Last season, the Durham Bulls lost a handful of key players when major league rosters expanded at the beginning of September, but there were players in the pipeline.
Outfielder Desmond Jennings and starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson stepped up and helped the Bulls to the International League and Triple-A championships last September.
The Bulls were hot down the stretch this season, but once again, they'll have to find replacements in the playoffs for players such as Jennings and Hellickson, who are getting their chance in the big leagues.
Hellickson, 12-3 with a 2.45 ERA and 123 strikeouts for the Bulls before being called up to Tampa Bay in August, was named the 2010 Minor League Player of the Year on Tuesday by Baseball America magazine.
Though the Bulls have home-field advantage in the first round of the International League playoffs, their five-game series starts on the road today against the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, who also are affiliated with the Double-A Carolina Mudcats.
On Friday, the Bulls return home for Game 3, potentially the series clincher for either team. If necessary, games will be played in Durham on Saturday and Sunday for a berth in the Governors' Cup Championship series.
The Bats are facing the same situation as the Bulls, with five players getting the call to the Reds since the beginning of September, including former Mudcats Jordan Smith and Yonder Alonso.
In addition to Jennings and Hellickson, Dioner Navarro and Rocco Baldelli also have been called up to Tampa Bay.
