Everything you need to know about Durham
Welcome back to another version of “Everything you need to know” here on The Bats Signal. The giant Bull pictured above can only mean one thing, and it’s that the Louisville Bats are in Durham, North Carolina to play — you guessed it — the Durham Bulls. We may as well get it out of the way right now that the Bulls were indeed the subject of the famous baseball flick “Bull Durham”, where the “Hit Bull, Win Steak” Bull came from. The original bull still resides somewhere in Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Anyway, let’s get right into some baseball as the Bats prepare to begin the second half of their eight-game road trip against another IL South foe.
Here’s everything you need to know about the reigning Governor’s Cup champion Durham Bulls and Durham, North Carolina.
The Veterans
Mike Fontenot is the first veteran that we’ll take a look at for the Tampa Bay Rays’ top minor league affiliate. The well-traveled infielder has played in parts of seven Major League seasons after breaking in with the Chicago Cubs in 2005. In 582 big league games, Fontenot has hit .265 with 27 homers and 163 RBIs. He last played with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012. So far this season, Fontenot has hit .273 in 34 games with Durham.
Fontenot may have played at a few different places in his Major League career, but his big league passport doesn’t have anywhere near the wear and tear as Wilson Betemit’s. Betemit came onto the scene with the Atlanta Braves in 2001, and has played with seven different organizations over his career. He has 75 Major League homers in his 11-year career, and has hit .267 in 805 big league games. In 36 games with the Bulls in his first year with the Tampa Bay organization, Betemit is hitting .255 in 36 games with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.
One of the pitchers to note from the Durham bullpen is closer Kirby Yates, who is the only man standing between Louisville’s Jose Diaz and the top of the International League in the saves category. Yates is only 28 years old, but he’s yet to make his Major League debut. This season with the Bulls, the right-hander has converted a league-leading 11 saves and carries a minuscule 0.50 ERA to go along with it.
The Prospects
Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee kicks off our look at some of the top Rays prospects currently residing in Durham. Spending his first full season with the Bulls this season, Lee has struggled out of the gates as the top prospect in Durham. He’s only hitting .193 in 20 games with five RBIs. That’s not to say he can’t be productive, as he’s earned numerous All-Star accolades throughout his climb up the Tampa Bay chain.
Southpaw Enny Romero is the 4th-best prospect in the Rays organization. He’s made eight starts so far this season in his first full year at the Triple-A level and has produced some mixed results. Romero is 2–4 with a 4.75 ERA, but has posted three starts in which he has allowed a run or less to start the season. Like Lee, Romero has been an All-Star elsewhere down on the farm and has twice been a Futures Game selection.
Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is the final player to watch on the Bulls roster and comes in at number ten in the Rays’ minor league pool. While he’s not the hottest prospect for Tampa Bay, he’s swung the hottest bat for Durham in the opening part of 2014. Kiermaier is leading the team with a .322 batting average and has also smacked three homers with 10 RBIs. He leads the Bulls with ten stolen bases.
The Ballpark
Name: Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Opened: 1995
Capacity: 10,000
Dimensions: LF — 305 ft. CF — 400 ft. RF — 327 ft.
Ballpark fact: After the 2013 season, DBAP underwent $16 million in renovations, which will be showcased when Durham hosts the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game this July.
Best Promotion while Bats are in town: 2-for-1 ROOsdays — Every Tuesday home game, get two Terrace Reserved tickets for the price of one when you mention Kangaroo Express or show the Kangaroo Express app at time of purchase.
The City
Durham, North Carolina is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the county seat of Durham County. It’s famous for being on “Tobacco Road”, and before Bull Durham was a movie, it was a tobacco company that catalyzed much of the economic growth in Durham in the early 1900’s. It’s even nicknamed the Bull City. Famous people from Durham include Major Leaguer Brian Roberts, Baseball Hall of Famer Rick Ferrell, NBA coach John Lucas II and former NFL quarterback David Garrard.
Duke University and its famous Blue Devils call the city of Durham home, and the University is the city’s largest employer with over 27,000 employees. Other major companies that have a large presence in Durham are IBM and GlaxoSmithKline. While Duke athletics own the sports landscape during basketball season and the school year, the Bulls are the only other major sports organization in the city.
* All stats are accurate heading into play on May 17. All prospect rankings are according to MLB.com. Prospect rankings according to Baseball America unless noted otherwise.
