2016 Durham Bulls Team Set

I cannot tell you how long these cards have been out, and I bought them the first week they were for sale, but for some reason they did not get posted at any point during the season.  I actually found them a few days back while I was putting away a few other cards in a box I have with different minor league team sets and minor league single cards.  For those who have seen my card room in person, you'd be hard pressed to believe this, but I actually put the cards right away when I got home from the game.

Not sure what was happening that week that would make me do such a thing.  Usually they sit on a shelf or my desk for a week or two before they are put into some sort of stack and shuffled away to a box.  Found the International League All-Star set too, that will be later in the week.  Like tomorrow.

Here are the cards with a little commentary......

There are a lot of solid names in the first batch of cards:

• Blake Snell is one of the Rays top pitching prospects and will spend the entire 2017 season in Tampa after beginning last season with the Bulls.  
• Motter was traded from the Rays this offseason to the Mariners along with Richie Shaffer in the second row.  The M's have Motter on their roster at the moment, it would be nice to see him get some playing time.  Shaffer went to the Mariners, was released and signed by the Phillies, and was released again and signed by the Reds.  
• Mahtook, Franklin, and Maile have all spent time in the Majors.  Not sure what their roles will be next year, but each of them would seem to have a decent shot of being in Tampa.  At the same time, it won't shock me if all three are back in Durham.  
• Schultz is sort of the hidden gem out of this group.  He attended college at a small school in North Carolina (High Point) and was drafted by the Rays in the 14th Round of the 2013 Draft.  Since he has struck out more than 11 batters per 9 in almost 80 starts through four different levels of Minor League ball.  His last two seasons he struck out more than 160 in 130 innings.  He's one to watch.  

There are some older players in this grouping of cards along with some fringy prospects.  Decker, Arencibia, Sappington have all seen a decent amount of playing time in the Majors.  Varona is a Cuban defector who seems like he will likely be a AAAA player, Floro has a little potential for the next level as a ground ball specialist out of the bullpen, and Belletti would also be a bullpen arm.  That really leaves two players to chat about.....

• Robertson was a highly regarded prospect in the A's system before he was traded for Ben Zobrist.  He's just 22 and played his first season in Triple A last year.  He had a decent .259/.358/.356 line.  Obviously the OBP makes up for the average, but that slugging percentage is too low.  The Rays have another hot shortstop prospect, Willy Adames, who should be in Durham in 2017.  Curious to see what happens to Robertson.
• Field was apart of Arizona's College World Series winner a few seasons back and has made his was through the Rays system in the past three seasons.  He has some pop in his bat for a little a guy, more than 50 extra base hits last year and a slugging percentage over .450, but his OBP has dropped significantly since getting past A Ball.  In two A ball stops Field was at .367 and .396, since he has gone .329, .301, and 338.  You can't steal first.  

This grouping of cards is all older guys with limited potential in the Majors.  The whole group is over 25, while some Rays fans consider Seitzer somewhat of a prospect, he is not.  Nope.  

Last three.  The mascot, but not the one from the movie, Wool E. Bull is one of the better sports mascots around in any sport.  Really good.  Snyder has been the pitching coach the last few seasons.  He went to UNC, so there is a local connection, and he seems to give my son a ball (we often sit near the bullpen) almost every time we are at the game.  Ozzie Timmons is Ozzie Timmons, pretty awesome.  

So Long For Just Awhile

Watching Minor League Baseball means that there is an inevitable separation looming from the players that you spend your summers cheering.  As a resident of central North Carolina, and Durham Bulls fan, for more than a decade I have seen plenty of favorites move on to the Majors and become successful.  Whether that success comes with the Bulls parent team, the Rays or another club, it's always a good feeling to see former their players doing well.

The fact that my favorite Durham Bulls players move on does not always mean it is the easiest thing to deal with as a baseball fan.  It stinks at times.

The same thing happens to fans of Major League teams too, it just looks a little different.  Some players leave via free agency, some are traded, some are released, and some retire.  They can all be equally difficult.  I distinctly remember hanging through the 1996 Cardinals NLCS Game 7 loss to the Braves just to say I watched Ozzie Smith's last at-bat.  The game ended 15-0, but it was worth it for Ozzie.

