Miami Palms Blog

Lucas Harrell came over from the Houston Astros, where he was the best starter on the roster. While that may sound like damning him with faint praise, he was able to put together a 3.76 ERA with a workmanlike 193.2 innings. That's the type of player the team needs. Anything to keep the pressure off of the bullpen. He likely slots as the team's 2nd starter this year.

Felix Gonsales was one of the top relievers in the land on 2011, and needing an arm, the Palms tried him out as a starter in 2012. Gonsales was met with only limited success. He went 9-14 with a 5.95 ERA. A lot of his problem was bad luck, posting a .347 BABIP. Still, he had too few strike outs, which made him more hittable, which was obviously the problem. The Palms hope that given a more limited exposure, he will be able to find his pitching form once again.

Johnny Giavotella is now in his second season with the Palms, and will again fulfill the role of utility infielder, likely splitting a lot of time with Kelly Johnson, while Chris Korb, a rookie, will battle for time on the left side of the infield. Giavotella was able to hit for high average, just shy of .300, but he strikes out a hair too much and had the lowest OPS on the team, so his bat doesn't quite qualify for a regular spot in the line up.

Ivan Fernandez is young, but hasn't yet proven himself. He came up as a starter in 2011 and scuffled his way to a 6.29 ERA with a 10-18 record. The biggest issue he had was a knack for giving up the long ball. He moved to the bullpen in 2012 and his ERA came down, but so did his strikeout rate, but not his home run rate. If anything, his reduction in ERA was a fluke of luck and fewer appearances. Naturally, Fernandez was non-tendered this year, but latched on with the team on a minor league deal, and is now prepared to start the season in the bullpen again. All involved are hoping for drastic improvement.

BIlly Dupont has been remarkable consistent  through his career. Originally pegged to be a starting outfielder, he instead ended up taking over at first base after Scott Hatteburg retired, and has generally hit around .290 with about 20 home runs. Last year, it was .294 with 19 bombs. If there has ever been an issue with Dupont, it has been with his inability to draw walks. His patience has improved in recent years, but he still has a way to go. The onus will be on Dupont to perhaps even improve a little bit more with bats like Jaspero Gonzalez, Matt Holliday and Omir Santos moving on to greener pastures.

Steve Drysdale has been used as a spare outfielder and a reliable bench bat through his career. In short bursts, he has been a dominant hitter at the major league level, getting on base at a very high clip, but his AAA numbers haven't matched, and his poor glove work kept him on the bench. Now with a little bit more time in the league, his average dropped off in 2012, despite his average rising. It will be interesting to see how he responds with a daily spot in the lineup.

Coco Crisp is now in his 5th year with the Miami Palms manning the center field position. He has been a reliable lead off hitter and a source of reasonable power. Most remarkable has been his consistency. Each of the past two seasons, Crisp hit .294 with 18 home runs. The year before that, he had 19 home runs. He is speedy and completes a solid defensive outfield, and now in his 12th year in the league, is a steady veteran source of leadership.

The Palms added a veteran presence for the season after promoting two relievers to the rotation. Tim Byrdak has been in the Majors since 1998 and has steadily posted an ERA in the low 4.00's. With Houston in the late 2000s, he was a sub 4 ERA pitcher. If he can do something like that in Miami, he will be exactly what the team needs. He won't provide long term stability, given that he is in his late 30s, but hopefully he can take some pressure off the younger, less confident arms in the bullpen.