Winter Ball

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

Players of immediate interest to WDBB:

Arizona Fall League (Surprise Saguaros)

• SS Tim Beckham
• RHP Marquis Fleming

Venezuelan Winter League

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

Dominican Winter League

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

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

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

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

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

The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Pitchers: Part II

Matt Moore (22), LHP, 9 games, 9 starts, 52⅔ innings, 4-0, ERA-1.37, 5 pro seasons, 1st season in AAA.

• I was surprised to see how many innings Matt Moore was able to pitch since his first game with the Bulls on July 22nd. Added to his 18 games and 122 innings he had with the Montgomery Biscuits, his year was busy even before going up to finish it out with the Rays. Very, very impressive young pitcher. If we're lucky, we will be watching him a lot as a Bull in 2012.
• Stats

Lance Cormier (31), RHP, 20 games, 4 starts, 47⅓ innings, 4-3, ERA-5.51. 8 pro seasons, 7 in AAA, 1st w/Bulls, most of 2008-2010 in majors (ML stats).

• Released by the LA Dodgers, Cormier was signed by the Rays to a minor league contract in early June and spent the rest of the season with the Bulls. Nothing about his stats as a Bull is particularly impressive although he did take several for the team in spot starts as the season went along. At a guess, the Rays were buying insurance for their relief cadre and stashing him in Durham. Not likely to return next year.
• Stats

Jay Buente (27), RHP, 24 games, 4 starts, 42⅔ innings, 1-3, 1 save, ERA-5.70, 6 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 1/Bulls.

• The Rays outsmarted themselves when they claimed Mr. Buente off waivers as the Marlins were trying to send him back to their AAA team in New Orleans this May. As a Bull he had a rough beginning losing three out of four starts. In relief from early July to the end of the season he did OK, but not good enough to avoid being released at the end of the season to make room on the 40-man of the Rays.
• Stats

Cory Wade (28), RHP, 22 games, all in relief, 36⅔ innings, 3-1, ERA-1.17, 8 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 1 w/Bulls.

• Cory Wade did a brilliant job for the Bulls in the first two months of the season. As with others on the Bulls this year, he had an opt-out contract and he pitched his last game in early June. Unfortunately for the Rays, Mr. Wade is now pitching in relief for the New York Yankees where he has an impressive 6-1 record and 1.98 ERA (ML Stats).
• Stats

R.J. Swindle (28), LHP, 39 games, all in relief, 34⅔ innings, 2-0, 1 save, ERA-4.15, 8 pro seasons, 5 in AAA, 2 w/Bulls.

• Yet another Bull with an opt-out contract. In Swindle's case the Rays were obviously taking a look at him as a left-handed relief specialist. Eighteen of his appearances were for less than an inning, often for just one out. R.J. is famous for his unique slow curve and in 2010 he was great fun to watch. But the slow curve wasn't working this year and he really wasn't helping the Bulls. After his opt-out, no report of him catching on with another team.
• Stats

Jake McGee (25), LHP, 24 games, relief, 33⅓ innings, 4-2, 9 saves, ERA-2.70, 8 pro seasons, parts of 2 in AAA, all w/Bulls.

• Jake McGee was with the Bulls at the very end of 2010 and up until essentially the All-Star break in 2011. Then he was off to the Rays where he's doing OK, but not as well as I would have expected (ML Stats). His superb work in the bullpen was very helpful in keeping the Bulls in the South Division race for the first half of the season.
• Stats

Brandon Gomes (27), RHP, 20 games, relief, 25⅓ innings, 0-1, 7 saves, ERA-1.07, 5 pro seasons, 1 AAA w/Bulls.

• Bradon Gomes' Triple-A career was very short. He left the Bulls just before the 4th of July with his stellar 1.07 ERA and 7 saves. He appears to be doing just fine with the Rays (ML stats). We probably won't see him back. With McGee, he kept the Bulls in the race in May and June.
• Stats

Joe Bateman (31), RHP, 15 games, relief, 21 innings, 1-3, ERA-4.71, 9 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 2 w/Bulls.

• We really like sidewinding Joe Bateman. We liked him in 2009. We liked him in 2010. And we could not have been happier to see the Rays sign him out of the Oakland system in late July. That said, he wasn't quite the same Joe we knew from the last two years. Used mainly in short relief, he wasn't as sharp, especially against righties. Charlie Montoyo apparently likes him. So do we. And he was better than a couple others the Bulls had this year. He may not make it back in 2012.
• Stats

Jeremy Hall (28), RHP, 5 games, 4 starts, 17 innings, 0-2, ERA-8.47, 5 pro seasons, 1 AAA, w/Bulls.

• Jeremy Hall started the year with the Montgomery Biscuits and came up to Durham at the end of April when Dirk Hayhurst went on the disabled list. He wasn't very successful and he decided to retire.
• Stats

Adam Russell (28), RHP, 15 games, relief, 17 innings, 0-1, 1 save, ERA-4.24, 8 seasons, 4 in AAA, 1 w/Bulls.

• Adam Russell started the season with the Rays (36 games) and did not come to the Bulls until the end of July. His numbers with the Bulls are skewed by a truly awful ⅔ of a inning when he let 4 runs score. With this small sample we really don't know much about him as a AAA ballplayer. I don't think I understand enough about his status to speculate on his future with the Bulls. He looks better that a couple of the guys we saw this year, though.
• Stats

Rehabbers

Jeff Neimann and J.P. Howell of the Tampa Bay Rays put in some time with the Bulls on rehab assignments this year. Neimann started 2 games and put in 9⅓ innings, allowed 4 earned runs, and put up a win and a loss. Nice to see Jeff again. J.P. Howell coming off a long layoff appeared in 4 games for 3⅔ innings. He didn't allow any earned runs.