This off-season is young, but I have already had one of these difficult moments watching two of my favorite players move on from the Durham Bulls/Rays.  It all started last Friday evening when I saw this tweet flash across the screen of my phone......

I had to step outside for a bit, take a walk, and clear my head.  For the last two seasons I had thoroughly enjoyed watching both players with the Durham Bulls.  I had seen Shaffer awhile back when he was a third baseman at Clemson, but Motter was a new player for me.  Both had a huge impact on the team and were immediately amongst the most popular players with the Bulls fan base.  

Motter played all over the field during the 2015 season and posted a great line for the Bulls....

In 127 games in 2015 Motter posted a .292/.366/.471 line with 14 home runs. 43 doubles, 72 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases.  He was not promoted to the Majors by the Rays at the end of the season after posting that line.  

Shaffer did not quite lead the International League in home runs in 2015, but that's mainly because he only played 69 games in Durham that summer.....

His final line was .270/.355/.582 with 19 home runs, 17 doubles, and 45 RBIs.  For the year, Shaffer ended up hitting a total of 26 home runs adding in the dingers he also hit in Double A Montgomery.  Shaffer did get called up in September of 2015 and managed 7 extra base hits in 74 at-bats.  Everyone knows the first hit and home run Shaffer hit against the White Sox.  It was classic....

Both players were back with the Bulls in 2016.  Motter and Shaffer both also spent time with the Rays.  Tampa utilized Motter's versatility and played him in both corner outfield spots, all four infield positions, and he even pitched a third of an inning.  Yet, he only briefly stayed up with the Rays.  Shaffer got another 48 at-bats with the Rays, had 7 more extra base hits, and managed to improve his slash line percentages from the previous season.  

For whatever reason, both players were basically buried this year in Durham.  Neither of the players performed up to their best in Triple A, but they both seemed to handle it the right way.  Motter continued to work hard, grind out at-bats, and move all over the field to wherever the team needed him.  Shaffer worked out all over the field too, including spending some time learning the outfield.  

It was clear that neither player fit into the Rays plan. 

While the trade was a little hard to take, ultimately I know that the Mariners are going to give both players a chance to win jobs and playing time.   I know that both have a really good of getting the playing time that they did not get in Tampa.  

Further, as a baseball card guy, I am really excited to continue my collection of both players.  Shaffer has had a bunch of cards already including one from his first home run.....

I am not sure if anyone can ever top this card, but I am hoping that his cards will be a regular occurrence for years to come.  For next year, I am planning on having to track down a few sweet Mariners cards of the former Clemson Tiger.  

Same with Motter.....  

who has picked up his first Topps cards late this summer, but I have had fun chasing down the different variations of the two that are floating around.  A regular role in Seattle will definitely result in more cards of the super utility player.  Besides, as someone recently pointed out to me, someone with hair like Motter's needs to be playing on the west coast.  

While I am disappointed to say that I will never see Motter and Shaffer play another game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, I know that the trade is the best thing for both of their careers.  I am looking forward to some late nights next summer staying up to watch a few Mariners games.  I know many other Bulls and Rays fans will likely be joining in with me in watching two of their favorites succeed somewhere else....

So long for just awhile.  

Three Shiny Bulls and One Flying Squirrel

I have been on a roll the last few days picking up some odds and ends that I missed throughout the earlier portions of the 2016 baseball card calendar.  Cards that I saw a few months back that either cost too much at the time on Ebay, or I could not line up a trade... Somthing happened to make me skip these cards.  I was certainly interested.

Kind of a good feeling to cross these off the list.

The four cards are in this post were all picked up in a Facebook trade.  I was originally interested in two of the cards, which feature former Durham Bulls players, but managed to kind of back into two other cards which sealed the trade.  The two main cards in my half of the trade were.....

A 2016 Topps Chrome Richie Shaffer autograph.  He has actually been shuffled between Tampa and Durham this past year.  I am hoping that he sticks around with the Rays next year, but their infield is rather crowded at the moment.  Perhaps he's trade bait, but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching him play in Durham the past two years.

