Miami Palms Blog

The Palms have found an upgrade at second, and it's from a familiar place. Miami re-signed Jaspero Gonzalez away from the Phillies after trading him there after the 2012 season. Before he left, he had a season where he hit 30 home runs, but his real skill stems from his gap hitting. He regularly vies for batting titles and hits close to 40 doubles. His addition is a real boon for the middle or the lineup, and for ticket sales, especially if he remains as popular as he was before he left.

With Kelly Johnson moving on and Willie Bloomquist retiring, there were spots available in the Palms' infield in 2017, and they filled the first with former Cardinal Greg Garcia. Garcia is emerging as a capable utility infielder, with a bat good enough to play significant time in the middle infield if necessary. He has generally played 2b and short but has recently filled in at 3b as well. He has a great OBP, but not much power, which make him ideal for a spot in the top of the order on days where he plays. It is possible that the Palms are content with a Giavotella/Garcia platoon at 2nd, but there is plenty of time left in the offseason for that to change.

Manny Parra has had a long career with the Miami Palms, going from starter, to closer and back to starter, with his second tenure much more effective than the first. He struggled a bit in 2016, with his ERA dipping to 4.27 which was the lesser of his two seasons back as a starter. Thanks to the ascension of Jarod Lantz, it seems likely that Parra will slot in as the second starter in 2017, which is a pretty good spot for the long time workhorse for Miami.

With Gregor Blanco likely on his way out of town, the Palms made a move to add some depth to the roster, plucking center fielder Travis Jankowski from the Padres. Jankowski is only 25, and has only one year of experience in the Major Leagues. He won't hit for much power, but he may one day have a high average. He also profiles as being very fleet, with a very good glove. If Coco Crisp ever decides to move on, Jankowski is likely his long term replacement.

Odrisamer Despaigne was a disaster with the Palms, putting together a 5-16 record with an ERA of 7.05. It was not a good advertisement for his services going forward, and as a result, on the open market, he could only get a minor league deal, in this case, with the Yankees. The Palms will continue to revamp the rotation, but have thus far seen more players depart than arrive in Miami.

In what was a fairly well anticipated change to the Palms' fortunes, they lost one of their top pitchers from 2016. TJ McFarland was converted to a starter with the Palms and achieved great success in Miami, and has turned that into a big deal with the San Francisco Giants. In his final year in Miami, McFarland went 15-8 with 160 strikeouts, leading the team. In San Francisco, his numbers will get even better, as he will be working in a picher's park. He will definitely be missed!