Miami Palms Blog

John Danks is a newcomer to the Palms rotation, taking the spot of Don Schoppe after a long and successful career with the White Sox. Danks was in his first season back from injury last year, but he came back with excellent command, walking only 27, but also serving as a launching pad. His HR/Fly Ball rate was over 16% which is large for him, and very large for MLB. The Palms added Danks at a discount, undoubtedly hoping that all those dingers were a fluke, and they will get the veteran leader they need in the rotation in 2014.

The Palms have an anchor in center field by way of Coco Crisp. He rounds out a solid defensive outfield, can bat leadoff and is certainly not a liability at the plate. Crisp is always on base, it seems, and can move when he gets there. As seems to be the case with players that come to Miami, he elevated his home run total when he arrived, and hasn't looked back, hitting 15-20 a year to round out his reliability. Crisp is definitely a veteran leader on the team, and an important cog in the offense.

The ageless Tim Byrdak allegedly is showing his age. He has decided that 2014 will be his final year in baseball. He wasn't a problem in the bullpen for the team in 2013, though, posting a 3.77 ERA over 76.33 innings, best out of the pen for Miami, aside from closer Manny Parra. He and Oliver Perez will provide some leadership for a bullpen that is adding two rookies in 2014.

Kyle Blume came on strong his rookie season, going 217 innings and earning a 17-8 record with a 4.19 ERA. He struggled late in the season thanks to fatigue, but carried a sub 4 ERA through most of the season. Thanks to a nearly 6 strikeouts per 9 innings, and very good control when not drawing whiffs, he was likely the best pitcher the team had. He can work on keeping the ball in the yard this season, and maybe strikeout a few more batters, but he will be a top of the rotation starter in 2014.

The Palms are fortunate to have a fully stacked outfield both offensively and defensively. Blanco is a highly skilled defensive player with great range and quickness. He won't ever hit in the middle of the order, but he can certainly spend time at any of the outfield positions and is a threat on the basepaths, definitely an asset for the 2014 roster.

Tony Abreu will be the teams' shortstop for the second season in a row, after spending time as a utility man before that. Abreu hit .299 with 14 home runs in his first season of full time work. His defense is slightly below average, but his veteran presence in one of the more grueling defensive positions is greatly appreciated. Chris Korb has a slightly better bat, but is a defensive liability, and he will continue to be tutored by the more complete Abreu for the time being.

The Palms look like they will be using two rookies in Pete Otterloop and Keith Harding in their bullpen next season. In order to avoid a bullpen that is TOO young, they have added veteran Oliver Perez to the staff during the first day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings. Perez is a lefty who strikes out a lot of opponents. His problem, consistently, has been control . There may be a few more walks than the Palms are comfortable with, but the strikeouts will be a welcome change.

The Palms have acquired third baseman Chris Johnson from the Atlanta Braves. His career has been marked by numbers that seem better than they should be. He isn't the swiftest of runners, but often finds himself on base thanks to a high average on balls in play. He is a line drive hitter first and foremost, so the Palms hope his gap power will prove beneficial this season in Palms Park. Johnson replaces another former Brave, Martin Prado, who left the Palms to join Cincinnati last month.

Don Schoppe moved to the rotation for the first time in 2013 and was surprisingly effective. He went 10-11 with a 4.05 ERA, thanks in large part to his ability to prevent walks. He allowed only 37 through the season. Schoppe had been a reliever for 6 years prior and he cashed in on a jump to the rotation brought on by a mass exodus after 2012. The Palms have a replacement on the roster already after signing John Danks earlier this month. The Palms will still seek to replace a few members of their bullpen, as well as third baseman Martin Prado, who left for Cincinnati.

