA	OPS	ERA
Norfolk	29-13	232	195	37	.279	.801	3.95
Durham	25-17	223	176	47	.275	.751	3.84

UPDATE: Forgot to add the rumor that Jake Odorizzi will be the actual call up for Price. That means the Bulls will be 2 pitchers in the hole while they wait for Torres to come back.

Pitiful

Game 36, May 11, DBAP	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs	0	0	1	1	0	0	7	0	0	9	13	2
Durham Bulls	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	8	0

Season: 22-14; Home Stand: 2-4
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Pitiful, just pitiful. Pitchers Chris Archer, Jim Paduch, and Will Inman combined to put on the worst pitching performance of the year. Each pitcher managed to load up the bases and then walk in a run — Inman walked in two. When the IronPigs’ Cody Asche hit a grand slam in the 7th, it was a mercy killing.

Baseball doesn’t care about yesterday. Good thing.

Not that it would have mattered last night, but I'm wondering if the Rays' are ever going to refill the Bulls' bullpen?

As long as I’m ranting, am I the only one who’s annoyed by Wil Myers’ showy bat toss? Last night he did it after a pitch coming in on a 3-2 count and he trotted toward first base. The ump called the pitch a strike and an out. (Myers had 3 Ks last night). He did it again on a long fly ball to center field — that was caught. When he gets to the majors he’s gonna get drilled. Might even happen in AAA. Of course, he’d have to be more of a threat than he’s been so far.

Blame It on the Rain or Maybe Just Maya

Game 31; Monday, May 6; Durham Bulls Athletic Park

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Syracuse Chiefs (Nationals)	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	6	2
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	2

Season: 20-11; Home Stand: 0-1

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The last time the Bulls faced Syracuse’s Yunesky Maya (just last Tuesday) they really roughed him up — 5 hits for 5 runs. This time the Bulls never came close to figuring him out. The end result was the first Bulls shutout of the season. 

As regular readers know, many (most?) of WDBB’s opinions miss the point. However, last Friday’s post led off with a paragraph expressing our concerns about Jim Paduch. Things didn’t get any better last night. When Chris Archer couldn’t start, Paduch got thrown into the breach. Apparently, Montoyo had little choice in the matter. Let’s blame it on the weather. 

Let’s blame just about everything thing on the weather. I’m guessing that because of the rain the Bulls couldn’t take batting practice. Consequently new guy Shelley Duncan didn’t get any swings in. It showed. 2 K’s, 2 fly balls. The rain might have kept Archer from warming up properly or led to worries about, oh, everything. Maybe Myers wouldn’t have made an error or run into Bourgeois.

I confess that after 5 innings I climbed up to Tobacco Road to get a late supper. I watched most of the rest of the game from there. That meant that I got a slightly different view of the collision between Wil Myers and Jason Bourgeois in center field. That perspective leads me to what has to be labeled as pure opinion. For that play and for what we’ve seen so far this season, I’m unimpressed with young Mr. Myers. According to the Herald-Sun, Bourgeois and Myers were making nice to each other in the clubhouse, but from my view from up on the wall that ball was the center fielder’s without any doubt, not the right fielder’s. Myers had already botched the play in the 3rd inning that let a run score. And 2 Ks on the night. His .275 BA is unimpressive (6th on the team). Give him credit for 17 RBI and durability, he’s leads the team in game appearances. But he also leads the team in K’s, 37 of them. So, I’m not saying he won’t be a great ballplayer, he probably will. But seems like he’s pressing awfully hard and he isn’t, yet, a great Durham Bull.

After Bourgeois had to come out of the game, catcher Juan Apodaca went to first base, Leslie Anderson moved from first base to left field, and Rich Thompson moved to center field. In nine seasons as a pro, this was the first time Apodaca had ever played first base. In fact, the record shows exclusively catching experience. Wonder where he got the glove?

Outside the game —

• Catcher Craig Albernaz has been sent to “Hudson Valley”. For those new to WDBB and the Bulls, that means he’s off the Bulls roster and on the roster of a Rays short season team up in New York. But it doesn’t mean he’s gone anywhere. It was a paper move to make room for Shelley Duncan. As to why they moved Albernaz and not another ballplayer, ask the Rays.
• Only for the very strong of stomach. A video at Rays Index shows in graphic detail what one pitcher’s arm/elbow goes through throwing a ball. Baseball is not supposed to be a blood sport, but that video is really, really hard to watch and make me wonder a bit about what these guys go through just to entertain us.

