Slow Day's News

It says something about the time of year that the big item on the web related to the Bulls is a video interview of Wil Myers where he mentions that he doesn't wear batting gloves.

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Bulls Leveraging NC Native Myers

We have something like 115 days before we are going to know just who will be playing for the Durham Bulls this year. That’s a bunch of months. And yet we can’t stop thinking about this big trade the Rays made and how much better the Bulls could be looking at the beginning of the season. And not just the the trade that might bring Wil Myers and a couple of pitchers to the Bulls. Rich Thompson should be coming back. And the Rays just traded for a very interesting guy named Vince Belnome out of the Padres system.

Some links to keep us thinking.

• As they should, the Bulls front office has jumped on the possibilities of Wil Myers being here with an interesting ticket offer.  Worth buying into, I’d think. Also some clever photoshopping that I stole.
• Over at Grantland, Rany Jazyerli thinks that the Royals messed up.
• Joe Maddon had a few comments on the big trade.
• For a bit more stuff on the players involved check out this link. But for some real depth you should at the commentary over on DRaysBay.
• The trade opens the door for Chris Archer to make the Rays starting rotation. I was startled to see the N&O recognize that possibility and run down an interview. Here’s hoping he gets his chance. For what it’s worth, I think he is better prepared that Matt Moore was at this time last year.
• Over at Fangraphs Mike Newman has some worrisome comments on Tim Beckham. I can’t disagree with his observations. The stat lines from the Arizona Fall League don’t provide any insight into his progress as a second baseman.
• At Rays Index, Cork Gaines has updated his 40-man roster projection, which led me to chase down young Alexander Torres’ numbers for winter ball. With 10 starts, he’s getting a lot of time on the mound (47 innings). Too much?

Big Trade

This is a very big deal for Bulls fans: The Rays traded former Bulls James Shields and Wade Davis to the Kansas City Royals yesterday. In return they got four prospects, three of whom are very promising (and, of course, saved themselves a bunch of money in the process).

Three of the four could start the season with the Durham Bulls, outfielder (and top prospect) Wil Myers, right-handed starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, and left-handed starting pitcher Mike Montgomery. A fourth player, infielder Patrick Leonard, was working his way up through the KC system. Hard to tell if he’s ready for AAA yet, but all the others already have some AAA time and have a shot at starting the season with the Rays.

But it’s more likely they will start with the Bulls and that would be a welcome change from the beginning of 2012.

2013 is looking good!

For some analysis and stats, see the commentary at The Process Report, DRays Bay, and RaysIndex.

Hemstitching: Rhymes, Beckham, Wrigley, and More ...

• Will Rhymes, who played in 46 games with the Bulls last year, has signed with the Washington Nationals. We liked watching him play the game.
• Tim Beckham, who was with the Bulls almost all of last year except for his 50-game suspension, has been moved to the Rays’ 40-man roster. Also on the 40-man is much-talked-about infielder Hak-Ju Lee, who has not yet made it to Durham.
• Henry Wrigley became a free agent over a month ago, but haven’t heard anything since then.
• Rich Thompson, on the other hand, is back in the fold. Hoorah! Along with Rich, veteran infielder Mike Fontenot signed a minor league deal. Fontenot played mostly with the Phillies last year with a few games in Lehigh Valley. (Stats)
• In addition to Thompson and Fontenot, the Rays have also signed RHP Matt Buschmann, who spent most of 2012 in Montgomery, but did have two starts with the Bulls. And they have signed one of my favorites from 2012, Shawn O’Malley. 
• Two others, RHP Will Inman and IB Nick Weglarz are new to the Rays and, if they show up, will be new to the Bulls. Inman, however, pitched for Pawtucket last year and we’ve probably seen him.
• Former Durham Bull Jonny Gomes seems to think that his time in Durham will help him in left field in Fenway.

When he was a prospect in the Tampa organization and playing at Triple-A Durham, Gomes says he imagined himself one day playing left field for the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The left field wall at the Bulls’ ballpark in Durham has similarities to the Green Monster and it was then when he began to learn how to handle the complexities of the position.

          Yeah, that really helped former Bull Carl Crawford ...