Short Visits

Chris Archer (22), RHP, 2 games, 17 innings, 1-0, ERA-0.69. Chris put in an impressive two game (plus one in playoffs) appearance with the Bulls at the end of the season. We hope for him to be back for 2012. Stats.

Paul Phillips (27), RHP, 6 games, 11⅓ innings, 1-1, ERA-12.71. Paul came up from Montgomery to lend a hand when Richard De Los Santos went on the DL at the very beginning of the season. Spent the rest of the year in Montgomery. Stats.

Jim Paduch (28), RHP, 1 game, 7 innings, 1-0, ERA-3.86. Jim Paduch was signed out of the independent leagues to Montgomery in June, had a one-game call-up to the Bulls when they were on the road, then went back to Montgomery. Part of the July turmoil. Would like to see him pitch some day. Stats.

Richard De Los Santos (27), RHP, 2 games started, 6 innings, 0-1, ERA-6.00. De Los Santos was a stalwart of the 2010 Bulls. But this year he had four not very good innings in his first game, 2 innings in his second start, and was on the disabled list for the rest of the year. We like him, but have no idea when or if he will return. Stats.

Cesar Ramos (28), LHP, 4 games, relief, 4 innings, 2-0, ERA-4.50. Ramos came down from the Rays in late July (with Adam Russell), appeared in 4 games, and went back to St. Petersburg the first week of August. Was nice to have a lefty in the bullpen for a while. A left-handed specialist for the Rays (57 appearances, 41 innings pitched). Stats

Marquis Fleming (24), RHP, 2 games, relief, 2⅓ innings, 0-0, ERA-0.00. Marquis Fleming joined the Bulls from Montgomery for a couple of games while they were on the road in late July. Then he went back to Montgomery where he had a decent year (41 games, 80 innings). Stats.

After the Rain, Two Quick Games

Game 48 (7 Innings), May 29, Toledo, Ohio
Durham Bulls 7, Toledo Mud Hens 4

Game 49 (7 Innings)
Toledo Mud Hens 2, Durham Bulls 1
Season: 27-22; Last 10: 4-6; Trip: 3-5
Wrap, Box (1), Box (2), Toledo Blade

This was not the Bulls best road trip of the year. Nevertheless, after the tough four losses to Columbus, they did very well in Toledo. With a little more luck, they could have tied up the second game last night in the top of the 7th and who knows what might have happened after that? They come home still in first place.

Today's five o'clock game comes after a double-header last night and is against the best team in the league. A real test of the teams' stamina.

This home stand is the only opportunity for local fans of the Cleveland Indians (I think I've met at least one) and Boston Red Sox (two or three) to see their future stars. I'd think that's particularly true of the Indians who seem to have invested a lot of effort into their farm system over the last several years.

Meanwhile, the Bulls team that takes the field today is very different from the one that left town, with more changes coming. Recent roster changes include:

• Outfielder Justin Ruggiano called up to the Rays where he has been working very diligently his dugout sitting skills.
• Infielder Felix Lopez went back up to the Rays where he has similarly spent time on the bench (one game appearance).
• Reliever Rob Delaney came back from the Rays.
• Catcher Craig Albernaz was sent to Hudson Valley.
• Pitcher Jeremy Hall was sent to Hudson Valley
• Infielder Dan Johnson came down from Tampa Bay
• Pitcher Alex Cobb was called up to Tampa Bay
• Pitcher Jay Buente was claimed from the Marlins and sent to the Bulls. He pitched in last night's game and did pretty well.

Have I missed any? There will be more. The Rays have to make at least one move to make room for Cobb and they've got a couple of players with dings and bruises.

The Montgomery Advertiser is reporting that Bulls pitcher Richard De Los Santos had shoulder surgery Friday and is out for the season. We wish him well. Maybe next year.

On to Syracuse

Game 35: Durham Bulls 6; Indianapolis Indians 9
Season: 21-14; Last 10: 7-3; Home Stand: 6-2
Wrap, Box, Indy Week

As Walt Kelly’s Pogo used to say, “Friday the 13th comes on Friday this month.” So I was not too surprised when I checked in this morning and discovered Google’s Blogger was down (host to WDBB) and the last several posts to WDBB disappeared early Friday morning. They may not return.

By now you will have chased down other reports on the game. At any rate, I missed the game last night because I allowed life to interfere with baseball (that happens some days). So I really don’t have anything to add.

A couple of notes taken from the Indy Week report of the game:

• Brandon Guyer, who came out of the game in the 4th, appeared to be OK. The Bulls are reportedly just being cautious. Good for them.
• Richard De Los Santos might be out for the year.

Chart of the Day

It was a great home stand. The Bulls are ahead in the South Division and off for a rematch with Syracuse. Here’s a plot of games above/below .500 for the teams in the South Division, plus markers for the leading teams in the North and West Divisions.

One Month's Worth of Pitches

Keeping track of Durham Bulls pitching can be tough to do. The season is not quite a month old yet and seventeen players have already taken the mound for the Bulls (eighteen if you count catcher Craig Albernaz’s two appearances). The Bulls' website seems to have trouble keeping track. For example, as this is being written Alex Cobb’s return from Tampa Bay does not show, nor does the departure of the unfortunate Paul Phillips to Montgomery. Even with those transactions, the Bulls are carrying 13 pitchers, one more than usual. Also, we can expect a visit from rehabbing Tampa Bay reliever J.P. Howell soon.

The Bulls have two starting pitchers on the disabled list, Richard De Los Santos and Dirk Hayhurst. Chris Bootcheck just came off the DL.

Ryan Reid and Jeremy Hall joined the Bulls while they were on this road trip.

