Miami Palms Blog

The Palms have had a talented back end to their bullpen for the past two seasons, and will go into their third year with a strong leg to stand on. Cody Allen hasn't quite been what the Palms bargained for, but his results were better in 2016 than they were in 2015, despite his peripherals. He does a decent job at home run prevention, and is capable, when he is on his best game, of striking out 8-10 per 9 innings, though in 2016, that number dropped to 6. The Palms have a strong bullpen, to say the least, but Miami would certainly appreciate a return to Allen's Indians form in order to shore up their relief even further.

Tony Abreu has been a member of the Palms starting lineup for a few years now, and has developed into one of the finer hitters at his position. His top ability, it seems, is his ability to take pitches, as his on base percentage is one of the highest on the team. There is a bit of an added bonus as well, because he has recently developed a power stroke, which is, truthfully, best described as gap power. He hits a lot of doubles and triples, and when he hits balls down the line, can tend to drop balls over the fence. He’s managed 20 home runs in his past two seasons. His offensive prowess makes him a key contributor that will certainly anchor many of Miami’s successes in 2017

The Palms have filled the last spot on the roster with a familiar face. Chris Korb was allowed to reach free agency after opting out of his deal earlier this offseason, but decided to re-sign with the team. He is likely to be team's starting third baseman after Miami failed to pick up a regular third baseman in free agency. Korb hits in the high .280s and managed to collect 21 home runs in 2016, his first full year occupying the position full time.

Gregor Blanco had his best of his 4 seasons with Miami last season, when he hit .313 with 3 home runs. He'd had a bit of a rocky road as a 4th outfielder at the plate for the Palms, but was never a liability in the field. His big year last year raised his profile, and Blanco will enjoy an expanded role with his new team. He will join Toronto, and will see Miami 18 times this season.

Lefty reliever Oliver Perez has departed from Miami. He had three seasons in Miami, collecting an unusually high number of decisions as a reliever. He had his worst season with Miami last year, posting a 4.80 ERA, He has opted to sign with Pittsburgh on a minor league deal after the Palms have pulled in a few different alternatives for 2018.

After a rookie season that saw Jarod Lantz as a finalist for the Cy Young award while winning the AL Rookie of the Year crown, the Palms wanted to ensure that he was well taken care of. The Palms bought out the final years of his rookie contract, with a little bit extra on top, in the hopes that when he does approach free agency, another extension will be handled easily.

The Palms have acquired JP Howell, a righty reliever who was most recently with the Dodgers, but Miami fans may remember him from his days with Tampa Bay, where he worked since they were the Devil Rays. His tenure with the Dodgers was solid, with an xFIP of 3.50 year over year, but the mercurial fortunes of a reliever meant his ERA hopped up to over 4 last year, despite similar peripherals to his 2015 year, when he had a 1.43 ERA. The Palms hope they have a bargain with the 33 year old left, giving them another southpaw out of tje pen.