All-DBAP Team: Starting Pitcher Finalists
You, the fans, have spoken, and all position players on the All-DBAP Team have been accounted for. All that’s left are starting pitcher, relief pitcher and manager, and this week we take a look at the three finalists for your favorite starting pitcher in DBAP history. Out of all the talented pitchers that have come through the DBAP the past 20 years, fans will be able to choose between a Cy Young winner, Rookie of the Year and the Bulls’ Triple-A single-season wins leader.
After taking a glance at our finalists below, remember to vote for who you think is most-deserving of a spot on the All-DBAP Team by voting on the Bulls’ Facebook page. Simply leave a comment on Facebook with the name of your selection on the official finalist announcement post and you’re done!
Jeremy Hellickson
In 2009 and 2010, Jeremy Hellickson put together perhaps the most dominating 30 starts in International League history. After he was promoted to Triple-A midway through the 2009 campaign the right-hander went on to go 6–1 with a 2.51 ERA, leading the squad to its first Governors’ Cup title since 2003. In the team’s first Triple-A National Championship Game Hellickson got the call and tossed five shutout innings, allowing just two hits in Durham’s 5–4, 11-inning victory. Then in 2010 he was dominant once more, earning IL Most Valuable Pitcher honors after going 12–3 with a 2.45 ERA, leading the league in ERA and K/9 (9.41), while ranking third in wins. That season he was named the Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today, while earning Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors from The Sporting News. In 2011 he was named the American League Rookie of the Year after going 13–10 with a 2.95 ERA, and spent the first five years of his big league career with Tampa Bay before he was traded to Arizona this past offseason.
Career Numbers with Durham: 19–8, 2.93 ERA, 193.1 IP, 209 K in 35 GS (2009–2010, rehab in 2014)
MLB Career: 40–36, 3.78 ERA, 640 IP, 463 K in 115 G, 108 GS (2010–2014)
J.D. Martin
Signed as a minor league free agent prior to the 2013 season, J.D. Martin went on to have a historic year for the Bulls, going 16–4 with a 2.75 ERA en route to IL Most Valuable Pitcher honors. At age 30, Martin led the IL and set the Bulls single-season Triple-A record for wins, while ranking Top-5 on the circuit in starts (27), innings pitched (160.1), and fewest BB/9 (1.46). Over his final 11 regular season starts he went 7–0 with a 2.07 ERA to lead the Bulls to the division crown, before going 1–0 with a 1.93 ERA in two postseason starts to help the club capture its fourth Governors’ Cup title.
Career Numbers with Durham: 16–4, 2.75 ERA, 160.1 IP, 116 K in 27 GS (2013)
MLB Career: 6–9, 4.32 ERA, 125 IP, 68 K in 24 GS (2009–2010)
David Price
Similar to our 3rd base winner Evan Longoria, southpaw David Price makes our list of finalists more because of what he’s accomplished at the Major League level rather than his time in Durham. With the Bulls, Price appeared in just 12 games between 2008 and 2009, accruing a 4.13 ERA. With the Rays however, he established himself as one of baseball’s best pitchers, as he’s been an AL All-Star four times, while finishing in the Top-6 of the Cy Young voting on three occasions, including 2012 when he won the award behind a 20–5 campaign. When he was traded to Detroit at the trade deadline in 2014, he ranked first all-time in Rays history in ERA (3.18) and second in wins (82), strikeouts (1,065), starts (170), winning percentage (.636) and complete games (10).
Career Numbers with Durham: 2–5, 4.13 ERA, 52.1 IP, 52 K in 12 GS (2008–2009)
MLB Career: 86–51, 3.21 ERA, 1,143.2 IP, 1,065 K in 175 G, 170 GS (2008–2014)
You can cast your vote here.
Next Week: Relief Pitcher