As a group, Bulls pitching ranks fifth in the IL on ERA and third on the WHIP (walks and hits per inning) metric. They are fifth in the league on won-loss percentage.

As this chart (sorted by innings pitched) shows, ERA is mostly OK. You have to discount the low-inning guys who are down near the bottom. That’s going to get better. The two worrisome numbers are R.J. Swindle’s and Brian Baker’s, the same two who have WHIPs up and out of the zone.

The stats guys don’t like ERA very much. To see their tRA and other such numbers, check here.

This crew ranges in age from 23 (Cobb and Torres) to 32 (Bootcheck), so a pretty decent balance there. From a fan’s perspective it does not look like this year we are going to be seeing any fireballers — unless Jake McGee, just back from Tampa Bay, is supposed to be working on his fast ball. Just about all of this crew are finesse guys, which can be just as much fun to watch.

Update 5 May, 2:45: Tampa Bay's Jeff Neimann may be going on DL. If so, then either a starter (Cobb or Torres) or a reliever (your guess is a good as mine) will be called up from Durham. 

Home

Durham Bulls 4; Norfolk Tides 0
Season: 5-3; Streak: Won 3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, News & Observer, Indy Week, WRAL

Wool E. Bull arrives by a very nicely flown helicopter; delivers a gift to manager Charlie Montoyo; and we’re off! Beautiful, beautiful day.

This team is going to be fun to watch. Maybe not the long-ball crushing crowd we’ve gotten used to over the last couple of years, but still a lot of fun.

But, for those of us who try to follow the team closely, this year is also likely to be confusing. To get some of that out of the way up front, two pitchers went on the disabled list yesterday — Richard De Los Santos and Chris Bootcheck. De Los Santos has stiffness in his shoulder. Chris Bootcheck cracked his head on a pipe in the Charlotte clubhouse and has a mild concussion. Catcher Craig Albernaz has been placed on the roster and Brian Baker will take De Los Santos’ next start.

Back to the game. Alex Cobb looked terrific. Granted that this Norfolk team is off to a rough start, but Cobb didn’t let a runner on base until the beginning of the 4th inning and it wasn’t until deep in the 5th that a runner made it to second base — a single and a hit batsman. Mike Ekstrom and Brandon Gomes closed things out nicely.

Let’s look at last night’s lineup:

• Desmond Jennings, center field: Jennings was with the Bulls all of 2010. A top prospect in the Rays system, he has had a hard time staying healthy. Off to a great start this year batting .333 in the leadoff slot. On Rays 40-man roster.
• Justin Ruggiano, left field: A leading RBI man and run scorer for last couple of years. At 29 he’s running out of time to make his mark. Prime candidate for a trade. In the meantime, could not be happier to see him with the Bulls.
• Brandon Guyer, right field: First year in AAA, first year as a Bull, tGt*. So far, so good. Hitting well. On Rays 40-man.
• Chris Carter, DH: Veteran AAA and major league ballplayer to the Bulls out of the Mets system. Spent most of last year on the Mets major league roster. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what he’s doing here. Guess we’ll find out as the season goes along. He could be a huge help.
• Jose Lobaton, catcher: Came up to the Bulls from Montgomery early last year and stayed. Starting out the season really, really hot. Solid defensive catcher. From the San Diego Padres system. On the 40-man.
• Russ Canzler, third base: Signed in the off-season as a minor league free agent. First time in AAA. Showing power with two homers in two days. Can play first base. Is this another scouting coup for the Rays? Hope so, cause with Longoria in St. Pete, we get to keep Canzler here.
• Leslie Anderson, first base: A star in Cuban baseball, he defected last year and played at A, AA, and AAA levels. As a Bull late in the season, he has just not seemed comfortable at the plate or in the field. Maybe this year, but at 29 he may be running out of time. Off to a slow start.
• Omar Luna, 2nd base: Very dependable middle infielder. Still young and developing. On the Montgomery roster at the very beginning of the season and could go back there depending on the shuffle when the Rays Evan Longoria comes off the disabled list. On eight errors at all levels (A, AA, and AAA) last year. Odd that he doesn’t make any of the prospects lists, but I’m happy to see him here.
• Ray Olmedo, Shortstop: I’ve written about Olmedo earlier. Like the guy. Off to a decent start. Keep it up.

*tGt: The Garza trade: Over the winter the Tampa Bay Rays traded pitcher Matt Garza (and Bulls outfielder Fernando Perez) for five Chicago Cubs. We have two with the Bulls now and likely to see more later. One of them, Sam Fuld has achieved early fame with the Rays.

A Loss, a Win, and a Few Questions

Game 5: Durham Bulls 3; Charlotte Knights 4
Wrap, Box

Alex Torres had a great day in his Triple-A debut, but the bullpen couldn’t hang on to a three run lead and the Bulls lost in the bottom of the 9th. Even though the Bulls are carrying an extra pitcher (13 instead of the usual 12), the relief corps is putting in a lot of innings (two out of five games have gone long). The Knights started the season on a 5-0 run.

Game 6: Bulls 5; Knights 2
Wrap, Box

Game 6 saw the Bulls break the Knights’ run. Although they’ve had a hit or two, we are still waiting for the crew of Chirinos, Furmaniak, and Anderson to connect. On the other hand, Jose Lobaton went 3 for 4 with a home run single and double. And Brandon Guyer hit a homer as well.

Richard De Los Santos only lasted 2 innings before the relief corps went back to work.

Just listening to the radio, it sure sounds like some of these guys simply aren’t in very good condition. Wasn't that what spring training was for?

Here's the first of the questions promised in the headline: How come the Bulls start the season with a seven game road trip, come home for nine games, and then go back on the road for 11 games?