Two quick observations on the Shaffer card:

• The card is one of those colored variations that pops up in the Chrome set every year.  I know there are collectors who try to chase down all of the different colors.  I feel like the longer I collect cards the less I care about all the variation stuff.  The important thing here is that I found a copy of Richie Shaffer's Topps Chrome autograph.  

• Is that a PokeBall on the end of his bat?  

Next up is my favorite Durham Bulls player from the last two years, pitcher Blake Snell....

I like the card, I like the autograph, but why is there smoke behind his head?  This card sort of looks like it was taken while Snell was on the Durham Bulls and airbrushed into a Rays uni.  The little Ray on his back sleeve looks rather sloppy for a real Rays uni.  

Next.  

Not an autograph, but still a former Durham Bulls player.  Rickard spent part of last season with the Bulls before he was left unprotected by the Rays this offseason.  The Orioles picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft and he spent the year playing in the Bigs.  His stay in Durham only lasted a little over a month, but he batted .360/.437/.472 during the stint.  Not too shabby.  

Last one.  

Last summer I spent a little bit of time traveling around to a few different ballparks in my neck of the woods.  One the trips was up to Richmond, Virginia to check out a game at The Diamond.  I actually spent a few years as a kid living in Richmond and many of my first baseball games were watching the Braves Triple A team.  Now the team in Richmond is the Flying Squirrels and they are the Double A affiliate of the Giants.  I spent part of last season following the team's box scores and the what not, one of their better players was outfielder Mac Williamson.  

Mac Williamson also has a local connection to North Carolina.  He is from Wake Forest, a town just north of Raleigh, and played college baseball at Wake Forest, a college in Winston-Salem which is about an hour and half away from the town of Wake Forest.  The card was kind of a throw-in, but I am still really happy to have this card.  

The Lost Scans of Tier One

I have a system for my mail, scanning the cards, posting, and then sorting the cards into boxes.  Occasionally there are breakdowns in the system.  I cannot necessarily pin point one spot in the process where the system breaks.  Sometimes it is because my desk looks really messy.  Sometimes it's because I get excited about a card and skip the scanning part, instead opting to go straight to the card.  

Other times I just lose the scan. 

I am not always great about using folders.  Cards get scanned and put into some jumbo file of scans and pictures.  Even when I know I have scanned the cards for a blog post, I have to fight through a plethora of pictures featuring my wife, kids, and all sorts of other random pictures which float onto my computer.  

I actually have to give some props to JediJeff from 2x3 Heroes who commented on my post yesterday about how he had been watching some undervalued Tribute cards.  Slight case of ADD, but the chart below shows the connection between Jeff's comments and this post featuring cards that I completely forgot about during the past few months.....

If you look at the left side of the scan you can see through the paper where I wrote the title of the chart Landscape with a grey marker.  I switch to portrait and supplemented the grey title with purple ink.  Hopefully you made it to the part where I find three cheap Tier One autographs.  I know I write small, it's been a problem for years....

First card.  

It's an Evan Longoria card.  No flow chart on this card, but he was on the Durham Bulls.  I like the Durham Bulls and buy baseball cards of their players.  I also bought an autograph of a current Durham Bull.....

Very nice indeed.  Shaffer has been up and down between Durham and Tampa this year, little bit of a down year, but is probably best known for his self high five first home run.  I have posted the video of the home run a few too many times, so it's here somewhere just not in this post.... 

 Last autograph is a Cardinal.  

I love Carlos Martinez cards.  I need to do a post about his ever changing autograph one of these days.  I think this year's is a little different than last year's and completely different from what it looked like when his first Bowman and Leaf autographs came out.  

Durham Bulls In Frames

I did not open any boxes of Allen & Ginter.  It's always one of my favorite products every year, but I have been busy with kids and work of late.  I am still going to work on putting together a bunch of the cards out of the set starting with a few autographs.  After checking out the checklist there are a few that I am really excited about picking up.  I decided to start with a pair of former Durham Bulls players to start out my dive into this year's Allen & Ginter product.

