Miami Palms Blog

Edwin Encarnacion was brought aboard to bolster the middle of the Miami lineup, and he has certainly done just that. He’s been good for at least 30 homers in his last couple of seasons, including one year with 40. Now with John Jaso in Texas, Encarnacion will be able to move to a designated hitter role in 2018 to ensure that his bat is the primary focus, rather than his less than inspiring glove work.

Dylan Bundy comes to Miami as a pitcher in need of sorting out. He is immensely talented, and expected to be a serviceable started for his career, but his second season didn’t quite match his first. Bundy strikes out a lot of hitters, but also gives up an alarming number of homer runs. Of course ,that means he will fit in with Miami, but he is also the owner of a good arm that should continue to improve with experience

Archie Bradley came to Miami last year as a prospective starting pitcher of the future, but he struggled in year one more than anyone expected. His problems seemed to arrive after innings 4 or 5 as his pitch count climbed. The Palms believe that his high strikeout rate may actually suggest a valuable option out of the bullpen, especially given his success early in his outings.

When he was acquired, Cody Allen seemed like the perfect compliment to a dominant closer. He had closed in Cleveland and moved to a set up role with his new club. It hasn’t gone entirely well for Allen, and he is not likely to catch sight of the closers role anytime in the near future. Of course, there isn’t a particularly strong candidate to move into that role in the bullpen as it stands. So perhaps he has a chance en he was acquired, Cody Allen seemed like the perfect compliment to a dominant closer. He had closed in Cleveland and moved to a set up role with his new club. It hasn’t gone entirely well for Allen, and he is not likely to catch sight of the closers role anytime in the near future. Of course, there isn’t a particularly strong candidate to move into that role in the bullpen as it stands. So perhaps he has a chance.

Tony Abreu has been nothing if not revelatory since he came to Miami from Arizona. He’s played with the Palms for over half a decade now, and has been a stable force at one of the game’s most important positions. He has made it clear that he is on his last contract, but he has continued to be a productive member of the team on offense. It is not hyperbole to say that Miami’s window may be closing soon if Abreu decides to wrap things up shortly. He would be tough to replace.

Miami has settled their pitching staff, and most likely their roster, in acquiring starting pitcher Dylan Bundy. Bundy is coming off a year in which he had a 4.24 ERA and was a reliable innings eater. The move will push Archie Bradley to the bullpen, where his stuff profiles as a late inning reliever. With the closer role still unsettled, it’s not out of the question that Bradley could end up there down the road. Bundy will likely slot as a 4 th   or 5 th   starter in a fairly strong Palms rotation.

With the addition of Wandy Peralta and Braden Shipley, and the potential for one more player coming to the Palms bullpen, JP Howell was squeezed out after one middling year in Miami. He signed a new deal with the Southsiders, hoping to reestablish himself as a solid arm in their bullpen

The Palms are looking to expand their bullpen and shorten their bench. As a result they didn’t have much offense to add, even after the departures of Coco Crisp and John Jaso. They have raided their division rivals the Boston Red Sox to add utility man Brock Holt. Holt is a veteran of 7 years, all with Boston, where he has played any position he was asked. The Palms will likely lean on Holt for a similar role in Miami for 2018

Miami added another former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect today, snagging reliever Braden Shipley. Shipley will likely function as a swingman in the Palms bullpen, after starting his career as a starter. He hasn’t really met with much success as of yet, but a good pedigree and durability make it seem as though Shipley could still be valuable.

The Palms knew they were ready to move on in the back of their bullpen, and Francisco Rodriguez was one of the names to see his time on the roster come to a close. Rodriguez saw his production decline significantly last year, and the aging hurler was only able to sign a minor league deal with Cleveland after posting an ERA above 4.00. He may still be effective in middle relief, but pride might get in the way.

After three seasons in Miami, designated hitter and catcher John Jaso is moving on. He was a reliable hitter who spent time at the top of the order, while hitting 73 home runs in his three seasons, with a batting average in the .290s every year. He has indicated that he may retire, but will instead play out one last season with the Texas Rangers.

Brett Hayes has been a bit of a revelation since he joined the Miami Palms, hitting well in a couple of seasons, and even taking over as the starter fo a couple of years. Still his inconsistency has been frustrating. He hit .218 in 2016, for example, but will come back to Miami after hitting  in his walk year after hitting well over .300. He seems to be exposed in greater stretches of play, but is a very good guy to have on the roster if he is not asked t do too much

Shortly after the Palms announced their retaining of Frank Sohn, they made a move to replenish their bullpen, acquiring left handed reliever Wandy Peralta from the Reds. Peralta has a mid 90s fastball, and relies on a high ground ball rate to keep his team in games. A low strikeout rate, while not preferred, allows Peralta to work longer outings, whic Shortly after the Palms announced their retaining of Frank Sohn, they made a move to replenish their bullpen, acquiring left handed reliever Wandy Peralta from the Reds. Peralta has a mid 90s fastball, and relies on a high ground ball rate to keep his team in games. A low strikeout rate, while not preferred, allows Peralta to work longer outings, which is a nice bonus out of the pen. h is a nice bonus out of the pen.

