Where Nobody Knows Your Name

Book Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the shelf at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books.

The Durham Bulls in 2012 — The Hitters: Part I

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

Players are listed in order of number of games played. The “slash line” is Batting Average/On-Base Percentage/Slugging.

An asterisk (*) after a player’s name indicates he bats left-handed, a # sign indicates he is a switch hitter. A distinct oddity to this year’s Bulls is that 8 of the top 12 batted left-handed and one switch hit.

The Top 12 (50+ games)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note: Primary statistics sources are Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

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.

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.

A Loss, Then a Win

 Box, Wrap

Season: 23-31; Trip: 3-2; Bulls vs. Indians: 2-5
Box, Wrap, Wrap (Indianapolis)

Jeff Salazar is one of the many Bulls that needs to show his stuff if Durham is to get above .500. He did that this afternoon with a bizarre 10th inning inside-the-park home run. As described in the wraps, the ball essentially parked itself underneath the bullpen bench and by the time the Indy outfielder got the ball out, Salazar was home.

Before that, however, new guy Shane Dyer had another ugly early inning, giving up four runs in the 1st, then did a fine job for the next four. In the Bulls 6th some razzle-dazzle base running (and a bad throw) scored one run. A single by Leslie Anderson brought in another. And a home run by Juan Miranda (!) brought in two more. Bulls pitching, Romulo Sanchez and Brandon Gomes, kept the Indians in check until Salazar’s heroics. Dane De La Rosa closed it out.

Monday’s game has little to recommend it. The Bulls left a bunch of guys on base. The old Alex Torres peeked out with 3 BBs in 1 inning (but no runs scored on him).

Outside the game:

• As we guessed, Mayo Acosta was sent to Montgomery. He did a good job. We will be seeing more of him I am sure.
• Chris Gimenez and Stephen Vogt were in the house. Vogt pinch hit for Albernaz in the 7th and stayed in the game at catcher.
• BurGi at Rays Prospects has done another of his analytical pieces, this one on Rays’ system pitching. Nice work.
• Ms. Van Deren is on Ocracoke Island!

The Bulls played an afternoon game and have an evening game tomorrow. That means that they can have a night on the town in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indulge me by taking on this true story about an evening I once spent in Indianapolis.

Our team was seeking a place to eat on a Friday night. We were hungry and didn’t want to wait in line. But it seemed like the parking lot of every restaurant we found was full. Finally we found a place that didn’t seem to be too busy and we were able to get a table immediately. 


It wasn’t until after we’d put in our orders to a not-very-efficient waiter that one of us put it together. 


It’s Friday night. Every other restaurant in Indianapolis is busy. This one is not. There’s a message there. The message came with our awful, awful meals. 


Moral for the Bulls: Busy is good.

Take a Break

Season: 19-28; Home Stand: 4-4; Bulls vs. Knights: 4-7; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

After today’s game the Bulls get Wednesday off. They finish the home stand against the Norfolk Tides with games on Thursday and Friday.

 They don’t play Charlotte again until July 12. No way to tell if they’ll have to face the Knights’ Terry Doyle again. They shouldn’t. He should be in the majors by then, unless today was a fluke. Doyle looked really good and the Bulls (other than Leslie Anderson) just flailed at the ball.

Jim Paduch seems to be an up and down kind of guy. He did just fine in his last start but he was tentative today. It didn’t help that he gave up two runs in the first inning and it was immediately clear that Doyle was having a good day. And Paduch did give up two runs all by himself with a throwing error and a wild pitch, a walk, and two singles. Ugly inning.

Jose Lobaton was behind the plate and seemed comfortable there. Not so much at bat, 0-4. With Lobaton in the game it gave the Bulls the very weird bench of Brignac, Acosta, Albernaz, and Salazar.

Lobaton wasn’t alone going 0-4: So did Hideki Matsui, Henry Wrigley, Juan Miranda, and Shawn O’Malley.


Bryan Augenstein, who hasn't been seen since early April, had two very nice innings. Josh Lueke is back from Tampa Bay and gave up a run.

Outside the game

• BurGi has updated his hitting stats for the Rays system.

Chart of the Day

Bulls ERAs

The Bulls' team ERA is showing a modest downward trend, but the team ERA really doesn't compare well with the International League's overall ERA of 3.72. 