First up is last year's Minor League Pitcher of the Year Blake Snell.  This is a beautiful card:

I feel like the frame designs are starting to run together a bit with some of the Ginter sets, but this is a great look.  Topps could use the same frame every year and change out the mini card in the middle and I would still buy these cards.

Snell's cards seem to have come down a bit in terms of price and popularity.  This is one of the most inexpensive autographs of his that I have picked up this year and it was easy to find.  Not serial numbered or anything, but a great looking card.

Next up is infielder Richie Shaffer.

This is my second Shaffer autograph I have added the past two weeks.  He's not having the best year with the Bulls, also a little time with the Rays, but I am still a fan.  I am a little surprised at the number of autographs he has had this year considering he has spent most of the year in Triple A.  Love seeing his cards though and they are always easy on the wallet.

Simply Amazed

There have been several good cards this year that I have thoroughly enjoyed adding to my collection.  However, this past week I added, what has become, easily my favorite card that any company has put out in any set this year.  Here is a look at my newest baseball card of Durham Bulls, and Rays prospect, infielder Richie Shaffer....

The reason that this card is great is the fact that it can be tied to a specific memorable event from Shaffer's career.  Last year, Shaffer the majority of the season with the Durham Bulls, but he had a chance to play a little with the Rays in September.  Shaffer's first hit came in the form of a home run against the White Sox.  The dugout was great and is the subject of this Richie Shaffer card.

In a season where the Durham Bulls and the Rays missed the playoffs, in my opinion this was one of the best moments of last season.  I am glad that Topps chose this picture and moment to use on Shaffer's card in this year's Stadium Club set.  

Beyond the Shaffer autograph, I also picked up the Stadium Club autograph of former Durham Bulls pitcher Alex Colome.  

 

Colome had been looking for a role the past few years, but has fit into a nice groove as the team's closer.  It's good to see him settle down and find a little bit of success at the Major League level.  

Durham Diamond Kings

Panini has released a bunch of products this year and I cannot tell much about any of them.  I usually wait until the fall to see what sort of college and USA Baseball products they will drop.  All of the other stuff that they put out I will dabble in, but I am done with putting their sets together after they the whole Donruss set thing back in 2014.  Long story, ask around...

That leaves me with just putting together a few autographs here and there, which is usually the extent of Panini cards in my collection.  So far this year I have done a pretty good job of completely ignoring them almost altogether until a trading partner pointed out that there is both a Blake Snell and a Richie Schaffer autograph in Diamond Kings.

Welp, I went ahead and got both cards. While they are pictured as Rays, both were Durham Bulls at the time this product was released.

 Here's a look at the Snell.

Sticker autograph, uniform logos airbrushed out.  Love those Donruss cards.  It's still a Snell autograph and he is a pretty good Durham Bulls player, so it's a good addition for my collection.  If you are not familiar with Snell, he is the top pitching prospect in the Rays organization.  Really impressive pitcher, just ask Brian McCann.

I am not sure where Shaffer ranks on the prospect lists nowadays.  He had a good season with the Durham Bulls last year, got called up to the Rays, and hit this home run with a memorable celebration. 

After hitting 26 home runs last season in the Minors, Shaffer is having a bit of a down year with the Bulls.  So far he has hit just 5 home runs.  Still, one of my favorite Durham Bulls and an enjoyable player to collect.  Here is his Diamond Kings autograph.....

Similar to the Snell card.  Sticker autograph with some art work and two average pieces of jersey swatch.  While it's clear that Snell is working his way out of Triple A, and will soon be a mainstay in the Rays rotation, it's nice to see him get a few cards before he gets to the Majors.  Same with Shaffer, but I suspect he will be in Durham a little bit longer.  

Bowman's Best Durham Bull

Topps has just released the Bowman's Best product, taking the place of the former sticker autograph set known as Bowman Sterling. I have always really enjoyed the Bowman's Best sets and can tell you right now that I have several of the latest version en route to my house.