The Palms have made their first move of the offseason, bringing back long time outfielder Frank Sohn for another spin. While Sohn’s production has begun to diminish, he is still capable of producing in his own way. A gifted fielder, he still provides reliable defense, and with a little bit of gas left in the tank, the former lead off man turned power hitter can still rack up extra base hits. The veteran leadership will be even more necessary, as the team looks to get a little bit younger around him in 2018

There were 4 players with option decisions to be made this offseason, and in the end, two of those options were picked up, and two players were allowed to enter free agency. The Palms chose to retain Lucas Harrell, who has become a well used and effective starting pitcher, leading the rotation into the post season in 2018. They also picked up the option of bullpen ace Brian Matusz. Francisco Rodriguez and JP Howell, two of the less effective relievers on the roster this season were allowed to reach the open market, and are not expected to return.

Coco Crisp came from the Boston Red Sox and spent 10 seasons in Miami. He was a steady contributor for the Palms, regularly hitting 18-20 home runs and batting about .285 during his tenure, all while maintaining his spot in center field. The Palms will be hard pressed to replace Crisp's leadership in the clubhouse, even though in the past season his production started to diminish.

Rays Home 4 March 29-April 1 Nationals Home 2 2-Apr-04 White sox Home 3 April 5, 7-8 Twins Home 3 April 9-11 Blue Jays Away 3 April 13-15 Astros Away 3 April 16-18 Rangers Away 3 April 20-22 Yankees Away 3 April 24-26 Red Sox Home 3 April 27-29 Braves Home 3 April 30-May 2 Phillies Away 3 May 4-6 Orioles Home 2 May 8-9 Mets Home 3 May 11-13 Red Sox Away 3 May 14-16 Braves Away 4 May 17-20 Yankees Home 3 May 22-24 Royals Away 3 May 25-27 A's Away 4 May 28-31 Astros Home 3 June 1-3 Orioles Home 2 June 5-6 Yankees Away 4 June 7-10 Marlins ...

Well, that's it. After a very successful season, the Palms were dumped out of the playoffs in the midst of a taut pitchers' duel. The Palms only had 4 hits, three of them coming from Frank Sohn, and were only able to mount a challenge in the 9th, when two runners were left on base, but Edwin Encarnacion struck out and Chris Korb lined out to end the season. The Yankees got 8 2 hit innings from Masahiro Tanaka, and his battery mate provided the only runs, with a 2 run homer in the third from Gary Sanchez. The Yankees now go to the World Series to take on the Dodgers.  New York Yankees 2, Miami Palms 0  Tuesday, October 17, 2017  Miami Palms (100-61)                                     New York Yankees (5-8)               ...

Miami staved off elimination, at least for one day, thanks to a dominant start from Manny Parra, who went 7 innings, scattering 4 hits and striking out 5. The Palms scored twice in the 4th, thanks to RBI singles from Johnny Giavotella and Travis Jankowski, in the lineup in an effort to shake things up after a dreadful start to the series. Tony Abreu would add an RBI single in the 6th. Blake Johnston had a scoreless inning of relief, before Francisco Rodriguez came in for the save. He allowed a Greg Bird homer to make it interesting, but the Palms will live to see another day. It ws another game of wasted opportunities, as they had 15 hits, and stranded 13 through the game.  Miami Palms 3, New York Yankees 1  Monday, October 16, 2017  Miami Palms (101-61)                                     New ...

It's been a stunning turn of events for the Palms, after so effortlessly defeating the Houston Astros, they now find themselves down 3-0 in the ALCS to the Yankees. The Palms wasted far too many chances in this game, taking an early 2-0 lead, but leaving 15 runners on base. CC Sabathia struggled, walking 6 and scattering 4 hits through 5 innings. Adam Warren walked in a run in the 6th inning as well, but it was all given back in the 7th, when the Yankees batted around, scoring 3 times, including twice on a clutch Brett Gardner single. The Palms now need to win 4 straight if they want to reach the World Series and any loss will mean the end of their season  New York Yankees 5, Miami Palms 2  Monday, October 16, 2017  Miami Palms (100-62)                                     New York Yankees (5-8)...