You're Welcome!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game

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

Chart of the Day

Southern Division Teams, Games Above/Below .500

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

Pain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game

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

Chart of the Day

Walks/Hits per Inning

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

End With a Win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game

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

Chart of the Day — Standings

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

click on chart for larger image

Best Bulls Game Yet

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

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

All in all a very satisfying game.

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

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

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

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

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

A good day at the DBAP.

Outside the game

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

Chart of the Day — ERA

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

Fun in the Sun

Game 27, Wednesday, May 2, DBAP

Durham Bulls (Rays) 7, Indianapolis Indians (Reds) 5

Season: 9-18; Home Stand: 3-3; Streak: 2-0

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Jim Paduch’s first start at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was superb. The Bats didn’t get a man on base until the 4th, and that was a hit by pitch. Over five innings only 2 hits and 5 Ks. Very, very good.

As mentioned earlier, we first heard about Jim Paduch, but did not see him, when he had a spot start up from Montgomery last year. That game was a 18-3 Bulls blowout over the Rochester Red Wings. We didn’t hear about him again until early April this year when he showed up to open a game against Gwinnett. He did OK, but went back to Montgomery. Here’s hoping he stays this time. 

When he left the game, the Bulls were up 4-0 and things were looking pretty good. However, Dane de La Rosa and John Gaub combined to give up 5 runs in the 8th and 9th to give us (and several thousand school kids) some thrills. 

Jeff Salazar kept things on track by hitting the Bulls first home run since the departed Will Rhymes hit one in Norfolk seven games ago.

Unlike the Bulls (hint, hint), the Bats have their roster accessible from their website. And they have a link to the Reds roster as well. That seems like a good idea. From that I could check out what I thought I heard on the radio. Our old friend and former Bull Dioner Navarro is playing for the Bats. Navarro spent the end of the 2010 season with the Bulls. He’s apparently not traveling with the Bats and he’s on the DL for kidney issues. 

Dioner Navarro is forever enshrined in the hallowed halls of Watching Durham Bulls Baseball for his heroics against these very same Louisville Bats on June 30, 2010. On that day Navarro stood in against Aroldis Chapman and took a 102 mph fastball in the middle of his back! I guess now he can hope to be catching Chapman some day. I’m not sure which I’d rather do. Probably neither if he’s still throwing that hard. 

Chart of the Day

Here’s the current roster’s On Base Percentage + Slugging (OPS) numbers. These aren’t very good, but they are what they are. Albernaz got his first RBI and first extra base hit of the season Wednesday. Leslie Anderson went 3 for 3. Let’s take what we can get. Vogt and Brignac will return to form eventually. Note that I kept Ashley’s and Guyer’s numbers in, but they are both on the DL. Ashley may be there for quite a while.

click on chart for larger image

Home at Last

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game:

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

Knights' Days

Game 13, Tuesday, April 16, Knights Stadium
Charlotte Knights 3; Durham Bulls 2
Wrap, Box

Game 14, Wednesday, April 17, Knights Stadium
Charlotte Knights 4; Durham Bulls 3
Season: 6-8; This Trip: 1-6
Box, Wrap

Try as I might, I just can’t get a handle on this team yet. I did some yard work during yesterday’s game and it sure sounded like the pitchers were keeping things under control, but the Bulls could not put anything together. Meanwhile, former Bull Ray Olmedo, who’d come into the game hitting less than .100, got 2 doubles, a single and scored a run.

In today’s game Chris Archer put in his second troublesome start. I’m wondering if all the pre-season attention and adulation has been a distraction. He is essentially the face of the 2012 Bulls. See, for example, this recent piece about him on the Bulls website. In 12 innings he’s given up 14 runs and 13 walks. As with Torres, you know he’s going to get better, but when?

Let’s give some time to the surprise (for me) of the year, Leslie Anderson. I had not been impressed with Mr. Anderson in the two years he’s spent time on the Bulls roster. I know he was a huge star in Cuba and I certainly admire his courage in leaving the island for an uncertain future in the US. But it seemed to me that he simply wasn’t adjusting and at 30 years of age, we really couldn’t expect too much.

Guess what? No surprise, I was wrong. In 11 games so far and he’s the International League’s leading batter with a .465/.500/.558 line. He isn’t hitting for power. His 20 hits include only 4 doubles. (Note: it says something about this year’s Bulls that with those four doubles, Anderson leads the Bulls in slugging at .558) True to his usual form, he certainly isn’t looking for a walk. He’s only drawn four walks this year (two of them today). Now, if his slightly younger team mate, also left-handed, also from Cuba, also playing first base, Juan Miranda, could join in with him.