While the Bowman's Best name has not been it's own set in recent years, Topps has still used the name on a nice looking die-cut insert the last several years in the end of year Bowman Draft product. I know I give Bowman Draft a lot of grief about the airbrushing in the base set, but the Bowman's Best inserts have always been a plus.

Here is my latest card......>

I have also picked up the Michael Wacha card in this set.  I have had my eye on this Shaffer for most of the summer after he was promoted from the Montgomery Biscuits up to the Durham Bulls.  In half a year he almost hit 20 home runs in Triple A earning a promotion up to the Rays.  I would imagine he will be in the mix at first base next year in Tampa.  Here's the back of the card....

The card is numbered to 99.  There is another version of this card, the X-fractor version, but those are pretty hard to find.  Also slightly pricey.  It's been awhile since I have added a Shaffer card to my collection and I plan on trying to keep up with his cards even if he is not in Durham next year.  Still fun to collect the Durham Bulls players even when they have moved on to other places...

Friday Five: 5 Durham Bulls Highlights from 2015

This week's Friday Five looks back at 5 cool things that happened last year for the Durham Bulls.  While the team did not make the playoffs, I know Bulls fans are spoiled, there were plenty of things to love about the past season.  Here are my five highlights from 2015 from my favorite Minor League baseball team:

Honorable Mention- Corey Brown Hits Bull, Wins Steak
Every loves the Bull in left field of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  Growing up as a Cardinals fan in St. Louis we always had the Stan Musial statue in front of the stadium.  The Bull is slightly larger than Stan and he is in the stadium.  Every once in awhile you can see a player hit a home run off the landmark.  This year outfielder Corey Brown got the job done.  Not sure how many lefties have pulled off this feat......

5. Boog Powell and his Baseball Glove 

The Bulls had Boog Powell for roughly half the season.  He came over in the Ben Zobrist trade with the A's last season and provided a spark at the top of the lineup for the Bulls.  Besides working his OBP magic the speedy spark plug also played one incredible outfield.  Over summer break I took my son to a Sunday game against the Gwinnett Braves for run the bases day.  The Bulls ended up losing the game in extra innings, but we got to enjoy one of the better catches I have ever seen in person....

4. Mahtook's First Hit Home Run 
One of the best parts of watching Minor League baseball is seeing the players you watch end up in the Majors.  It's even better when they get to the Majors and make a positive impact for their team.  Mikie Mahtook spent the 2015 season traveling back and forth between Durham and Tampa.  He struggled to find consistent playing time with the Bulls, but shined off the bench with the Rays putting up a .295/.351/.619 line with 5 homers, 1 triple, and 9 doubles in just over 100 at bats.  Mahtook even picked up his first career hit with a home run against the Blue Jays.

3. Shaffer's Debut Home Run 

Richie Shaffer started the season in Double A Montgomery, spent 70 games in Durham, and then got promoted to the Rays.  Somewhere in there he hit 19 home runs for the Bulls, 7 for Montgomery, and played in the MLB Futures Game.  The highlight of Shaffer's year thought had to be his first Major League hit after being called up for the Bulls.  Self-High-Five.  

2. Motter Everywhere 

The MVP of the 2015 Durham Bulls was a no brainer.  Every night Taylor Motter was in the line-up.  Sometimes he played in the outfield, sometimes he played in the infield, but he was always somewhere.  By the end of the season Motter posted a .292/.366/.471 line with 14 home runs and 43 doubles.  As a fan of the game Motter was a joy to watch and I cannot wait to see him in Tampa.  Remember the name. 

1. Snell Wins Minor League Pitcher of the Year 

Rays prospect Blake Snell spent the end of his 2015 season with the Durham Bulls making 9 starts.  The left handed pitcher had an ERA of 1.83 and struck out 57 batters in just 44.1 innings.  He was pretty special in Double-A too.  All of this great pitching helped Blake Snell pick up Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors from both Baseball America and USA Today.  I am guessing he will start the season in Durham next year.  Go watch him pitch before he's in Tampa.  