The Palms will need to restock their bullpen. Calvin Hobbes, Ivan Fernandes and now Dennis Sarfate have all bailed on Miami. Sarfate has penned a deal to take him to San Francisco, where he will join an already formidable bullpen. At this point, Miami has three unresolved spots in the back end of their pitching staff. While some of the spots may be filled internally, they are certainly on the lookout for a free agent or two. Sarfate was nothing if not a workhorse for the Palms, having at least 70 innings pitched every year since 2009. He was often the victim of bad luck, but was never truly a liability. Miami wishes him well in San Francisco.

In 5 seasons with the Palms, Martin Prado hit over .300 every year, and managed to slug 95 home runs in his career with the team. Undoubtedly, Prado was an important cog in the team's success, and the team's 2 post season appearances during his time in Miami. Unfortunately, he has decided to move on, signing a deal with the Cincinnati Reds this morning, and opening up  the competition at 3rd base going forward. No word on whether or not Chris Korb might take over the role, or if there is an external candidate.

John Danks suffered a season ending shoulder injury early in the 2012 season, and wasn't quite the same pitcher in 2013 as he was before signing a long term extension with the White Sox. Trying to rebuild and save a little money, the Palms have agreed to acquire Danks for some mid level prospects. The White Sox are sending the Palms some cash to help pay down the rest of the contract. Danks will likely slide in as a back of the rotation starter, replacing Don Schoppe. Long term, Miami hopes that Danks can regain the form that earned him the long term deal.

Ivan Fernandez had a disastrous few seasons with the Palms, and didn't seem like he got any better out of the bullpen, and Miami opted against re-signing him. Fernandez chose to sign with a division rival today, as the Boston Red Sox added him on a minor league deal. Much success to Mr. Fernandez!

Calvin Hobbes spent his first year in the majors with the Palms, and was the man who the manager called on the most, leading the team with 81 2/3 innings of relief. He had decent control, and did a good job keeping the ball in the park, allowing only 7 homeruns on the season. He had a FIP of 2.55, and was victimized by bad luck more than bad pitching. But after making the majors on a minor league contract, Hobbes has elected to seek a longer deal, and found it today with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Palms will certainly seek to replace him in the bullpen, though that will be difficult. Management suggests the role may be filled internally, by prospect Pete Otterloop, or perhaps Keith Harding. Given that there are several spots in the bullpen that are left open, it could be a combination of the two.

The Miami Palms went ahead and made sure that Kyle Blume will remain in a Miami Palms roster for a few more years, signing the young pitcher to an extension that will take him through his arbitration years. Blume, in his rookie season last year, was easily one of the best pitchers of the rotation, taking a 17-8 record with a 4.19 ERA into the postseason . He led the team in strikeouts with 5.81/9  and mastered the plate, with a WHIP of 1.39. The Palms can look forward to Blume starting the season on opening day next year!

With free agency beginning today, it's time to look at who may not be back with the Palms next season, a year after they made their way to the ALCS. The Palms have three free agents, all of them pitchers. Don Schoppe, Calvin Hobbes and Dennis Sarfate find themselves without contracts for next season. Elsewhere, there were 6 players with option decisions. 4 players saw their options picked up, or the player elected to use their player option. Billy Dupont, Steve Drysdale, Blake Johnston and Felix Gonsales will all be back with the team in 2014. Martin Prado has decided to test the waters of free agency, and the Palms have decided to part ways with Ivan Fernandez. Next year will see some serious changes, particularly in the bullpen, which is losing three arms. The front office is already at work, and contract information for new acquisitions may come as soon as tomorrow!

The Palms are opening their 2014 season with a 4 game set against the Oakland Athletics. Take a look at the entire 2014 schedule below A's Home 4 Tigers Home 3 Rays Home 3 Orioles Home 3 Orioles Away 3 Rays Home 4 Astros Home 3 Rangers Home 4 Orioles Home 3 Red Sox Home 3 Rays Away 3 Brewers Away 3 Blue Jays Away 3 White Sox Home 4 Pirates Away 3 Royals Away 3 Astros Away 3 Twins Home 3 Nationals Away 2 Nationals Home 2 Yankees Away 4 Royals Home 2 Indians Home 3 Blue Jays Away 3 Mariners Away 4 Red Sox Away 3 Angels Away 3 Red Sox Home 3 Rays Away 4 Blue Jays Away 3 Red Sox Home 3 ALL STAR BREAK ...