Trouble On the Island

Season: 18-9; Road Trip: 3-2
Wrap, Box, Pawtucket Times

Is it time to start worrying about Jim Paduch? He is not having a very good year at all. And his pitching schedule is erratic. His best day was his first day back on April 7 when he went 3⅓ innings and only gave up two hits. He had one more pretty good appearance, then the next four have been trouble, including a gap from April 13 to April 21 another gap from April 25 to May 2. My guess is that there’s something wrong, but that is obviously guesswork. What isn’t guesswork is that the last four games he’s appeared in the Bulls have lost. That implies that (1) his luck is really awful or (2) he’s going into games that the management thinks are marginal.

Last year Mr. Paduch played a vital role as a starter and general go-to guy in a year that saw plenty of struggles among the starting pitchers. This is the first year that he’s been exclusively out of the pen and it really doesn’t seem to be going all that well.

To answer my lead question: Yes, it is.

Meanwhile, Alex Torres had an ugly 3rd inning and the Bulls had their most lop-sided loss of the year. Today’s a new day, a new game, shake it off.

South Division Standings

While we weren’t watching, the Norfolk Tides won seven games in a row and are now tied with the Bulls for first place in the South Division. Note that Charlotte’s been having tough time of it lately.

click chart for larger image

And Starting at Shortstop Is ...

Season: 14-7; Home Stand: 6-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Tampa Bay’s inability/unwillingness to replace injured shortstop Hak-Ju Lee came back to bite the Bulls last night. When Thursday’s shortstop Mike Fontenot came out of the game after three innings with hamstring tightness the bench consisted of just catchers Craig Albernaz and Juan Apodaca, plus outfielder Rich Thompson. The Bulls only spare infielder was already in the game as DH, hot-hitting Vince Belnome. Just-returned manager Charlie Montoyo put Craig Albernaz in as catcher, moved Chris Gimenez to third base, and moved Cole Figueroa over to short.

Did it matter? Maybe. The headline story of the game was all the noisy home runs — 5 by Toledo and 2 by the Bulls. But there’s the side story of Toledo not scouting Albernaz properly and trying to steal on him. Albernaz has one of the best arms in baseball and he easily threw Toledo’s Kevin Russo out. On the other hand, Chris Gimenez’s error at third cost the Bulls a run. Plus, neither he nor Albernaz had a good day at bat. Gimenez was 0-5 and Albernaz was 0-3. Fontenot had doubled in two runs before coming out of the game

Hard to figure why the wait to fill Lee’s spot. Maybe something will happen before the Bulls head to Syracuse tomorrow.

Nice to see Jim Paduch back in shape. Yes, he gave up some runs. But he also lasted four innings. Much, much better than his four-pitch outing a couple of days ago.

Lastly, a small puzzle. When did Brandon Guyer turn into a runner instead of a hitter? He again had a bunt single last night and he stole a base (his third). Back before his year on the DL his image in Durham (2011) was as a power hitter. Have I missed something? Maybe he's just going back to his 2009-2010 form where he stole 30 bases each year in AA and AAA.

Bulls Chill Out

Season: 12-6; Home Stand: 4-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

We won’t see these Tides again until about this time next month (two games) and then we won’t see them until early July. Good. I don’t like the color of their uniforms.

I’m no great fan of the cold, and I know it’s been much colder elsewhere in the International League, but last night just wasn’t much fun. And that was before the Bulls ended the first inning with bases loaded but no runs scored and the second inning with the bases loaded but no runs. Overall, in spite of Norfolk’s Jar Jurrjens looking unimpressive from a distance, at the end of the day the Bulls 7 hits were all singles and only one of his 4 walks scored.

The Bulls used seven pitchers in the loss which either represents some of them needing work before the day off or possible problems. If problems, one of them might be Jim Paduch. He had not pitched since April 14. He came last night's game with a runner on 2B. He faced two batters, gave up two singles and two runs on four pitches. Back in that April 14 game he had troubles as well, giving up the walk-off home run that ended an 11 inning game. Bad luck or something more serious?