2015 Durham Bulls Team Set

I have done a lot with Minor League sets during the past month and have a few more to throw up on my page during the next few weeks.  I am going to start out with the 2015 Durham Bulls team set.  I have been waiting for this set to hit the shelves at the team store for the last couple of weeks.  I went to a game Friday night and was happy to see the signs up for the cards as soon as I hit the front gate.  In fact, they were also at the concession stands too.

Similar to my previous Minor League sets I am going to pick out three players I am excited about in the set.  Two are going to be no brainers and I am going to pick out one player to keep your eye out for in the future.  Oh, and there's background music for this post.   Click on the video, it's Ryan Brett's at-bat music.

The lists on the Rays prospects vary greatly from website to website, but there are two players in this set who consistently show up high on every list:

1.  Richie Shaffer- The former Clemson star was the Rays first round draft pick in the 2012 amateur draft.  He was drafted as a power hitter, but had a fairly quiet bat his first two years in the minors.  Last year he started to come around a bit when he hit 19 dingers in Double A Montgomery.  He started out this season in Montgomery again, but after 7 home runs and 10 doubles in just about 40 games the Rays promoted Shaffer to Durham.  In 50 games in Durham the third baseman/first baseman has 16 home runs, 11 doubles, and a slugging percentage of almost .600.  He played third base in the lower minors, but is seeing more and more time at first.  Watch out James Loney, he was called up officially this afternoon. Shaffer has a bunch of other baseball cards in Bowman and Topps products if you are interested in picking up a few.  An appearance in the Futures Game this year has really improved his popularity and the price of his cards.  

2.  Ryan Brett- He's a little spark plug, but a lot of different prospecting publication really like him.  The Rays called him up early in the year, he got hurt, and has not really looked right since.  He's hit over .300 at almost every stop in the minors, consistently gotten on base, hit for a little pop, and stolen bases.  This season he is hitting .220. Brett is still just 23 and has awesome work out videos on YouTube.  He's going to bounce back and be a solid baseball player, or perhaps Batman.  

and my final name....

3. Taylor Motter- Motter does not have many cards and he's not on any prospects lists.  Ask a baseball fan who has watched a Durham Bulls game this year who the funnest player to watch on the field is and you will likely get the answer of Motter.  What does he do?  He plays everywhere in the field.  I think I have seen him play everywhere except first, catcher, and pitcher.   He has a little bit of pop, 9 home runs and 33 doubles, speed with 24 steals, and also has cool hair.  When he plays in the outfield he does a cool Dan Quisenberry imitation on his last warm up throw.  Watching him reminds me a lot of Ben Zobrist.  He does a lot well and can fit in just about anywhere on the field.  Card companies have not gotten the notice that this guy is good, there aren't many cards of him out there.  

Snorting Bull Baseball Tour Day 4: Durham Bulls vs. Norfolk Tides

I love going to the Durham Bulls games.  I have almost lived in North Carolina for ten years now and cannot count the number of games that I have attended over the years.  It's been quite a lot.  Along the way I have seen a lot of great games, watched some pretty spectacular players, and meet some awesome people along the way who share my love of baseball.  Yes, this post is going to be about a stadium in Durham and about a game between the Durham Bulls and the Norfolk Tides.  However, as many times as I have done a post about the Durham Bulls, or a Durham Bulls game that I attended, I have not shared much about the incredible baseball experience that is the Durham Bulls.

One of the best parts of going to a Durham Bulls game is going to Durham.  Stadiums happen in many places, but the Durham Bulls Athletic Park is right in the middle of the downtown area.  There are plenty of unique places to visit near the park.  My favorite pre-game hang out is the American Tobacco Campus directly across the street.  Back in the day this was a Tobacco Factory.  Hence the giant Lucky Strikes Water Tower and smokestack.  The two best pre-game meals, Mellow Mushroom and Tyler's Taproom, are located in this complex which constantly changes and improves.  It's a unique space that a lot of cities cannot match.  If you'd rather enjoy a cold frosty one and hot dog at the game the campus still is a great place to walk with some great water displays. 