The September/October MVP award was given to Steve Drysdale for a strong, consistent performance that helped push the Palms into the playoffs. He ended the season with 36 home runs and 128 RBI, but came out a little flat in the post season. Still, Miami would not have made it to the playoffs without him. For the season, the team MVP award was given to Carlos Ruiz, who in 119 games amassed a .313 average with 24 home runs. He also helped turn what had been a lamentable pitching staff into a formidable squad. The team would not have made the post season without the strong pitching staff. Lastly, it has been announced that Palms outfielder Frank Sohn, despite not having won his own teams' award, finished third in American League MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. He led the team in home runs at 37, while also hitting at a .320 clip . Congratulations and thank you for the contribution of all three players!

Team MVP (and perhaps a national award or two?) will be announced shortly, as will the Palms 2014 schedule, but at this time, the Palms will begin to prepare for free agency. They have three true free agents, all pitchers. Don Schoppe was the teams' 4th starter this year and was dominant in the post season Calvin Hobbes and Dennis Sarfate were effective out of the bullpen this year. Hobbes finally made it to the majors this year, the last year of a professional contract, and he has earned himself a new deal. Elsewhere, Billy Dupont, Martin Prado, Steve Drysdale, Blake Johnston, Felix Gonsales and Ivan Fernandez have player , team or combination options to worry about.

The Tigers earned their trip to the World Series thanks to a dominant 2nd inning, in which they batted around, scoring 6 runs, including a two run triple from Jhonny Peralta. It was 7-0 through 5 1/2 innings, when the Palms finally made a game of it. Coco Crisp hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 6th off of Max Scherzer. Unfortunately, the Palms were unable to do much beyond that, despite a dominant performance from their bullpen. The Palms end their season in Game 6 of the ALCS, a season that went much better than expected and raises expectations for 2014.  Detroit Tigers 8, Miami Palms 4  Saturday, October 19, 2013  Detroit Tigers (6-3)                                     Miami Palms (100-63)                ...

Player GS W L S BS IP ERA H R K BB WHIP K/BB BAA HR QS K/9 Troy Munoz 33 13 9 210 5.31 262 124 98 39 1.43 2.512821 0.294 33 14 4.20 Blake Johnston 33 17 9 211.33 4.34 258 102 112 40 1.41 2.8 0.289 25 18 4.77 Lucas Harrell 32 13 9 195 4.43 230 96 131 79 1.58 1.658228 0.282 22 13 6.05 Don Schoppe 32 10 11 200 4.05 262 90 83 37 1.50 2.243243 0.304 30 17 3.74 Kyle Blume 32 17 8 217 4.19 250 101 140 52 1.39 2.692308 0.277 30 17 5.81 Manny Parra 1 54 4 57.22 2.20 54 14 33 8 1.08 4.125 0.239 6 5.19 Tim Byrdak 7 1 1 3 76.33 3.77 85 32 48 19 1.36 2...

The Palms kept their season alive on Thursday night in Detroit with a well rounded, complete victory. Kyle Blume allowed only two runs over 7 innings, both of which came in the 7th inning of work. He struck out 5 and scattered 10 hits, while Troy Munoz finished off the Tigers with 2 good innings of work. The Palms got the scoring started with 3 runs in the 2nd, which included a 2 run home run from Billy Dupont. Later, the team got big hits from Martin Prado, who had a two run triple in the 7th. The next inning, Nick Markakis helped blow the game open with another 2 run home run. The Palms have no margin for error this weekend as they return home to finish off the series with the Tigers.  Miami Palms 8, Detroit Tigers 2  Thursday, October 17, 2013  Miami Palms (101-62)                                  ...