Paduch left the game for new guy, Jeff Beliveau who has a reputation as being a left-handed specialist. He did just fine, but between them Will Inman and Adam Liberatore gave up the three runs that essentially closed out the game.

Outside the game —

• The Bulls went into the game with only three position players available, two catchers (Albernaz and Apodaca) and an outfielder (Jason Bourgeois). You have to figure that someone’s going to be added soon. 
• Speculation in the stands was that the Biscuits’s Sean O’Malley was the most likely candidate for a callup. He’s having a pretty good year.
• According to the Herald-Sun, Hak-Ju Lee is not in St. Petersburg, but was at the game yesterday. He is to head to St. Pete soon for a full examination.

Who’s On the Mound? The Bulls 2013 Roster - 2

I am having trouble figuring out which pitchers are likely to be with the Bulls on opening day, particularly after I check their online roster and see 17 pitchers listed. How many of them are going to get on the bus for Norfolk next Wednesday (or will it be early Thursday morning)? I’m going to chop the list down to 13 just to give everyone of taste of how great the beginning of the year could be. Players on the Tampa Bay Ray 40-man are marked with asterisks. Note that there are eight of them on this list, including five of our potential starters! That has to be a first.

Also, please note that even at AAA the distinction between a “starter” and a “reliever” can be fuzzy. Heck, that can be fuzzy in the majors. As of today, the Rays have yet to choose their fifth starter.

Starters

• Chris Archer* is a first-rate, major league-ready pitcher. Sometime this season he will go up to the Rays and not come back. So check the schedule and make sure you get to the DBAP and see him pitch this spring. He did a fine job for the Bulls last season
• Jake Odorizzi* is new to the Rays system, but comes out of the Royals system with spectacular credentials. Stats. 
• Alex Torres* has been a top prospect in the Rays system for what seems like forever. Last year was awful. He is the only pitcher in this year’s starting lineup that worries me. But I’ve been wrong before. I hope that I am and Mr. Torres has somehow found his groove for 2013.
• Alex Colome* could easily start the year in Montgomery (with the Rays AA team the Montgomery Biscuits) or the Bulls. He did get a few innings in with the Rays in spring training. Stats.
• Mike Montgomery* is also over from the Royals and appeared in 17 games with their AAA team last year. Less impressive stats than the rest.
• Jim Paduch doesn’t quite fit any particular mold. At 30 he may end up in long relief, a spot starter, or a full-time starter if the Rays want to start the season with someone else down in AA instead of AAA. Not a great year in 2012, but he sure ate up a lot of innings.

Relievers

• Brandon Gomes* shouldn’t be with the Bulls, but he is and we are happy to have him. You can be sure that Montoyo and Neil Allen will put him to work. He is a terrific pitcher and is probably here only because of some quirk in the business of baseball.
• Josh Leuke* has decent stats, but we were really disappointed in his performance at the end of last year. He got a bit more playing time in major league spring training than most, so he must be looking pretty good this year.
• Frank De Los Santos* only pitched an inning major league camp and we have no data on the rest of the spring. Happy to have him back, but wonder if he's healthy.
• Adam Liberatore. I’m a big fan of Adam Liberatore. He had spectacular numbers with the Bulls last year. Here’s hoping he progresses this year.
• Will Inman is out of the Milwaukee, Padres, and Boston systems — and he’s only 25 years old! He did a heck of a job for Pawtucket last year, appearing in 35 games and keeping his ERA down at 2.23. Stats.
• Juan Sandoval is the famous blind-in-one-eye reliever who got a lot of press in spring training. He spent the last two years in the AAA Mexican League. Could be a lot of fun to watch. Stats.
• Steve Geltz is a very, very recent addition to the Rays system, out of the Angels in trade for Bull Dane De La Rosa. As noted elsewhere, in spite of his good numbers as a Bull, De La Rosa appeared to have lost the confidence of the Rays. Geltz could be fun to watch. Stats.

In sum, even if I’m wrong about one or two of these guys being on the opening day roster (imagine that!) , this is an amazing list. We could be in for some great baseball this year.

Next — start working on your lineups ...

Who Should Durham Bulls Fans Watch This Spring?

Spring is Almost Here!

Four days from now the pitchers and catchers report for Rays Spring Training in Port Charlotte, Florida. Who should we be watching?