Once it's game time the Durham Bulls Athletic Park is an easy walk from wherever in downtown Durham.  The front of the stadium was remodeled last year for the All-Star game, but it was still really nice before the facelift.  Here's the front with the water fountains, main entrance gate, and team store......

Walking around the stadium, the team also does a great job of recognizing their history.  The Bulls have been around for awhile and have had some good players and accomplishments along the way.  For this season the team is celebrating the 20th Birthday of their park.  The original Durham Athletic Park is used by North Carolina Central University's baseball team amongst others.  Here's a close up of the 20th Anniversary Logo for the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Bulls have also placed the numbers of their retired jerseys next to the gates of the stadium.  The numbers recognize Crash Davis, Chipper Jones, Joe Morgan, Bill Evers, and Jackie Robinson.  There are some other places in the stadium where you can find some mementos about these players, but this is the main display.  Well done by the Bulls.

The inside of the stadium is great too.  Here's the main grandstand.....

The seats were all replaced during the renovation prior to last year.  Here's the view heading out the other way with the playing field......

and my friend out in left field, and name sake of my blog.....

This is a great stadium and a great baseball experience.  If you have never been to a game in Durham I would highly recommend making this a stop at some point.  I think of it as a Major League quality game experience and environment on a small scale at a great price.  The picture facing out towards the field was taken in an $11 seat.  What does that buy you in most Major League parks?  Not that seat.

On to the game......


The Bulls and Tides entered the game close in the standings, Norfolk is ahead by four games, but both teams had good pitchers going.  The Tides threw Zack Davies who entered the game with an ERA of 2.75 and almost a strikeout per inning.  The Bulls countered with former Twins hurler Scott Diamond.  It was a close game throughout and both pitchers did a good job of keeping the hitters off balance.

Which reminds me that I was watching a few different hitters during the game.   No videos of pitchers tonight, sorry.

Rays DH/outfielder John Jaso was in town on a rehab assignment and batting lead off for the Bulls.  Yes, he is wearing a Rays batting helmet.  He batted twice in the game and grounded out twice.  Here's a look.....

I also spent a little bit of time watching two of Durham's young hitters: Triple A All-Star Taylor Motter and Richie Shaffer.  Shaffer spent part of the season at Double A with the Montgomery Biscuits, but has been one of the better power bats in Triple A since his promotion to the Bulls.  

I like that Shaffer is also working on first base.  He has mostly been used at third by the Rays in the lower minors, but that position is taken at the big league level.  Here's a look at a Shaffer at-bat.....

I took some pictures of Taylor Motter, but did not have a video turn out the way I would like.  I will make one soon of him throwing Quisenberry style out in the outfield.  

  

The Bulls ended up score the first run of the game on a J.P Arencibia double and a Nick Franklin single.  Later Corey Brown, who came in for Jaso after two at-bats, hit a home run.  The Tides almost had the game tied up at one point on an inside the park home run, but the runner failed to touch third base.  Bizarre.  

ALMOST-INSIDE-THE-PARK-MISSED-THIRD-DOT-GIF pic.twitter.com/fHVhqjVYoK

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) July 7, 2015

The Bulls ended up winning the game 2-0.  How should we celebrate?  I leave you with Wool E. Bull and an "umpire" dancing to Beat It.  

#MyCardMonday

Who is the hottest player in all of Triple A?  The easy answer is Durham Bulls third baseman Richie Shaffer.  The Clemson grad has been on the Bulls for 18 games and has posted a .311/.411/.721 slash line with 7 home runs, 4 doubles, and 14 RBIs.  He had been playing well before this week, but he took it to another level this weekend when he posted a three home run game against the Louisville Bats (Reds).  Not quite Mark Whiten, but it was still a great performance.

So I figured today would probably be a good day to go ahead and share out my latest Richie Shaffer card which comes from his days back at Clemson.  This on card signature comes from the 2012 Leaf Valiant set.....

I think it's going to take a lot for the needle to move on Shaffer, but I am guessing that the Rays are going to give him an opportunity to be a big bat in their line up sooner than later.  His cards are still dirt cheap despite his success this year.  I am waiting for Shaffer to slow down a bit, but his 1.480 OPS over the last 7 days suggests that he is going to be just fine hitting in Triple A.  