Outside the game:

• The Bulls are playing in Knights Stadium. This is another location that the folks that rate stadium don’t much like. See here and here for reviews. The underlying issue is apparently that for several years city politics has kept the Knights from moving into the downtown.
• I wonder what’s happened to Stephen Vogt? He was called up to the Rays just before the season opened in Durham, possibly because the Rays didn’t want to give up a spot on the 40-man to Jeff Salazar. Salazar is getting plenty of playing time with the Bulls and if he hasn’t been a stunning performer, he has hit for some power and stolen a couple of bases. Meanwhile Vogt is mostly riding the bench with an occasional dh/ph opportunity the Rays. Unfortunately he has yet to get his first big league hit or spend much on the playing field. Too bad, we really like him. Maybe when BJ Upton returns we'll get him back here where he can get some playing time.

Thriller in the Ninth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outside the game:

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

First Impressions — Part 3 — Position Players

This collection of twelve mostly very experienced ballplayers should serve the Bulls well this year. Defensively they look very good. Base running speed and power? Maybe a problem. We’ll see.

The only players with a lot of time with the Bulls last year are Leslie Anderson (121 games) and Brandon Guyer (107 games). Nevin Ashley got in 32 games last year as one of six different catchers who played with the Bulls in 2011. Top prospect Tim Beckham came up in August and got in 24 games at SS. He played some second base in spring training, so we might see him there. He was usually the leadoff hitter. Comments on their play last year is here.

That leaves eight guys new to a Durham Bulls roster. However, only Shawn O’Malley is new to AAA baseball. Brandon Guyer is the only position player on the 40-man.

The depth of major league experience is substantial. Nine of the 12 players on the Bulls has at least some major league  time. Only Leslie Anderson, Shawn O’Malley, and Nevin Ashley do not.

Is there a concern? Well, yes. With the exception of Kyle Hudson (26 stolen bases in 2011), none of them has shown anything special in terms of base running speed, although Guyer did steal 16 over 107 games last year.

We also have to worry how many are on “opt-out” contracts. An opt-out contract allows a player to leave the team at a specified time if certain conditions haven’t been met (promotion to the active roster or at least the 40-man roster, for example).

On the other hand, I have to say that the defensive “diamond”, catcher, SS, 2B, CF looks very good with two solid catchers, three above average middle infielders (Beckham, Rhymes and O’Malley), and Guyer in CF.

For a change the infield corners look promising with Mangini and Miranda in place. That’s the first time in many years I’ve been able to say that.

Is there some bat pop missing? I’m not sure. Maybe.

For those who’d like to chase the stats on the new guys, here’s some links:

• Catcher Chris Gimenez (28): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Matt Mangini (25): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Juan Miranda (28): Majors, Minors
• Infielder Will Rhymes (29): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Jesus Feliciano (31): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Kyle Hudson (24): Majors, Minors
• Outfielder Jeff Salazar (29): Major, Minors

First Impressions — 1

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

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

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

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

The Apex Herald jumps in with its assessment.

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

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

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

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

Profiles on Potential Durham Bulls

Two of the non-roster invitees are having a good time at spring training and they are getting some deserved attention on the web: outfielder Jeff Salazar and infielder (and sometime outfielder) Will Rhymes.

Thirty year old Salazar gets some attention over on DRaysBay. He is likely not a stranger to the DBAP since he's had playing time with Indianapolis, Norfolk, and Toledo over the last couple of years.

Will Rhymes (profiled here) has even more time in the International League, exclusively with the Mud Hens. He has surely spent some time at the DBAP as well. He also looks as if he would be an asset to the Bulls.

However, the injury list down at the Rays training camp grows longer each day (Brignac, Upton, Fuld, Jennings, Chirinos) so both players have a chance to stay past opening day. However, someone will have to be dumped from the 40-man to make room.

Rays Prospects is reporting that pitchers Cesar Ramos and Josh Lueke have been optioned to the Bulls, which means that the pitching roster is filling out very nicely.

Watching Spring Training, and a bit more ...

Russ Canzler, former Durham Bull

Dan Johnson, former Durham Bull

*** 29 days **

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