Miami Palms Blog

Chris Johnson comes to the Palms from the Braves, where he was a third baseman who seems to always be on base, thanks to his batted balls' laser like vision. He is versatile and can hit for power when asked. He also had the unenviable task of replacing Chipper Jones in the Braves lineup. Of course, if this sounds familiar, the same things could have been said about Martin Prado when HE came to Miami in 2009. Now Johnson hopes to replace Prado with the Palms, and hopefully, replicate his successful career in the American League.

Brett Hayes came to Miami as a sure sign that the Palms wanted to convert to a regular full time catcher, with Carlos Ruiz taking most of the games behind the plate. Hayes acquitted himself just fine for a back up backstop, hitting .255 with a few home runs. He will slot into the backup role again in 2014, generally manning the position on day games after night games or for the general spot start when he is needed.

Lucas Harrell came to the Palms from Houston, and put together a mostly successful season for the Palms in 2013. He went 13-9 with a 4.43 ERA. He also posted the highest K/9, but also had the most walks. As an innings eater, Harrell is invaluable, and if he can put together a similar season in 2014, he will be a valuable player at the back of the rotation

Keith Harding's development was waylaid by an arm injury early in his professional career, but he adapted his style and will make the opening day roster for the Palms in 2014. He is now more of a soft tosser who works with placement and control rather than throwing hard looking for strikeouts. If he can show some stamina, that is the kind of profile that could lend itself to a career as a starter at some point down the road. For now, while he proves himself against major league hitting, however, he will join a very young bullpen.

Once a highly regarded prospect, Felix Gonsales didn't pan out as a starter. He has met with some success out of the bullpen, however. Last season was a bit of a down year, posting a 4.48 ERA, but part of that can be attributed to some bad luck. Most of that, however, can be attributed to a penchant for sacrificing the long ball. Gonsales , in limited appearances, is fairly reliable out of the bullpen, and he will be used for that purpose again in 2014.

Johnny Giavotella is continuing to grow as a utility infielder within the Palms organization. He is serviceable on offense and can play all the middle infield positions. While he might not carry the bat that the rest of his teammates carry, his minor league career and time in the field ensure a spot on the roster going forward.

Billy Dupont was going to be an outfielder when he came into the league, but moved to first base when Aaron Rogers departed for Philadelphia. Dupont has better than average speed for a first baseman. In fact, he was tied for the team lead in triples this year. He is similar to players like Vladimir Guerrero, as he rarely walks, but isn't necessarily strikeout prone. The Palms would like to see a little more power from Dupont and a better proclivity for getting on base, but it's hard to argue that his presence in the lineup isn't a positive.

Steve Drysdale played his first regular action of his career and came through in a big way, hitting 36 home runs with a . 301 average . He was an all star in his first season, and deservedly so, but he also showed his slow speed, with only 28 doubles, which, given his gap power, was surprisingly low. He can't play the field terribly well, but with such a strong defensive outfield, he won't be asked to. Fortunately, his bat carries him, despite being a one dimensional player.