Miami Palms Blog

Kelly Johnson had a down year last season hitting only .222 but he has continued to maintain a powerful bat. His career high was in Arizona in 2010 when he hit 26 home runs, and even with his down year last year, he was able to hit 16. He will now be heading to south Florida to try to maintain his power bat and perhaps drive up his average a bit. He projects to take over for Jaspero Gonzalez, who was sent to Philadelphia earlier this off season.

Orlando Tiropes was given quite the Christmas gift today, moving away from Miami to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tiropes has been an extra outfielder for the past several years. With a strong outfield, both in terms of offense and defense, as well as some stalwart fixtures in the field, Tiropes decided it was time to explore options elsewhere. Pittsburgh and former teammate Eddie Black was the selection. Merry Christmas!

Dave Balierough reached free agency for the first time in his career, and decided to move over to the National League. As with the rest of the Palms' rotation, he has fallen off the past couple of years, but has come on very strong late in seasons. It was the overall season numbers that likely led to his contract with Milwaukee. Balierough is a serviceable late rotation starter, and there is no doubt that that is what the Brewers will use him for. The rotation projects to return only two starters, and one of them, Felix Gonsales will likely be returned to the bullpen.

Omir Santos has filled one of the many holes in Houston, who is seeking to add a DH in their transition to the American League. Santos had a break out year at the plate last year, hitting .313 with 28 home runs all while playing only 109 games. After two quiet seasons as the back up behind Eddie Black, Santos saw his batting average jump 60 points as he started smashing homers in his last two seasons in Miami, eventually hitting 55 in a Miami uniform. Santos has now passed 30 years old and has a bat that will ensure a longer career, so the transition to designated hitter is likely a good one for his career. The Palms have already moved to replace Santos behind the plate with Carlos Ruiz.

Eduardo Nunez's short tenure with the Palms has ended after only one season. Nunez has caught on with the Braves, where he will likely hold down a roster spot by splitting time with Andrelton Simmons, eventually being pushed to a utility role. In Miami, with Chris Korb knocking on the door, and Tony Abreu ready to take over until he gets there, there was no spot for for Nunez. Nunez posted a paltry .254 average with a little pop, including 11 home runs, but more is expected from Abreu and Korb.

Brett Hayes has moved from Miami to Kansas City and now... back to Miami (albeit in the other league) again. The catcher projects to complete the overhaul of the Palms catching arsenal. Hayes will be the back up to Carlos Ruiz, but is the stronger defensive backstop. His offensive numbers have been woeful throughout his career, but with a shaky pitching rotation, including three first time major league starters, the Palms have obviously opted for a little bit of help, even if it is from behind the plate.

The Palms had holes in their rotation, which they expected to fill primarily with in house candidates (including former relievers Blake Johnston and Don Schoppe, as well as prospect Kyle Blume), but they added a top end starter that they expect to be with the team for years to come. Lucas Harrell was added today, coming over from Houston, where he pitched 193 innings and had a 3.76 ERA, which was similar to his FIP. His ERA would have been best on the team in Miami last season, this despite pitching for the worst team in the league. He will likely be an important figure, replacing Javier Vazquez as an anchor to the rotation with Troy Munoz. Harrell is a ground ball pitcher, key in the band box that is Palms Park, and will likely appreciate the move to a team with a little bit of offensive prowess.

The Palms have addressed a looming need for a catcher by trading away one of the faces of the organization over the past two years. 2nd baseman Jaspero Gonzalez who was a stalwart at the position for several sesonse, as well as an anchor in the batting lineup has given no indication that he was willing to sign an extension, so Miami decided to maximize his value, dealing him to Philadelphia. Another issue facing the team this year will be the pending departure of Jose Molina and Omir Santos, a powerhouse catching duo. As part of a package that included cash and a pair of low level minor leaguers, the Palms acquired Carlos Ruiz, who now projects as the Miami starter at catcher and ends the Santos era in Miami. The Palms will be getting a high average hitter coming off a career year, in which he hit .325 with 16 home runs. He is getting older, turning 33 this past season, which depressed his value somewhat, but for the next season or two, he will be useful in the Palms' lineup. The P...

