A Quick Check In On The 1983 Durham Bulls

I am having a pretty good time assembling the 1983 rehash inserts from this year's base Topps set.  I am working on the regular version of the 1983 cards, not the Chrome versions, nor the autographed versions.  However, I have decided that I am willing to take on a few of the other variants if it is a Cardinals card, or somehow connected to the Durham Bulls.  Just a few cards really fit into those two categories.  I recently found a few of the 1983 cards that have some connections to the Durham Bulls., still working on those Cardinals.  

The actual 1983 Durham Bulls finished almost 20 games below .500 and their star players were corner infielder Inocencio Guerrero and shortstop, and future Brave, Andres Thomas.

So, how do the former Durham Bulls on the 1983 Topps style cards of today compare to the star of the actual 1983 Durham Bulls?  Andres Thomas did have a six year Major League career, which is longer than any of the other players in this post, but he also had a career batting average of just .234.  He also had a negative WAR during that time.  The bar is not very high.....

First up....

This one hurts a little bit since Souza was one of those players that the Rays parted with this past offseason.  I was first introduced to Souza a few years back while he was a member of the Syracuse Chiefs.  He won the International League Player of the Year in 2014 and also made the All-Star team that summer, which took place in Durham.  

The picture is a little blurry, not one of my better efforts, but that is Souza as a Syracuse Chief.  He ended up back in Durham for a few days in 2015 on a rehab assignment.  Very good player, already better than Andres Thomas.  

Faria played for the Bulls in 2016 and 2017.  I actually got to see his Triple A debut back in July of 2016 against the Syracuse.  

Faria spent the second half of the 2017 season in Tampa, won 5 games, and struck out almost a batter an inning.  It's hard to compare a starting pitcher to a light hitting shortstop, but I am going to give Faria the nod over Andres Thomas.  

Last card, the best chance for Andres Thomas to claim superiority over a more recent Durham Bulls player.  I actually collect this player because of one catch he made in a game a few years back.  Lots of other baseball people like him because of his name.....

I went to a game a few years back on a Sunday afternoon.  The Bulls were playing the Gwinnett Braves.  The game went into extra innings and my son was eager for the contest to end since it was a run the bases day.  I am not sure how Boog did not break his hip.....

but it was a great catch.  I am not sure what sort of future Boog has in the Majors, but the A's are giving him playing time this year.  He seems like a fourth outfielder type, reminds me a little bit of Peter Bourjos, but that still probably means he is going to be better than Andres Thomas.  

I will do a little comparing to the 1983 Cardinals soon....

International League of Bowman Chrome Autographs

I have a bit of an off season shopping, or trading list, that I am trying to finish off over the next two months before the start of the 2017 season.  A few of the cards I have been trying to find belong to players that I saw last year in the Minors.  Whether they played for the Durham Bulls, or against them, several players from the International League stood out along the way.  

This last weekend three of these cards arrived in the mail, adding one Braves player who has moved on to the Reds this off-season, and two Durham Bulls players.  

Reds player first......

I actually have a bunch of different Tyrell Jenkins cards from his time as a Cardinals prospect back in the day.  He was in the Jason Heyward deal with the Braves, was traded again this off-season to the Rangers, and was then released and claimed by the Reds.  He had some decent numbers in the Minors, but struggled in his dozen or so appearances with the Braves.  Even though I have a handful of his Cardinals autographs, and the Heyward trade ended up being sort of painful, I am happy to have a card of Jenkins in a Braves uni.  Never saw him in person with a Cardinals minor league team.  

Two Durham Bulls....

First up is Jacob Faria who spent the last half of the 2016 season in Durham.  I actually got to see his debut with the Bulls against the Syracuse Chiefs (Nationals).  Really impressive pitcher who should have a bright future in the Majors.  He's basically at a strikeout per inning with a good K/BB ratio.  Throughout his first half a season in the Appy League, with Princeton who plays at elevation, and he keeps the ball in the yard too.  

Considering the upside here, the Faria autograph in Bowman Chrome is a bargain.  Buy a few, put them in a box, and wait a year or two.  No need to thank me later on....

Last....

First off, Schultz went to college locally at High Point University.  I haven't ever really run into High Point's baseball team, but I know they have played some of the local ACC competition over the years.   I saw their basketball team once, they almost beat NC State.  Love Cat Barber.  

 

Schultz strikes a lot of batters out, which is sort of his claim to fame as a prospect.  His numbers are decent, but the 11 strikeouts per 9 innings just kind of jumps off the page at you.  He could be a starter still in the future, but reminds me a lot of some of the other pitchers the Rays have converted into relievers in the high minors like Enny Romero or Colome.  

This is another inexpensive card and very easy to find.  Glad to have it in the collection along with the other two cards of Faria and Jenkins.