Could it be that the folks that run the DBAP gave up the ballpark to Duke for the month of April and encouraged the International League to put the Bulls on the road? Those Duke (formerly Trinity College) lads are playing at the DBAP for 6 games during the time the Bulls are on the road. So, is Duke playing at the DBAP because the Bulls on the road, or are the Bulls on the road because Duke in playing at the DBAP?

Speaking of the DBAP, I went by there yesterday and there sure was a lot of banging and clanging going on.

Opening Day At Gwinnett

Photo courtesy Brian Merzbach, www.ballparkreviews.com

The Bulls open their season tonight against the Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Coolray Field is just a taxi ride away from downtown Atlanta which may be a good thing for Atlanta, but I'd bet sort of works on the heads of the players.

The Braves get pretty good local coverage and the Gwinnett Daily Post had a very nice special issue in last Sunday's paper. An impossibly young-looking local reporter does a blog.

This is the Braves third year in Lawrenceville. They were in Richmond, Virginia for a couple of centuries before then. Coolray Field itself has had mixed reviews, such as this one and this one.

Most years the Braves are the Bulls toughest opponent in the South Division of the International League. They usually have a solid mix of veterans and hungry youngsters and it doesn't look like this year will be much different.

In the meantime, we're mostly going to have to wait until 7 o'clock to see what the starting lineup tonight's going to be. Other than the starting pitcher, Charlie pretty much dodged that question during the interviews, as he usually does.

Profile

Richard De Los Santos is slated to start tonight. He is one of my favorite Bulls pitchers. He had a terrific year in 2010, in particular a stretch in July and August when he won eight in a row with a 1.42 ERA (see his profile here). Although he does not show up on any of the hot prospect lists, his stats are getting better. He's been in the Rays system for six years, but until last year he was plagued with shoulder problems. Here's hoping he stays with us all year.

Webnotes

• Mike Ekstrom has cleared waivers and should be showing up soon, according to Rays Index.
• The News & Observer noticed the Bulls season is starting with a photo of "infielder" Justin Ruggiano. Photo gallery has a couple of good shots of players at work. Looks like some uniform changes for this year, at least the practice jerseys.
• The Herald-Sun did a start of the season story as well. Focusing on Desmond Jennings.
• I don't think I've provided this older link to a story in the Herald-Sun on Elliot Johnson. He is, after all, a hometown lad now.
• And I don't think I've put up this link from several days ago about the overall Rays minor league system. Today's a good day for that.

Last Year's Durham Bulls: Pitchers

Here's what I've heard about last year's pitchers.

• Richard De Los Santos, 148 innings pitched, Durham Bulls
• Heath Phillips, 139 innings, Long Island Ducks
• Jeremy Hellickson, 117 innings, Tampa Bay Rays
• Aneury Rodriguez, 113 innings, Houston Astros
• Brian Baker, 105 innings, Durham Bulls
• Carlos Hernandez, 90 innings, ????
• Joe Bateman, 76 innings, Oakland Athletics
• Virgil Vasquez, 66 innings, LA Angels
• Dale Thayer, 60 innings, NY Mets
• Mike Ekstrom, 58 innings, Durham Bulls
• Winston Abreu, 55 innings, Toronto Blue Jays
• R.J. Swindle, 55 innings, Durham Bulls
• Darin Downs innings, 40, Florida Marlins

We had 11 pitchers with 20 innings or less (details here) and we'll surely be seeing some of them in 2011 (Cobb, Torres, McGee). If anyone can fill in the holes above I'll update this. Could swear that I heard something about Heath Phillips, but sure can't find my notes.

Update: April 19. Changes in italics

Three Bulls Back with Rays Organization; One Gone

Good news from the Rays today. J.J. Furmaniak, R.J. Swindle, and Richard de Los Santos have all been signed to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training. [Tampa Bay Rays]

We looked at J.J.'s season with the Bulls here; Richard's season here; and R.J.'s here. Here at WDBB we are really happy to hear they have a shot with the Rays and would be pleased to see them back with the Bulls in 2011.

Two other players were also signed, infielder Russ Canzler and RHP Cory Wade. Don’t know anything about them, but expect we may be seeing them in the coming year.

Meanwhile, to darken an otherwise pleasant day, DRaysBay is passing on a report that Winston Abreu has signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Given the terrific year he had with the Bulls in 2010, and the apparent lack of interest from the Rays, you had to expect that he would be looking elsewhere.

We wrote about Winston's 2010 season here. If the report is true, at least the Bulls won’t have to face Abreu if he ends up in AAA, the Blue Jay’s AAA team is Las Vegas.

Looking at 2010 — 4 — Pitchers

Twenty-seven ballplayers stepped onto the mound for the Durham Bulls in the regular season. That compares to just 17 so far for the Tampa Bay Rays. We’ll take two of those off the list, since infielders Angel Chavez and Omar Luna were thrown to the wolves in the last inning of two games. Interestingly, they both did just fine. And we'll add one to the list, Alex Torres, who pitched a couple of postseason games.

We’ll look at the rest in order of innings pitched, since with only a couple of exceptions the Bulls seemed to be a bit confused over who was going to be a starter and who was going to be a reliever this year. It will probably take a couple of posts to get through these guys.

Richard De Los Santos (26). RHP. Mostly a starter. 148 1/3 innings (7 innings, postseason), 28 games (23 starts), 14-5, ERA 3.52.

• De Los Santos started the year as a reliever, making his first appearance in the Bulls’ third game. He started a game on May 1 and eventually set a Durham Bulls record of 14 wins in the regular season. How good is he? Pretty good. In a year where all except one other starter went on the DL, De Los Santos certainly showed durability and a very respectable ERA. Furthermore, as the season went on he was going further into games, although he never got past the 7th inning. We’ll have to see how the Rays treat him next year. My guess is that he will be back with the Bulls and we should be happy to have him.
  