The 2013 Durham Bulls will be built almost entirely from the the players on the Rays 40-man roster and the 24 players on the non-roster invitation list. The Rays need to get down to 25 players at the end of Spring Training. The Bulls usually carry *(see update note) 25 players on their roster. So, just to demonstrate my extraordinary skills at arithmetic: 64 guys in Spring Training, 50 jobs — 14 guys are not going to be in either a Rays or Bulls uniform come April. 

The non-roster invitees are an interesting class of ballplayer. Some are youngsters at Spring Training to get a “taste” of the big leagues (e.g., Mark Thomas), some are players with a good bit of big league time trying to crack into the 40-man (e.g., Shelley Duncan), others are “players in waiting” the Rays have kept off the 40-man, but who will surely go to the majors some day, perhaps even by the end of Spring Training (e.g., Wil Myers), and some are AAA professionals who might be able to fill at some time next year and whom the Rays want keep looking at (e.g., Leslie Anderson and Rich Thompson). Some have contracts that have room for re-negotiation at the end of Spring Training and/or mid-season.

Once Spring Training starts we will start seeing box scores of the major league teams, but nobody will be covering the minor league training camp unless Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser decides to visit. That will not matter too much to us because an oddity of Spring Training is that, for Bulls fans, most of the action is over in the big league camp. 

Who should we be watching? Lets take it position-by-position. Players in bold spent some time in Durham last year. Players with an asterisk are on the 40-man.

Catchers

Initially the Rays will have seven catchers in camp, but they will eventually get down to two to start the season. Why so many? Because they start camp with 34(!) pitchers. As the pitchers drop off the roster, so will the catchers.

• *Robinson Chirinos. Chirinos suffered a concussion at 2012 Spring Training and is still recovering. He played some winter league ball. Best guess, the Bulls or the Biscuits as he continues to recover.
• *Chris Gimenez. The Rays #3 catcher this year. Maybe with the Bulls early on.
• *Steven Vogt. Likely his last shot to get some traction with the Rays as a catcher. Else he will move to 1B or outfield. In the meantime he’s more than good enough to work with these platoons of pitchers.
• Mark Thomas. Getting his taste. Likely to start year in Montgomery.
• Craig Albernaz. Hard to say where he will end up. Albernaz seems to be functioning more as a playing coach than a catcher these last couple of years. Possibly Durham. I hope so. I like watching him at work.

Infielders

Even though the Rays dropped two infielders last week, they still have 10 on the 40-man and 5 more on the NRI list. Who should Bulls fans be watching this Spring?

• *Tim Beckham spent all of last year with the Bulls (except for his unfortunate sequestration in the Coventry of drug rehabilitation). I’m guessing he will be competing for a 2B job back with the Bulls.
• *Hak-Ju Lee is getting a taste and is likely to be the Bulls starting shortstop.
• Leslie Anderson got a last minute invitation. Probable Bull.
• Cole Figueroa and Shawn O’Malley are both well-liked by WDBB. Hope they make it back to Durham.
• Mike Fontenot spent last year with the Phillies and the Iron Pigs. 

Outfielders

The Rays outfield lacks depth, so this could be an interesting list to watch. Much depends on Brandon Guyer’s health. At least one of these players has a shot at staying with the Rays. All of the rest could end up in Durham. Note that none are on 40-man and only one has played as a Bull. However, both Stephen Vogt and Leslie Anderson on other lists have spent time at outfielders for the Bulls.

• Rich Thompson. Terrific outfielder. Should be back with the Bulls.
• Wil Myers. On a lot of top prospect lists. Will be getting a ton of attention in the press and on Rays blogs.
• Shelley Duncan. Strong guy. Struggled last year with Cleveland. 
• Jason Bourgeois. Another player new to Rays system. Could be fun to watch. Probable Bull.
• Nick Weglarz. Young, interesting guy out of Indians system.

Pitchers

How can I possibly guess about these guys? Especially the relievers. Here’s one list of starters that strikes me as plausible. All of these guys could be fun to watch. (Well, most of them...)

• *Chris Archer. Has a shot to jump to the Rays rotation early.
• *Jake Odorizzi. New guy. Great rep.
• *Alex Colome and *Matt Buschmann. We’ve seen them. We like them.
• *Alexander Torres. Will someone figure him out and unlock the puzzle? We can hope.