Collecting the Durham Bulls: Richie Shaffer

Two days in a row with a Richie Shaffer post.  I will leave him along the rest of this week, most likely.  A little bit of repeated information:  Shaffer was the Rays first round draft pick in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft out of Clemson.  He has played in the Rays minor league system the past two and half years for the teams A, high A, and Double A teams.  The third baseman has increased his home runs totals each season in the minors and he seems poised to do that again this year with 9 in his first 40 games (last year he hit 19).

Shaffer's first cards appear in the late 2012 releases.  His key rookie is in the dreadfully super airbrushed Bowman Draft set.  At some point in the future Topps should write an apology letter to all of the players included in the set and reissue a new rookie card.  What pains me about the Shaffer rookie card?  The jersey airbrushing is not terrible, but the helmet is not cool, and if you are going to go ahead and change out the jersey and helmet why leave the little things untouched?  Shaffer has two wrist bands, one orange and one purple.  The crowd in background is also wearing orange shirts, and if you squint, you can even make out the C for Clemson on the guy's hat to the right of Shaffer's wrist in the picture.  Charles Barkley says......

Shaffer also has rookie cards in Panini and Leaf products which show him in a Clemson uniform, but the logos are just blanked out on the cards.....

All three rookie cards, the Leaf, Panini, and Bowman Draft, all feature an autographed version which all can be found for less than $5.  In my opinion, I like the Panini and Leaf cards better than the Bowman issues.  I'd rather see him in a Clemson uni with no logos, then a Rays uniform haphazardly placed over a Clemson one.

Since entering the Rays system in 2012 there have been plenty of Shaffer cards in Bowman products and some of the other Topps Minor League products like Pro Debut and Heritage Minor League.  The cards are readily available and really inexpensive.  I like his Stone Crabs card from last year's Pro Debut product.  I am guessing he will have a card in this year's product as a Montgomery Biscuit.

Shaffer also has a handful of autographs out on the secondary market all of them were issued in either 2012 or 2013.  I have already talked a little bit about his 2012 signatures, but I am going to throw out one from that year which is, in my opinion, his best autograph.

I am sure the photograph is probably photoshopped, but the fact that Topps made an on card signature of Shaffer is the important thing here.  The Leaf cards from 2012 are also on card, but this is Shaffer's only licensed on card autograph.  If you wanted to add a Shaffer autograph to your collection this is my 1A pick.  There is one other good one, but mainly because of the product....

 Share's Bowman Inception autograph is a sticker, but this is from a really nice product with real, non-airbrushed pictures, of players in their uniforms.  I like Shaffer's signature and he has been really consistent throughout his time signing for card manufacturers.

#MyCardMonday

I had a few ideas for #MyCardMonday this week, but I was won over by a roster move by the Durham Bulls and the performance that followed on the field.  Sunday morning on my way to the ACC Championship game I saw an interesting tweet cross my feed.......

I am not sure how much I have, or have not talked about, Shaffer in this space over the past three or four years.  I am really intrigued by him as a player and was wondering at what point this season we would see the powerful third baseman make his first appearance in Durham.  Well, yesterday was the day.  We'll get into the specifics of his first day in a few minutes.  First some housekeeping.

I first encountered Shaffer while he was in college playing for Clemson.  The Charlotte native definitely stood out for the Tigers and enjoyed a great college career.  I found a cool old video of him from Baseball America facing off against, then Duke pitcher, Marcus Stroman.

The Rays took Shaffer with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft.  He has been through stops with the Rays A and AA teams before his promotion to the Durham Bulls on Sunday.  During the past two and half years his home run totals have slowly started to tick upwards.  From 4 in 2012, to 11 in 2013, and then up to 19 last year.  So far this year he is already at 9 with just 40 games played.  Two of which came yesterday in his first Triple A game with the Bulls.  

Shaffer makes his home debut for the Bulls later today against the Rochester Red Wings.  So, after a great debut the choice for #MyCardMonday is easy........