More 2013 Durham Bulls Who Will Not Be Back

We're beginning to think that the postage for mailing off International League Championship rings is going to really add up this year. Here are a few more players who won't be back.

• Leslie Anderson had been released. After a fairly rough start in 2011, he was a mainstay of the Bulls in 2012 and 2013. We did not expect him back, and that’s the way it looks like it will play out. He’s had a good winter so perhaps he will look good to a Korean, Japanese or Taiwanese team.
• Backtracking to the middle of the month, shortstop Tim Beckham won’t be back until mid-season at the earliest. He hurt his knee working out, has been operated on, and is beginning his rehab.
• Pitcher J.D. Martin won’t be back at all. He signed with the the Samsung Lions (Korea). He was our favorite pitcher last year and he will be sorely missed. We’ll have to do a rant some day about how Major League Baseball could keep some great ballplayers here in the US by simply paying AAA players a bit more. 
• Chris Gimenez got claimed off waivers by the Athletics. Apparently the Rays wanted to make some room on their 40-man and the Athletics pounced. He will be joining former Bull Stephen Vogt out there. Vogt had a decent year  with the Mud Cats and the A’s last year. We liked Gimenez a lot and think that he is yet another catcher that might have been able to help the Rays more if they had let him.
• He was only in three games as a Bull while on on a rehab assignment, but Rays DH Luke Scott is off to Korea as well.

For a short trip into the land of the bizarre, here's news of Bull Durham, the Musical. Somehow I just don't see Crash Davis breaking into song … and a duet with Annie just seems a bit odd.

Meanwhile, they've started installing seats in the DBAP and there's only 96 days to Opening Day!

DBAP, Dec 21, 2013