Relievers? Sorry all I can do is say that there are a couple of guys we’ve seen and liked on both 40-man and NRI list. Such as:

• Jim Paduch
• Marquis Fleming
• Adam Liberatore

There are many, many more relievers in camp, but we just don’t know much about them and, to be honest, we’re too lazy to figure it out at this early date. 

*UPDATE: A careful reader has pointed out that, as simple as it was, I still got my math wrong. The Bulls can carry 25, not 24, players on their roster. 

Last Home Game Tonight

Game 141, Friday, August 31, DBAP
Durham Bulls 2, Charlotte Knights 7
Season: 65-76; Home Stand: 0-1; Home Games Remaining: 1
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

It was a steamy night and about all we had on offer was a couple of quirky moments. Otherwise, the Bulls seemed to be more than a bit flat. After last week’s 6-game win run, the Bulls have dropped four in a row. They won’t end the year in the absolute cellar, but they’re working on it.

One of the mantras of baseball, especially “small ball”, is to never let the leadoff runner on base. Particularly unpardonable is to walk the leadoff batter. But Charlotte did let the leadoff runner on eight out of nine times last night, and half of those on walks. Nevertheless, only one of those runners scored (new guy Kevin Kiermaier, we’ll get to him later). Three double-plays killed any chance of those leadoff runners making a difference.

Leslie Anderson had an 0-fer night, dropping his batting average to .308. The three players ahead of him on the list have been called up, meaning that their numbers can’t change. So all Leslie has to do is raise his average up to .315 over the next three games and he’s in!

Jim Paduch’s final start of the year began really ugly with a home run. Then an error, wild pitches, passed balls and a couple of singles set up a 4-run inning. That was enough. A few innings later, he was followed by Josh Lueke, whose end-of-season work has not been impressive. He’s let in 13 runs over his last six appearances. I’d guess his hopes at a call-up are fading fast.

On the other hand, Brandon Gomes and Dane De La Rosa are looking good. 3 innings with no runs and 6 Ks between them.

The Bulls started the night with exactly one position player on the bench (if you don’t count the designated hitter), new guy Kevin Kiermaier. He came in for Jesus Feliciano in the 7th and singled up the middle, got to third base when the next two batters walked, and came home on a passed ball. The next inning he ran into the center field wall. (I wonder. The Bulls didn’t take batting practice yesterday. Was that his first time ever in the DBAP center field?) He drew a walk for his AB in the 9th and got to second base, but Henry Wrigley flied out with the bases loaded. He’s probably a lock for our Moonlight Graham award (unless someone else gets called up to fill the hole, but maybe we’ll get to see some more of him next year.

Last home game tonight! No more Durham Bulls Baseball at the DBAP in 2012. Expecting another sell-out crowd. Let’s hope for some good baseball to end the year.

Outside the game —

• Adam Sobsey at Indy Week is reporting that Dan Johnson was called up to the White Sox last night. Good for Dan. Seems like end-of-season call-ups are his role in baseball.

Oh Runs, Wherefore Art Thou?

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Season: 56-63; Home Stand: 4-3; Bulls v. Clippers: 1-2

Home Games Left: 12; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

A tough 10-inning loss and a shutout. The Bulls simply aren’t a run-scoring team most of the time. Alex Colome looked just fine until the 6th inning which he began with a single, a walk, and a single. At 80+ pitches and 6 innings work, no one was warming up. He made it through the inning, partially due to call at the plate that went the Bulls way, but two more runs were in. Hindsight being 20-20, looks like maybe he was in too long.

Those two runs may not have mattered that much. The Bulls hitters were clearly outmatched by the Clippers’ Jeanmar Gomez. Here’s hoping that Cleveland calls him up before the Bulls get to Columbus next week. Only Rich Thompson and the returned Will Rhymes seemed to be able to touch his stuff.

Oh well, there was a beautiful partial rainbow out to the southeast in the early innings. We take our pleasures where we can.

Jim Paduch, last seen in a fairly disastrous 6 inning start on July 27, put an inning as a reliever to finish the game for the Bulls. Did OK. 