• Stats.

Heath Phillips (28). LHP. Starter. 139 1/3 innings. 24 games. 8-7. ERA 4.07.

• Phillips has been a “wait till next year” kind of guy for quite a while now. We like him. But then there’s the 21 home runs he gave up (the most, by far, of a Durham pitcher). He was in the starting rotation from the beginning of the year and we are somewhat surprised that he put in as many innings as he did. He went on the DL in mid-August and sat out the remainder of the season. He’s been pitching in AAA for 4 years now, so he may have reached his limit. Nevertheless, big left-handers are a treasure, so expect him back next year.
  
• Stats.

Jeremy Hellickson (23). RHP. Starter. 117 2/3 innings. 21 games. 12-3. ERA 2.45. On Rays 40-man.

• A terrific pitcher and a pleasure to watch. Deserves all of the awards he got this year for his minor league performance. Unlike David Price’s tour as a Bull, when he was clearly working to some kind of Rays program and not necessarily focused on game situations, Jeremy made a big difference in the Bulls won-loss record. Very, very impressive young man. More than that, there’s a chance that he will at least start the season with the Bulls next year depending on how their year works out. Called up in August, he had a couple of very successful starts and then went to the bullpen where he is having no success at all, so far.
  
• Stats.

Aneury Rodriguez (22). RHP. Mostly a starter. 113 2/3 innings (7 2/3 post-season). 27 games (17 starts). 6-5. ERA 3.80.

• For Rodriguez I would judge his season as one of him wondering just what the Bulls expected of him. He was pressed into service after starter Jeff Bennett went on the DL in April. He had two brilliant games as a starter, then a couple not-so-brilliant, and then worked as a reliever and starter the rest of the year. Overall, an asset to the Bulls.
  
• Stats.

Brian Baker (27). RHP. Long relief, spot starter. 105 innings. 37 games (12 starts). 9-5. ERA 3.86.

• Even though he seemed to run out of steam at the end of the year, we were very impressed with Mr. Baker. Poised on the mound, smooth delivery, slightly generous with home runs (10), but not too bad. Note the number of innings he pitched relative to the rest of the team. Good job.
  
• Stats.

Carlos Hernandez (30). LHP. Starter. 90 2/3 innings. 18 games (17 starts). 6-5. ERA 4.17.

• I want to like Hernandez, I really do. But for two years we’ve been wondering if he was going to make it to the park for his next start. Something started going wrong in mid-June and even though he pitched in four games in July and one in August, he was really out for the season. Overall, he hasn’t been a very effective pitcher for the Bulls for the last two season. His ERA is up almost a full run from last year as well (3.29 to 4.17).
  
• Stats.

Joe Bateman (30). RHP. Reliever. 76 innings (6 2/3 postseason). 54 games. 7-0. ERA 1.66. 7 holds. 4 Saves.

• Bateman is one of my all-time favorite Bulls pitchers (the other being Winston Abreu) and this year he was even better than last year. More efficient, hit fewer batters (5, down from 9), and seemed to not get himself into as many difficult situations. We have always thought it odd that he has never had a chance with the majors. He still pitches a good game as far as we are concerned and we hope that he makes it back.
  
• Stats.

Virgil Vasquez (28). RHP. Starter. 66 1/3 innings. 12 games. 6-2. ERA 4.88.

• For his fourth AAA season (two with Toledo, one with Indianapolis), Virgil got off to a bad start when he broke both wrists in a traffic accident early in the year. That happened after just three games and he didn’t make it back until June 29. He went back on the DL in mid-August. Seems a likable guy, but his stats are nothing special.
  
• Stats.

Dale Thayer (29). RHP. Reliever. 60 innings (7 1/3 postseason). 46 games. 4-1. ERA 3.43. 5 holds. 2 saves. On Rays 40-man.

• This was not Dale’s best year. He did get to Tampa Bay twice, but only pitched in one game. He did a good job for the Bulls this season, just not as dominant as he has been in the past. He was outrighted to Durham September 1 (i.e., dropped from the 40-man) which means he will be a free agent at some magic day soon. Doubt that he will be back with the Bulls next year.
  
• Stats.

Bulls Lose Game 1 of G'cup Finals

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, News & Observer,Columbus Dispatch, MLB.com

How bad was it? Here's a clue — Omar Luna pitched the 9th 8th inning.

How bad was it? Another clue — Four out of five Bulls pitchers gave up home runs.

How bad was it? Final clue — For the first time this season, the Raleigh News & Observer put a Bulls game on the front page.

I'm not enough of a sadist to give any masochists out there any more pleasure. Instead, I think we will mention the three double plays, Justin Ruggiano's grand slam, and our wonderment at umpire Chris Conroy throwing Richard De Los Santos out of the game. Deliberate? Really? What game were you watching?

Meanwhile, down in St. Pete the always mysterious manager of the Rays, Joe Maddon, gave Jake McGee his introduction the the major leagues in the 5th inning with runners on first and second and two outs. Not a good start. McGee walked the bases full and walked a runner across before striking out Derek Jeter. He walked the first batter he faced in the 6th and was taken out.

Awards & Accolades

Several items I didn’t want to get by without comment before we start obsessing about the playoffs.

Before last night’s game started several Bulls were called out for the Goodman Awards and it was a fine and apt selection indeed.

• Most Valuable Player — Elliot Johnson
• Pitcher of the Year — Richard De Los Santos
• Team Spirit — Chris Richard
• Community Involvement — Joe Bateman
• “Good Guy” — Charlie Montoyo

Congratulations to all. Well-deserved.