The Palms bullpen gave up a late home run to the powerful Tigers again, allowing Detroit to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the ALCS. It was Victor Martinez who hit the game winning blast in the bottom of the 8th to put the Tigers ahead. Miami held the lead briefly after a huge 5th inning, in which they batted around and scored all three runs. The Tigers fought back, and Martinez hit his game winner in the Bottom of the 8th. The Palms need to reel off 3 straight if they hope to reach the Fall Classic.  Detroit Tigers 4, Miami Palms 3  Wednesday, October 16, 2013  Miami Palms (100-63)                                     Detroit Tigers (6-3)                          ...

The Palms played a matinee ALCS game in Detroit on Tuesday, and it seemed like they had the game well in hand. They knocked starter Justin Verlander out after only 4 innings, as they batted around in the 4th and scored their 3 runs. Blake Johnston lasted a few innings longer, but started coming apart in the 6th, not leaving until the Tigers had tied things back up. The bullpens were solid for both sides, but the Tigers pen held up a little bit longer than the Palms'. In the bottom of the 10th, with one out and 2 on, Prince Fielder took the first pitch he saw out of the park, turning a tie game into a walk off win and a series lead for Detroit.  Detroit Tigers 6, Miami Palms 3  Tuesday, October 15, 2013  Miami Palms (100-63)                                     Detroit Tigers (6-3)  ...

The Palms won their first playoff series against divisional rival Boston to set up their series with the Tigers. One of the major contributors was the teams' second baseman. He was never the star of an individual game, but he contributed to all three wins, driving in 6 runs over the course of the series. Congratulations to Kelly!

The Tigers got to Lucas Harrell early, scoring two early runs on a Miguel Cabrera homerun. The Palms were mostly held at bay by Max Scherzer, scoring only twice thanks in part to a solo home run from Steve Drysdale. The Tigers strung together hits, as that powerful offense often does, while the Palms were in suspended animation. The series goes to Detroit tied at 1.  Detroit Tigers 6, Miami Palms 2  Sunday, October 13, 2013  Detroit Tigers (6-3)                                     Miami Palms (100-63)                                     Player          AB R  H BI BB S...

It was a full blown pitcher's duel in Miami for game one of the ALCS. Anibal Sanchez shut out the Palms through his 7 innings of work, and Al Alburquerque did the same in the 8th, but Joquin Benoit had issues in the bottom of the 9th. Kelly Johnson and Joe Mather were walked, and then Brett Hayes doubled, followed by a Coco Crisp game winning single, in one of the most unlikely come from behind wins in Palms history.  Miami Palms 2, Detroit Tigers 1  Saturday, October 12, 2013  Detroit Tigers (5-4)                                     Miami Palms (101-62)                                     Player   ...

The Palms eliminated the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALDS thanks to a dominant offensive performance coupled with a complete game from Don Schoppe. The Palms had 18 hits, most of which came from the middle of the order. Nobody had more than 2 runs batted in, and there were no home runs. The Palms simply drove the ball and strung together hits. Schoppe got Stephen Drew to pop out to Billy Dupont (who had also had a 2 run triple earlier in the game) for the final out, and the jubilant Palms bounced just right of first base.  Miami Palms 9, Boston Red Sox 1  Tuesday, October 8, 2013  Miami Palms (101-62)                                     Boston Red Sox (6-12)                       ...

The Red Sox kept their season alive thanks to a strong game from Jacoby Ellsbury, who went 5/5 with a double and the game winning home run. The game tying home run was hit by Stephen Drew two innings earlier.The Palms took the lead when the red hot Carlos Ruiz hit a 2 run home run in the 45th. Game 4 is tomorrow, with Don Schoppe taking the mound for Miami.  Boston Red Sox 4, Miami Palms 3  Monday, October 7, 2013  Miami Palms (100-63)                                     Boston Red Sox (7-11)                                    Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  ...