Long time Palms relief pitcher Art McLoughlin has found a new home shortly after his option was not picked up in Miami. McLoughlin has opted to sign in the national league with the New York Mets on a minor league deal. He had a 5.03 ERA in 73 1/3rd innings last year, his best season since 2009. The veteran pitcher's presence in the clubhouse will be missed, but the increasing contract for a middling reliever was gladly excised from the payroll.

The Palms went into the offseason with decisions to make regarding options on 5 players. Johnny Giavotella, Jose Molina, Kevin Correia, Nick Markakis, and Art McLoughlin were the players needing a decision. Giovotella and Markakis will be Miami Palms again next year, but catcher Molina and pitchers Correia and Markakis were cut loose. The free agency period is open, so expect some changes to come quickly to a Miami team that struggled heavily late in the season.

It was a toss up for the MVP for the past season, as both Frank Sohn and Jaspero Gonzalez had strong seasons in Miami. In the end, though, the combination of his higher batting average, especially with runners on base (.329 vs .297), Gonzalez was the better player this year. His .321 average and career high 30 home runs were had to beat this season. It was close, but there was no doubt that Gonzalez earned it!

In 2013, Major League Baseball will see the Houston Astros shift divisions from the National to American League. As such, there will be a change in schedule formatting. The Palms, in addition to their two series with Houston, will play every team in the NL West at least once (the Giants twice) and have a home and home series with the Pirates. The complete schedule is seen below: Rays Away 3 Yankees Away 3 Blue Jays Away 3 Red Sox Home 4 Rangers Away 3 Yankees Home 3 White Sox Home 3 A's Home 4 Padres Home 3 Dodgers Home 3 Twins Away 4 Red Sox Home 3 Orioles Home 3 Indians Away 3 Tigers Home 3 Blue Jays Away 3 Pirates Home 2 Pirates Away 2 Red Sox Away 3 Orioles Away 3 Astros Home 3 Giants Home 3 Tigers Away ...

Number Player GS W L S BS IP ERA H R K BB WHIP K/BB BAA HR QS 34 Javier Vazquez 33 16 8 234 4.23 262 110 181 71 1.42 2.549296 0.272 23 19 31 Troy Munoz 33 11 11 216 4.50 260 108 94 38 1.38 2.473684 0.286 35 16 29 Kevin Correia 32 11 12 155.33 5.68 212 98 79 43 1.64 1.837209 0.313 30 9 33 Dave Balierough 32 8 17 209.67 4.98 261 116 102 44 1.45 2.318182 0.293 37 12 57 Felix Gonsales 32 9 14 195 5.95 292 129 92 39 1.70 2.358974 0.333 30 11 43 Manny Parra 1 2 32 3 38.67 4.19 47 18 22 7 1.40 3.142857 0.288 6 2 Art McLoughlin 6 3 73.33 5.03 92 41 29 ...

Player Position G AB H AVG 2b 3b HR RBI Run K BB GIDP LOB/3outs TB SLG OBP OPS Sac Billy Dupont 1b 141 564 166 0.294 36 3 19 70 71 60 17 2 130 265 0.470 0.313 0.783 3 Johnny Giavotella 2b 48 179 53 0.296 13 1 2 14 24 26 8 2 38 74 0.413 0.324 0.738 1 Jaspero Gonzalez 2b 140 617 198 0.321 39 1 30 105 77 85 24 7 79 329 0.533 0.344 0.877 4 Martin Prado 3b 140 635 194 0.306 34 2 23 74 97 78 34 1 137 301 0.474 0.338 0.812 5 Omir Santos C 109 450 141 0.313 33 1 28 79 78 53 34 3 104 260 0.578 0.362 0.939 Jose Molina C 61 241 77 0.320 11 2 10 34 28 28 14 2 59 122 0.50...

The Palms were walk off winners in their final game of the season. The Palms were down by 2 heading into the bottom of the 9th. Martin Prado led off with a triple and was driven in by Matt Holliday. Omir Santos followed with a single, and then Frank Sohn walked off the season with a bases clearing double. He also had the final put out of the season, a lazy fly to left off the bat of Russ Canzler. Dennis Sarfate was the beneficiary, gaining the win as the Palms finish at 79-83.  Miami Palms 5, Cleveland Indians 4  Wednesday, October 3, 2012  Cleveland Indians (6-3)                                  Miami Palms (79-83)                                ...