Chris Richard’s recent fine play was noticed by the International League and he was named Player of the Week for the final week of the season. In that regard, Chris’ final batting average of .300 on the year helps explain why he left the game a bit early last night. He was at exactly .300. Why take a chance? (Even better, from a stat geek's perspective, was his wOBA of .396 and bRAA of 24.6, the best on the team).

Elliot Johnson, by the way, will be playing ball for the Mazatlan Venados this winter. For those who would like to keep track, Nicole Johnson will be blogging here, and the Venados website is here. Note that Elliot’s signing was a headline event (wearing a Rays hat instead of a Bulls hat, darn it). If it works like last year, the Venados offer streaming video of the games on their website, but your Spanish had better be a whole lot better than mine to follow what’s going on. In that regard, Google Translate rendered the headline on the Elliot Johnson press release as “Elliot Johnson Dress Deer.”

And last, but certainly not least, thanks to RaysIndex we noticed that Baseball America has named Jeremy Hellickson as Minor League Player of the Year (note, not pitcher of the year, player of the year). The Baseball America article by J.J. Cooper is terrific. Congrats to Jeremy.

Playoff Pitching — 1

If any reader of this blog ever had any doubt that baseball is a demanding sport, consider this:

Of the five starting pitchers who began the 2010 for the Bulls, four are on the disabled list — Heath Phillips, Virgil Vasquez, Carlos Hernandez, and Jeff Bennett (who ended up in Nashville in the PCL league where he is on the DL). The exception, of course, is Jeremy Hellickson. And we will mention in passing our favorite guy, Jason Cromer, who never really showed up this year.

Meanwhile, according to Adam Sobsey over at Triangle Offense, this is the rotation that Charlie Montoyo is looking at for the playoffs:

Richard De Los Santos, Ramon Ortiz, Brian Baker, Aneury Rodriguez, Bobby Livingston.

We’ve got decent numbers on three of those guys, so here are their charts. Once they get a few more innings in, I’ll put up what we’ve got on Ortiz and Livingston.

A bit of apples and oranges here in terms of how each player got to where he is statistically. De Los Santos has, by far, the most innings and the most starts. But they all have been relievers and starters this year. The curves show what a steady performer De Los Santos has been all year, while Baker has been much more erratic (sometimes in a good way). At the moment, Baker certainly appears to be on a slight improvement trend while Rodriguez is on a very slight downward trend.

De Los Santos Sets New Bulls Record

Game 130: Durham Bulls 1; Norfolk Tides 0
Season: 83-47; Streak: 9-0; Home Games Remaining: 9
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Triangle Offense

By pitching yet another superb game, Richard De Los Santos’ 14th win goes in the record book as the most single season wins by a Triple-A Bulls pitcher. He was only at 87 pitches with two out and one on in the 7th when Montoyo pulled him for Jake McGee. Very likely it was to deal with a lefty on lefty match up. Or maybe he just wanted him to tuck his jersey in. But Adam Sobsey reports in the Triangle Offense blog that Montoyo told him:

“I gotta take you out, you’re a prospect now.”

Could be. Or maybe Charlie knew that the crowd would cheer him off the field if he was pulled while the inning was in progress and he wanted De Los Santos to be able to savor it. That’s what happened. We cheered. De Los Santos deserved it. Great job this year.

It was mostly a pitcher’s night for both teams. Nice defense kept the Tides off the scoreboard, particularly a strong throw from Ruggiano in right to Luna at second to Navarro guarding the plate. While two minor mistakes by Norfolk’s Troy Patton (hitting Richard and Baldelli after a Ruggiano single loaded the bases) was enough to set up Durham’s only run on a sac fly by Dioner Navarro.

Jake McGee had another impressive appearance. So far (10 2/3 innings) he has not had a run scored on him.

It has been almost exactly a year since Winston Abreu came back to the Bulls after some time in the Cleveland system. A huge piece of what the team has accomplished in that year (and it has accomplished a lot) can be put down to knowing that they’ve got someone in the pen who can finish a game off. He did it again last night, setting down the Tides in order for his 21st save.

Webworld:

Wall Street Journal looks at the other side of success.
Profile of Bulls pitching coach Xavier Hernandez.

Bulls Win South

Image courtesy Durham Bulls

Game 126: Durham Bulls 3, Norfolk Tides 1
Season: 79-47; Road Trip: 6-3; Streak: 5-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The Bulls clinched their fourth-in-a-row championship of the International League South Division last night when they beat Norfolk 3-1 and the Gwinnett Braves lost 3-4 to the Charlotte Knights. T-shirts were on sale within ten minutes after the game was over. That was a hint that the championship was not a surprise, and it wasn’t. Other than the hiccup just after the all-star break (which the Bulls followed up with an eleven-game winning streak), the Bulls have had and continue to have a great year. Video highlights at link on Bulls home page include a very nifty game-ending, championship-winning double play initiated by Justin Ruggiano.

Last night was a good example of the kind of team we have this year. It was the Bulls fifth win in a row and they have made that run with only two starters being our “regular” starters. I put regular in quotes since neither of those two (Aneury Rodriguez and Richard De Los Santos) came to the Bulls with the intent of them being starting pitchers. The other three starters in this run were Darin Downs (recently up from Montgomery to work in relief), Bobby Livingston (new guy), and Ramon Ortiz (even newer guy).

Still, what better guy to get the save than Joe Bateman? More appearances than any other Bulls pitcher this year.

I was not listening when Ortiz was on the mound last night, so didn’t get any impressions of his performance. Comments from readers welcome. Did notice that Jake McGee got the win and kept his 0.00 ERA intact.