Outside the Game

• As noted, Will Rhymes is back in a Bulls uniform. Couldn’t tell for sure, but looks like he’s going without his mustache. Hard to keep track of that. 
• Pitcher Bryan Augenstein came off the disabled list. Alex Torres is on the DL, so the roster matches up.
• Infielder Brooks Conrad was designated for assignment the day after he hit a home run for the Bulls. If he passes through waivers he could end up back in a Bulls uniform.
• Tampa Bay rehabbers lurking out there include pitcher Jeff Niemann and DH/1B Luke Scott. We saw Scott earlier this year. One or both could show up, but probably while the Bulls on the upcoming trip to Toledo and Columbus, Ohio.

Trying a new bit of numerology here. Just a basic matchup. Shows the Clippers score more runs, get on base/hit for power (OPS), and pitch better than the Bulls. I  think we knew that (except for the power part, they haven’t done much bashing, yet).

Split

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game —

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

Sigh ...

Season: 43-50; Trip: 1-4; Bulls v. Knights: 4-8; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Charlotte Observer

Before the game Broadcaster Patrick Kinas noted that this series would be a matchup between the best and worst ERAs in the International League. In his pre-game interview, Manager Charlie Montoyo said that starting pitching was his biggest concern, but that he was pleased at how well the Bulls were able to come back in recent games. 

Jim Paduch gave up five runs in the first inning. The Bulls got 4 back. Not enough.

Outside the game —

• Over the break the Rays released Bulls outfielder Jeff Salazar. Too bad. From a fan’s perspective, Salazar was a really interesting guy to watch. His numbers weren’t all that impressive and he was fighting for playing time in the last couple of weeks.
• Stephen Vogt came off the disabled list and Craig Albernaz was “sent to Hudson Valley”.
• A blogger has some good things to say about Tim Beckham, and he does have a lot of potential. But he had a couple of big opportunities last night and didn’t come through.
• Oddity: Not one position player on the Knights’ roster is on the White Sox’s 40-man roster, but 9 pitchers are (two of those pitchers are on the DL).
• Rays Prospects has updated their analysis of hitting prospects.

Celebrate!

Season: 42-46; Home Stand: 1-0; Bulls v. Tides: 5-4; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy-Week

A couple of days ago Reid Brignac went 0-5 with every single ball he hit going to the opponent’s first baseman. Last night when he came up in the 2nd inning with runners on first and third and did it again, I thought he might be in for another game of the same. I was wrong. What he did after that was pop a single, an RBI double to the right field wall, and a three-run homer over the Blue Monster (and raise his average to .232). Great night for him and for a bunch of other Bulls.

A huge crowd on hand, mostly waiting for the city fireworks show. While they waited we got to see some terrific baseball. Jim Paduch came back from his horrible outing last week to give up only the homer in the 2nd inning. Otherwise, he kept the Tides guessing for five innings. Cesar Ramos is reported to be on orders to be “stretched out”. Meaning, I guess, that he throws the ball a bit more than usual. He stayed for 2 innings and got the win when Brignac doubled home Leslie Anderson in the 6th. Dane De La Rosa got through two innings on 17 pitches. That’s efficiency.

Meanwhile, Tim Beckham continues to assert himself at bat with a home run to begin the game.

Rehabber Matt Joyce started in right field, but left after three at-bats. He was caught stealing after a walk. Not quite sure why he tried. The Tides’ Berken is famous for not letting folks steal on him. He was also in his major leaguer’s batting helmet. Those guys really don’t like the helmets required everywhere else.

Henry Wrigley continues to hit very, very well — two singles and a double.

Two nice double plays, 6-4-3 and a 1-6-3 that preceded the final K to end the game added to the fun of the game.

Outside the game —

• Minor league trivia: The Bulls last played the Tides on May 27th, in Norfolk. From that game only four Bulls players and four Tides players were in last night’s starting lineup.
• Tonight is the last game at the DBAP until June 16th
• The N&O has a nice story on Chris Archer's major league debut. 

Brandon Allen Shows His Stuff

Season: 35-42; Home Stand: 2-0; Bulls v. Bisons: 2-0; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

By the time the first three Bulls hitters in the 1st inning were done, the Bulls were ahead 3-0. They never looked back. Jeff Salazar hit a lead-off home run (his 5th, and he had a terrific night in the field). Catcher Stephen Vogt hit a single. Henry Wrigley hit his 6th homer (and collected his 21st and 22nd RBI). A good start and it got better. 