The Palms struggled mightily on offense against Luis Sevirino, and the Yankees big 5th inning were all the Yankees would need. Severino pitched 8 1/3rd innings, striking out only 4, but scattering 5 fits, and getting pulled when Jaspero Gonzalez hit a solo home run. The Yankeees scored three times in the 5th, starting with a leadoff homer from Brett Gardner, and exanding their leda with a 2 run Greg Bird double. The Yankees took both games in Miami, and now hold a heavy advantage as the series shifts to New York.  New York Yankees 3, Miami Palms 1  Saturday, October 14, 2017  New York Yankees (5-8)                                   Miami Palms (100-62)                          ...

Given the schedule of playoff games to this point, the offensive juggernaut that has been behind the plate for the Palms this season has been on the sidelines until this point. With an afternoon game on Saturday following their tough Friday night loss, Hayes will get a chance to make his way into the lineup. Carlos Ruiz has been one of the steadiest offensive performers to this point in the postseason, but more than that, his ability behind the plate has been appreciated as well. The Palms are down 1-0, but with the ALCS a best of 7 series, there is still plenty of time to turn things around and to work towards a spot in the World Series, with both catchers contributing.

The Palms fell in Game 1 of the ALCS in what was a strong pitchers duel. The Palms took a 1 run lead in the 4th when Carlos Ruiz hit an RBI double, and Miami held that lead until the 7th. Manny Parra had only allowed 1 hit through 6, but then he allowed a walk to Gary Sanchez, a single to Didi Gregorius and finally a three run blast to Starlin Castro, which would ultimately be all the scoring the Yankees would need. The Palms tried to come back in the 9th, but with Jaspero Gonzalez at the plate, runners at 2nd and 3rd were left stranded when he struck out. Game 2 is tomorrow afternoon.  New York Yankees 3, Miami Palms 2  Friday, October 13, 2017  New York Yankees (5-8)                                   Miami Palms (100-62)             ...

By virtue of their 4 game win over the Astros, the Miami Palms will now square off with the New York Yankees. The Yankees were the AL East team that Miami only faced 4 times this year, but they managed to win the season series 8-4/ The Yankees defeated Boston in a one game playoff and topped the Indians in a 5 game series to reach the battle the ALCS. New York obviously has the greater playoff history, but Miami was better this season, and will have home field advantage starting on Friday night. The Yankees will roll with 4 starters, while Miami plans on using the same three that started against Houston.

Miami closed out their series with the Astros thanks in large part to plate patience and a good pitching performance. Lucas Harrell won game 4 with a 1 run on 8 hit performance. The Palms scored 4 runs aided by 10 hits and 4 walks. They started in the first, scoring a pair, starting with back to back doubles from Pat Grant and Nick Markakis, followed by a single from Chris Korb. The Palms scored in the 4th and 5th, with a run scoring ground out in the 4th and an RBI single from Tony Abreu in the 5th. Abreu would single home another run in the 7th. The Astros would scratch one run across in the 8th, but it was the Palms that were able to secure a place in the ALCS.  Miami Palms 5, Houston Astros 1  Monday, October 9, 2017  Houston Astros (1-5)                                     Miami Palms (101...

It appears as though the trend for this ALDS is for the road team to be in control. The Palms allowed the first run on back to back doubles from Josh Reddick and Jose Altuve, but then they scored 4 of their own in the bottom of the frame. They strung together a three two out RBI hits, a single from Frank Sohn, a double from Tony Abreu and finally a home run from Carlos Ruiz. The Palms and Astros each continued to threaten, but it would be a pair of big flies that would set the tone for the rest of the game. In both the 4th and 6th, Carlos Beltran hit two run homers to take the Astros into the lead. Miami endured a bout of the flu, and most of the infield, up 2-0 in the series, took the night off.  Houston Astros 5, Miami Palms 4  Sunday, October 8, 2017  Houston Astros (2-5)                                 ...

Number Player GS W L S BS IP ERA H R K BB WHIP K/BB BAA HR QS K/9 FIP BaBIP FB GB GB% 50 Jarod Lantz 33 20 8 0 0 224 3.29 244 82 138 41 1.27 3.365854 0.266 29 22 5.54 4.357895 3.20 0.287 218 206 48.6% 43 Manny Parra 33 17 7 0 0 233 3.21 240 83 163 32 1.17 5.09375 0.256 28 24 6.30 5.393382 1.84 0.283 251 197 44.0% 26 Archie Bradley 32 10 13 172.67 5.52 204 106 151 76 1.62 1.986842 0.283 26 9 7.87 4.853571 4.89 0.327 160 152 48.7% 64 Lucas Harrell 32 14 9 239.67 3.08 230 82 141 55 1.19 2.563636 0.242 21 23 5.29 4.452632 2.08 0.266 223 182 44.9% 30 Blake Johnston 32 9 11 ...