Offensively two mature (old) guys showed the way. Chris Richard and Rocco Baldelli got Durham’s only hits, but they were enough. Pleased to see Baldelli’s first home run. Have to wonder how long he will stay with the Bulls. Would love to see him stick with the team long enough to play in Durham.

Noted that Fernando Perez started the game, first start in quite a while (0 for 3).

Joe Dillon is on the DL, apparently due to worries about hamstring, but not a re-injury.

Now the trick is going to be keeping the focus for the next couple of weeks. Charlie Montoyo and his crew appear to be really good at that, so not really very concerned.

Except that Dale Thayer is off to the Rays, so turmoil in bullpen is not going to let up.

Webworld

• Interesting podcast/interview with Charlie Montoyo from Thursday evening. Speaks to roster changes, young pitchers, Elliot Johnson and Rocco Baldelli.
• Ramon Ortiz gets a profile over at The Process Report.
• At the same site there’s is a review of the Rule 5 draft. Don’t understand that? Join the club. Nevertheless, one current Bull and a couple that we’ve seen are apparently affected: Anuery Rodriguez, Heath Rollins, and Emeel Salem.
• Yesterday John Romano at the St. Petersburg Times made the argument for sending Jeremy Hellickson back to Durham for a couple of weeks. Well, after another very impressive start out in Oakland, the Rays did send him to the minors, just not to the Bulls. Stories here and here. Surely more to come on the usual Rays blogs.
• For those interested in minor league life here’s a good, if overlong, article (cries out for an editor to whack about 2,000 words out of it).
• Over at Flip Flop Fly Ball he takes a look at the Red Sox.

[Update: Thanks to careful reader Samantha, here's a terrific article on last night's game with some good quotes from Charlie Montoyo.]

Noticing Elliot Johnson

Game 123: Durham Bulls 6; Charlotte Knights 2
Season: 76-47
Wrap, Box

We are really late today, but I’ve been wanting to devote most of a post to one of my favorite players for 2010 — Elliot Johnson. He had a great night last night, so the time seems right.

His 4 for 4, two-homer game last night is just icing on a very good year. In fact, you can say that quite possibly the best thing that happened to the Bulls this season was for Elliot to pass through waivers and land here (not that he should have been waivered in the first place). You’ve got to think that there is a GM somewhere who’s really unhappy that he didn’t put a bid in when he could have.

There was a time (2007) when I would not have thought so. It says a lot for this young (26) man that he has had two not very stellar years and is here today with some of the best numbers in the International League.

Numbers:

• Average: .318 (#2 in the IL)
• OBP: .378 (#5 in the IL)
• OPS: .858 (#8 in the IL)
• Stolen bases: 24 (#7 in the IL)
• wOBA .373, bRAA +12.1 (393 PA)

Mostly a middle infielder (53 starts at SS, 16 starts at 2B) he’s done some time in the corner outfields (16 games in left, 9 games in right).

And plenty of RBI — 50 — which is quite a few for a guy who mostly bats in the #2 spot.

If there’s a “problem” for Elliot it’s that there are a lot of guys up on the Rays roster — Bartlett, Brignac, S. Rodriguez, Zobrist to name a few — who have middle infield credentials. The Bulls fan in me thinks that is just fine — he’ll likely be with us through the playoffs. Once they are over, however, here’s hoping he finds a place in the majors.

Points of interest in last night’s game:

At thirteen wins, Richard De Los Santos tied a Bulls record. Here’s hoping he pushes on past the tie.

In a very Maddon-esque move, Montoyo put new pitcher Brian Shouse in to face one batter in the 8th. One pitch, one out. Then Winston Abreu came on in a non-save situation to close it out in the 9th. Sure there was a good reason for that, just can’t figure out what it was.

On the Road Again

Game 117: Durham Bulls 6; Charlotte Knights 2
Season: 73-44; Home Stand: 5-2; Games Left in Season: 26; Home Games 10
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Time to give Richard De Los Santos his due. We can do that by comparing his numbers against the Bulls’ ace, Jeremy Hellickson. That may seem odd, but just look at the them.

• Appearances: De Los Santos — 24 (19 starts), Hellickson — 21 (all starts)
• Record: DLS 12-5, H 12-3
• Innings pitched: DLS 127, H 117 ⅔
• ERA: DLS 3.61, H 2.45
• FIP: DLS 3.57, H 2.68

Not bad at all. De Los Santos obviously lets in more runs and, if watched closely, does not seem to have as much of that elusive “stuff” that Hellickson brings to the game. And yet he’s winning games.

Now, if he could just tuck his jersey in. Several times last night the ump asked him to tuck it in. Here’s where a careful reader can help me. The Bulls used to have an infielder who had a similar problem keeping his shirt in, but his name eludes me? Any help out there?

How important is De Los Santos? Very. His solid seven innings last night will make a huge difference over the next couple of days. The Bulls are still short, even with the return of Carlos Hernandez from the disabled list. We saw Hernandez warming up in the 6th inning and thought we might see him. But De Los Santos got out of the 6th and even through the 7th, giving some room for Joe Bateman’s two-inning save.

The hitters were in fine form last night. In fact, they have been in good form most of this home stand. In seven games, 75 hits, and that includes a game with only 3 hits and another with “only” 8. All this when the Bulls have been short pitchers and position players.

By now, the Bulls are in Georgia for the first time since their short, rainy visit in mid-June. This begins a round of 12 games in 11 days throughout the South — four games in Georgia, three games in South Carolina against Charlotte, five games in Virginia. This will be a time to remember that baseball’s a game and can be fun to play. I’m guessing that’s about the only way to get through this round.

Up in the northwest the news is that Louisville has had an extraordinary run and has pushed Columbus out of the lead in the West Division of the International League. Here in the South Division, the Bulls “magic number” is 11 [was 12, wrong, fixed]. Essentially, if the Bulls play .500 ball, they cannot be beaten.