Javier Vazquez's final start of his career was a short one, lasting only 3 innings, in which the pitcher was clearly a bit preoccupied. Russ Canzler will forever be the batter who hit the final home run off of Vazquez, who left with the Palms trailing. The Indians added three runs on another Canzler homer, but the Palms were persistent, hitting three of their own. Jaspero Gonzalez finally got to 30, while Matt Holliday hit number 20. Holliday's big blast was also the go ahead run in the 7th inning, when the Palms scored two runs on back to back blasts. There is only one game left on the season, and the Palms will look to take the final series of the year against the Indians.  Miami Palms 8, Cleveland Indians 7  Tuesday, October 2, 2012  Cleveland Indians (6-2)                                  Miami Palms (78-...

The Palms gave fans a few extra innings in the last series of the season after Shin Soo Choo tied the game with a three run home in the 9th off of Felix Gonsales, who had been dominant in his final start of the season to that point. Don Schoppe and Blake Johnston added a few strong innings as well, but the Palms stopped scoring after the 7th.  Cleveland Indians 5, Miami Palms 4  Monday, October 1, 2012  Cleveland Indians (6-1)                                  Miami Palms (77-83)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB...

The Rangers swept their double header with the Palms on a walk off home run by Mike Napoli off of Ivan Fernandez. It was likely Dave Balierough's last start with the Palms. He was in control, until his final inning, the 7th, when, with two outs, Elvis Andrus put the Rangers in front. Steve Drysdale got Balierough off the hook with a solo blast, but Napoli won it with nobody out in the 9th.  Texas Rangers 5, Miami Palms 4  Sunday, September 30, 2012  Miami Palms (77-82)                                      Texas Rangers (6-5)                                      Player      ...

The Palms and Rangers had a game delayed Saturday as rain washed away the Arlington area. In the regularly scheduled game at 1pm on Sunday, Kevin Correia made perhaps his last start with the Palms, and it was short and fairly disastrous. He didn't make it out of the 2nd inning, after getting pulled after giving up a grand slam to Jon Bogaard.  Texas Rangers 8, Miami Palms 6  Sunday, September 30, 2012  Miami Palms (77-81)                                      Texas Rangers (5-5)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P...

The Palms were able to overtake the Texas Rangers thanks to 2 home runs, a two run shot from Nick Markakis and a solo blast from Martin Prado to put the Palms ahead for good. The Rangers tied the game when David Murphy hit a 2 run blast, capitalizes on Troy Munoz's only mistake. The Rangers made it dicey at the end when they left the bases loaded on closer Manny Parra.  Miami Palms 3, Texas Rangers 2  Friday, September 28, 2012  Miami Palms (77-80)                                      Texas Rangers (4-5)                                      Player          AB R...

The Palms slide into oblivion and a sub-500 record continues, but this time, there was only one swing of the bat that destroyed the Palms hope. Former Palm Jon Bogaard hit a bases loaded triple that gave the Rangers most of their runs. The Palms had a tough time getting on base, but strung together a walk with three doubles to score their runs in the 7th.  Texas Rangers 5, Miami Palms 3  Thursday, September 27, 2012  Miami Palms (76-80)                                      Texas Rangers (4-4)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB...

At this point, it appears that Troy Munoz will maintain his spot in the rotation next year, b ut that is the only sure thing. Javier Vazquez is retiring, while the disappointing Kevin Correia is a free agent, and the consistent Dave Balierough is expected to leave as well. Felix Gonsales will be with the team next year, but his first season as a starter has been nothing short of brutal, and his spot in the rotation is not guaranteed. There is no doubt that the Palms need to dabble in the free agent or trade market this offseason in order to bolster their pitching rotation. Blake Johnston has had a strong year in the bullpen, and his ability to keep balls in the yard will likely mean a spot in the rotation next year. After that, it's three open positions. There may be a call up from the minor leagues thrust into a starters' role, and there will likely be at least one free agency add. Will Gonsales keep his spot? Will another member of the bullpen claim a starting spot? There ar...