Brandon Allen has some huge career stats which makes me wonder why he wasn’t claimed by another team when he was DFA’d (probably some aspect to the rule that I don’t understand). True, he was having a rough start up in Tampa and started slow with the Bulls as well. But look at him now! Two home runs (his first with the Bulls) and 4 RBI last night. Since his first game early in the month he has put up a batting average of .416 and a stellar OPS of 1.098. Plus he’s been playing a lot of outfield (Tampa Bays’ call?) instead of his usual first base. Glad to have him on the team.

Jim Paduch is certainly a workhorse. He threw 104 pitches last night and kept the Bisons to just one run (and that was unearned). That’s two very solid outings in a row. Here’s hoping he can keep it up.

Tim Beckham started at shortstop with Reid Brignac at second. Beckham did OK at the plate, 1 for 4, and threw one away for his first error since returning. 

This was the first four-homer game for the Bulls this year. 

Romulo Sanchez faced two batters in the 8th inning, walked them both, and left the game. The Herald-Sun is reporting “shoulder tightness.” That’s the second pitcher in three days who has left the game with a problem (Bryan Augenstein left Thursday’s Rochester game early). With Torres being called up, the Bulls may have some serious problems (or more serious than usual) in the pitching department. All the more important for the hitters to keep at it.

Outside the game

• With Beckham’s return, the Bulls had an unusually strong bench: Gimenez, Anderson, Thompson, and O’Malley were sitting out the game.
• See last night’s post regarding Alex Torres and Matt Buschmann.
• Some early versions of this year’s Bulls schedule had Monday’s start time at 1:00pm. That’s changed. It will be 12:05 to accommodate MLB telecast. 

Chart

South Division Standings

There have been some surprising changes in the International League South Division in the five days since we last looked at this chart. The Bulls have won 4 out of 5, the Gwinnett Braves have fallen off the face of the earth; Charlotte is stalled; and Norfolk is on a run. Interesting times.

Big Season Mid-Point Win

Season: 31-41; Trip: 3-2; Bulls v. Red Wings: 1-0; Standings

Box, Wrap, Rochester Democrat

The Bulls rode the bus(es), the rehabbing major leaguers Jeff Keppinger and Evan Longoria rode the plane, but everyone made it to Rochester to play the Red Wings for the midpoint game of the Bulls season (more about that in another post). For everyone except Evan Longoria, it was a great game. He left after his first at bat and Tampa Bay sources are saying that he’s headed back to the team to continue his rehab under Rays’ trainers. Couple of interesting photos at the Rochester Democrat link.

In the meantime the Bulls hitters had one of their finest nights of the season. The Bulls' 16 hits included four doubles and a home run. Every Bull who started the game except for Longoria got at least one hit and Stephen Vogt, Jeff Keppinger, Leslie Anderson, Brandon Allen, and Reid Brignac (!) got multiple hits. In fact, Brignac’s 3 hit, 3 RBI night has got to be his best of the year (not counting his grand slam a while back). Brandon Allen’s contribution of 3 hits is particularly welcome. Nice to have another hitter on the team.

I can’t avoid mentioning Leslie Anderson’s continued hammering at Tampa Bay’s door: his batting average and number of hits are the best in the entire International League!

To make the evening even better, Jim Paduch’s performance was his best in a month and came after a very long dry spell and a disastrous last outing. 

Outside the game

• I guessed right! Rich Thompson is headed for Washington, DC to fill a roster spot for the Rays/Nationals series. Here’s hoping he gets a chance to play. Maybe he caught a ride on the same plane as Longoria.
• As mentioned yesterday, Brandon Gomes is headed back to the Bulls. However, in one of those asymmetries between minor league and major league baseball, a guy coming “down” gets a couple of days to get there while a guy going “up” moves right away. The practical effect for the Bulls is that they would be two players short in the dugout without the presence of rehabbing Keppinger and lurking Hudson Valley player Craig Albernaz.
• Speaking of Keppinger, he played first base last night. Wonder why?
• Also reported last night was a move to put Alexander Torres back into the starting rotation. He will swap with Shane Dyer who has not been particularly impressive. But neither has Torres as either a starter or reliever. Is this the last hurrah for Mr. Torres?
• Noted on the field was former Bull Matt Carson now playing for the Red Wings.
• Speaking of former Bulls, Russ Canzler was named IL Player of the Week for his 3 home run, 13 RBI performance with the Columbus Clippers last week ... sigh ...
• Fascinating look at the prospects in the Rays system at Rays Prospects. Not many Bulls on the list.