Last night I turned a new page in my scorebook. I’ve been using the Reisner System and finding it very useful for the casual fan’s purposes. Worth a look if you’re one of those who takes a pencil to the ballpark.

Split

Game 111: Durham Bulls (Rays) 10; Indianapolis Indians (Pirates) 1
Wrap, Box, Indy Week

Game 112: Durham Bulls 1; Indianapolis Indians 4
Season: 69-43
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

After the rain, this was a good night at the ball park. Nevertheless, it was very difficult to get a sense of this Indianapolis team. Maybe over the next couple of days. And it was really odd to see former Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura coaching first base near the end of the first game. We saw him here last year on a rehab assignment while he was still with the Rays, so he’s worn a Bulls uniform for a couple of games. He’s had a tough year with the Pirates and is now with the Indians. Not in the lineup for either game last night. Appeared to be exchanging a friendly wave with someone in the Bulls dugout, Dioner Navarro probably. They have played a lot of ball together over the years.

In the first game, the Bulls batted around in the 2nd inning and again in the 4th. More than enough put the game away for Richard De Los Santos. We got our first look at newcomer Leslie Anderson, who played left field and was wearing Dan Johnson’s #24. Does that mean that D.J. isn’t coming back for sure?

It’s too bad we couldn’t just accumulate the runs over the day. After everyone except Jose Lobaton getting at least one hit in the first game, only two Bulls got hits in the second game. Joe Dillon got two doubles, but they really didn’t make a difference. In this game Anderson played first base, so I guess we’re getting a look at his role. Not that different from that played by Richard and Dan Johnson, although Dan played a lot of third base as well.

Should we be worried about Virgil Vasquez’ tendency to give up home runs? Not sure, but between him and Heath Phillips they’ve given up a bunch this year (20 & 9) and it goes a long way toward explaining why they have relatively high FIPs (4.92 and 4.69).

We have not mentioned here the fact that Dale Thayer is off to join the Rays. It’s very hard to say how long he might be there since the Rays are in the midst of quite a bit of roster juggling. I was surprised at the choice of Thayer over Ekstrom, the other member of the 40-man who is with the Bulls, but Dale’s numbers are slightly better. Good luck.

In the meantime, over at Indy Week Adam Sobsey is reporting several interesting tidbits:

• Jeremy Hellickson is going to be held to a 3 inning/45 pitch count for the rest of his season with the Bulls.
• Fernando Perez’ shoulder is acting up and, although we saw him get half-innings in the field, he may not be ready to bat for a while.

On the Anderson/McGee moves, here’s a couple of additional comments here and here.

Indianapolis, by the way, is in the hunt for the International League wild card slot.

Once we finish this series on Sunday, the Bulls only play South Division teams to finish out the year. Charlotte — 6 at home/5 away; Gwinnett — 2 at home/6 away; and Norfolk — 5 at home/5 away. Even with the changes to their rosters, we’re going to get to know those teams very well.

I also have to note that Craig Robinson over at Flip Flop Fly Ball has several great new graphics up on his site. Seems like it has been a while and it’s great to see him back and in superb form.

# 9

Game 106: Durham Bulls 9; Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 2
Season: 66-40; Trip: 4-0; Streak: 9-0
Wrap, Box, Morning Call

The Bulls tied on their hitting shoes and put on their fielding gloves to get their ninth win in a row, the best streak this season. And they are 26 games above .500. They have swept the last two teams. It just keeps getting better.

Just a few highlights:

Five double plays. Even though Durham pitchers gave up eight hits (all singles) and two walks, very few went far.

Dan Johnson, held to “just” four singles and 3 RBIs during the series. But he got a hit and 2 RBI last night, just to keep his hand in, I suppose. In the meantime, Dan, with a .303 batting average, has let Chris Richard (.304) and Elliot Johnson (.306) slip ahead of him in the batting average category. We won’t talk about Omar Luna’s .362.

Chris Richard and Justin Ruggiano had a classic Durham Bulls-type night. Chris hit two doubles (he has the most in the IL — 33), a single, an intentional walk and three RBI (51). Justin Ruggiano had two doubles, a single, three RBI (53) and scored two runs. Elliot Johnson got on base a lot (3 times), stole two bases, and scored 3 runs. Should not overlook the contributions of Desmond Jennings (2 doubles, couple of nifty outfield plays) or Omar Luna, two hits, participation in most of those double plays.

Richard De Los Santos has won his last three starts and pushed his ERA down from 4.34 to 3.78. That’s hard to do this late in the season. The first run scored in the 5th last night was the first in something like 15 innings.

As good was Joe Bateman’s 2 innings. We’ve been a bit worried about him. He’s been having these little bitty appearances, an inning here, ⅔ of a inning there, for the last couple of weeks. Last night it was a solid two innings work. No walks, two Ks, no runs.

Need to mention the enthusiasm of Iron Pigs fans. They are filling of their park every night and it sure sounds like they are having fun. On the other hand, there was a fan interference ground rule double last night for Justin Ruggiano last night. Would it have been a grand slam otherwise? Probably not, but …

Good to have broadcaster Solondz back in the booth last night. He said that the Triple-A Durham Bulls streak record is 11. We’re up against Red Sox affiliate Pawtucket tonight, with Virgil Vasquez scheduled. There’s a chance.

By the end of the day there will probably be a bit of roster-shuffling, trades, claims, etc. And then probably a couple of days before we can make sense of it. With last night’s win over the Yankees, however, you have to think that the Rays might start throwing money around to stay in the game for the next two months. On the other hand, they’ve made it this far without throwing too much around. Will be fun to watch. Here’s hoping it doesn’t mess up the Bulls too much.