As we near the end of the Minor League Baseball season, let’s take a look at how the Durham Bulls have fared this past year.

With a 59-77 record, it’s safe to say the Bulls have not had a particularly successful season. Despite their lackluster record, they only trail the first-place Charlotte Knights by three games in the International League South Division. With eight games remaining in the season, a playoff spot is possible, but the Bulls certainly do not control their own destiny.

After being near the top of the division standings for much of the first half of the season, the Bulls have faded in August, accumulating only an 8-19 so far this month. Barring a late-season collapse by the Knights, the Bulls could be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

Although winning is important, the minor leagues are about the development of young players. The Bulls have featured multiple highly regarded prospects this season. Several prospects have also made appearances in the majors this season for Tampa Bay with a select few earning prominent roles with the Rays.

Left-handed pitcher Blake Snell, the 2015 Minor League Player of the Year, compiled a 3.29 ERA in 63 innings pitched for the Bulls this year, earning him a midseason promotion to the Rays. For Tampa Bay, he has produced a solid 3.56 ERA in 14 starts at the major league level. Coming into the season, Snell was ranked as the top prospect in the Rays farm system and a top-20 prospect in all of baseball. If his successful performance with the Rays continues, it is unlikely to see him at the minor league level again.

Shortstop Daniel Robertson saw his first action at the Triple-A level this season. In a team-leading 476 plate appearances this season, the former first-round draft pick hit .259 with 21 doubles and four home runs. The 22-year-old managed a slightly above-average .700 OPS and has proven that he can stick at shortstop defensively.

First baseman Richie Shaffer, a former highly regarded prospect in his own right who can also play third base, has seen his stock drop quite a bit in recent years. In 88 plate appearances for the Rays in 2015, Schaffer hit only .198. He did not make the major league team out of spring training this year and has received only eight plate appearances for Tampa Bay this season. For Durham, he has a mediocre .687 OPS in 461 plate appearances. Despite a poor showing with the bat, Schaffer could eventually find himself with a bench role in the majors due to his positional versatility and above-average power.

First baseman Casey Gillaspie, Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in 2014, has shown encouraging progress this year. A strong showing at Double-A led to a mid-July promotion to the Bulls for the 23-year-old, and he has done nothing but hit since his arrival. In 158 plate appearances with Durham, Gillaspie has hit .274 with an excellent on-base percentage of .377. While his power remains more average than great, Gillaspie has certainly put himself in the conversation to be Tampa’s starting first baseman at some point in 2017.

If the Bulls do indeed miss out on the playoffs, look for multiple players to be called up to the Rays when rosters expand in September. Tampa Bay currently finds itself in last place in the American League East, so youngsters like Schaffer and possibly Gillaspie will most likely get a chance to prove themselves over the last month of the season.

While it has been a disappointing season for the Bulls, the team had previously won at least 74 games in each of the previous three seasons while also winning the division twice. Don’t be surprised if they are back at the top of South division next year.