Chart of the Day

Pitching efficiency. A simple metric that displays how many pitches it takes to get an out. I'm not picking on Torres, really I'm not. They are his numbers after all.

Take a Break

Game 67, Tuesday, June 12, DBAP
Toledo Mud Hens 8; Durham Bulls 3
Season: 28-39; Home Stand: 2-6; Bulls v. Mud Hens: 2-2; Standings
Box, Wrap, Independent Weekly

All in all, a pretty miserable home stand, possibly the worst in recent memory. Two wins against a not very good Toledo is nothing to shout about. In yesterday’s game Jim Paduch had an awful start and was pulled after two outs in the 2nd inning. The one small light in an otherwise gloomy day was Shawn O’Malley’s good time at bat. His double and home run pumped up his OPS to .589. By no means great, but a good bit better than it was.

The Bulls have a day off today. Good. Then they head out to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York to continue this very long stretch of out-of-division games. They will have played Indianapolis, Louisville, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Toledo, Lehigh Valley, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Buffalo again before a few games with Norfolk, Gwinnett, and Charlotte in July. They will all be different teams by then.

Here’s a puzzle for us. At the start of the season the Rays were being praised for the depth of their starting pitching. So much so that there were persistent rumors about a trade involving names like Niemann and Davis. Where did the depth go, or was it an illusion to begin with? Here in Durham we have only Chris Archer showing any promise at all as a starter. With a collective ERA of 4.99, the starting crew is spotting a bunch of runs every game. The relief crew is slightly better with a collective 4.25 ERA, and includes the shining lights of Brandon Gomes and Bryan Augenstein. Overall, the team ERA of 4.65 is the worst in the International League. If the Rays come looking for help in July (as they often do), will there be anyone here?

Bulls Win; Gathright Remembered

Season: 25-32; Trip: 5-3; Bulls vs. Bats: 5-1; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

The 6-run 5th inning was really nice. I’m not sure, but I don’t think the Bulls have had an inning like that all year: ten players came to bat, six hits (3 doubles), two BBs. And before the 5th inning, Stephen Vogt and Leslie Anderson hit solo home runs in the 1st and 3rd.

Jim Paduch and a host of relievers got stretched out; however, except for a couple of errors by infielders Reid Brignac and Cole Figueroa, a very nice game. This is a lineup (with Chris Gimenez and Shawn O’Malley) that we hope to see a lot of for the next month or so. If I weren’t suspicious of the weakness of Louisville pitching, I’d say this looks very promising.

I saw the name in the lineup in the first game, but for some reason it didn’t sink in. Then I wasn’t able to listen to either of the last two games except intermittently, so I probably missed Patrick Kinas reporting on the situation. But for old-time Bulls fans one of our favorite players of all time was on the field for the Louisville Bats — Joey Gathright.

Joey Gathright ruled the base paths at the DBAP from 2004-2005, stealing 64 bases in those years. He has since been all over, including a few visits back to the DBAP in, as I recall, a Norfolk Tides uniform. The last three years saw him in Indie ball, then with the Tides, back to Indie ball and then with the Pawtucket Red Sox. He was just signed out of Indie ball by the Cincinnati Red and sent to Louisville. In every case, I’d bet, the major league club is looking for speed on the bases and the outfield, and a backup professional within easy reach. Since the Bats have already played in Durham this year we aren’t going to be able to see him play. Too bad. Even at 31 I’d guess he’s still a formidable ballplayer. For some good stories, do a search on "Gathright" in the search box at the top left.

Outside the game

• Elsewhere it was recently noticed that the Rays aren’t doing a very good job developing hitters. No kidding. We haven’t written much about that issue, but Rays Prospects has. And the few hitters that have done well as Bulls haven’t done well, or been treated well, by the Rays: Chris Richard, Justin Ruggiano, Dan Johnson, Russ Canzler to name a few. And none of those came up through the Rays system. Can anyone out there think of a proficient batter developed through the Rays system (other than Longoria, that is)?