Miami Palms Blog

Carlos Ruiz inked a minor league deal with the New York Yankees today, which puts the Palms in a bind. Ruiz is clearly in the tail end of an illustrious career, however he was also the second catcher to leave the team this offseason, with no obvious replacements in the minors. Ruiz was a stalwart for Miami since 2013, coming along with Brett Hayes. Ruiz was a star and the starter until Hayes was able to match and overtake Ruiz's performance, particularly late in their careers.  He was a big acquisition, and was a large reason the Palms were able to develop pitchers and make deep runs in the playoffs in the last several years, and will be missed. Not just because of the roster hole he leaves.

 The Palms have already added a couple of arms to their pen, so options had dried up for a couple of the old guard. Archie Bradley has found a home in the American League Central after two seasons in Miami. He had struggled in his first season as a starter, but found his footing in the bullpen, where he will serve a similar role in Chicago, with the White Sox. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 Keith Harding has steadily improved in his five years with the Palms, working an ERA in the 5.00's as a rookie, and working his way to a dominant set up man who plied his craft with control. His ERA was in the 2.00's the last couple of seasons, and he hasn't had double digit walks in his last 4 seasons. The Seattle Mariners are crying out for help in their bullpen, and Harding has answered that call. With spots in the Miami pen dwindling, Harding has gone to Seattle, where he has a strong chance of becoming the closer.

 The Palms were destined to revitalize their bullpen, and they have been working early on doing just that. After earlier adding Jeremy Jeffress, the Palms signed another former Rangers reliever, Chris Martin. Martin is a big guy, at 6'8" who really only emerged recently, after his 32nd birthday. Despite his big size, he thrives on his control, which will fit on the Palms squad very nicely.

 The Palms have started to answer some of the questions on replacing Tony Abreu. They've brought on former St. Louis Cardinal Yairo Munoz, who will be entering his second year of Major League ball. Munoz is a big bodied shortstop, but in a different organization, he could also project as a starting outfielder at any of the three positions. He is young and can get a hot bat, which will likely only get better as he recognizes pitches more efficiently. His utility in the field will pair well with Brock Holt, Greg Garcia and even Pat Grant, to make sure there are players for every game.

 The area most shaken by this offseason might ultimately be the bullpen, but today, the Palms sought to shore up that unit by adding veteran righty Jeremy Jeffress. Jeffress is coming off an All Star campaign, in which he had a 1.29 ERA with the brewers. He had 15 saves, despite not being the closer, though in Miami, he may be asked to fill in that role in 2019. Despite widespread changes to the roster, it looks like the Palms are still trying to stay relevant.

 The Palms have a lot of transition ahead of them this offseason, but one thing that won't be changing is the infield (outside of the shortstop). All three of Chris Korb, Jaspero Gonzalez and Pat Grant had options exercised today. Not only does this create continuity in the infield, it also preserves a core of some of the best hitters in the lineup. A new shortstop is needed, but at least none of the other positions need to be filled.

 The Miami Palms are going to be a completely different team in 2019. They were met by a quartet of retirements as the season concluded. Johnny Giavotella, Tony Abreu, Brett Hayes and Lucas Harrell are all hanging it up. Abreu and Hayes were cornerstones of the lineup this season, with Hayes going out on top, earning the batting title. Harrell was a workhorse in his final year, and his loss will be felt deeply, perhaps mostly in the bullpen. Giavotella was the starting 2nd baseman before the return of Jaspero Gonzalez. Not only are the Palms losing players to retirement, but they have a few free agents on the market as well. It seems likely that Carlos Ruiz will be allowed to find other employment, while the other three potential departures are in the pitching staff. Manny Parra is a free agent, and losing him and Harrell in the same year would be a devastating blow to the rotation. Two reliable relievers are free agents as well, as Keith Harding and Archie Bradley may soon have di...

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  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 32 9 9 213.67 3.66 244 87 125 26 1.26 4.807692 0.276 27 5.27 4.166667 2.68 0.296 223 185 45.3% 43 Manny Parra 32 14 10 224 3.33 231 83 156 28 1.16 5.571429 0.256 34 6.27 5.420849 3.06 0.276 221 190 46.2% 49 Dylan Bundy 33 12 9 201.67 4.86 229 109 174 70 1.48 2.485714 0.275 38 7.77 5.237458 5.65 0.307 181 186 50.7% 64 Lucas Harrell 33 18 7 228.67 3.62 238 92 117 45 1.24 2.6 0.258 24 4.60 3.720848 2.98 0.273 234 206 46.8% 30 Blake Johnston 33 13 15 204.67 ...

  Number Player Position G AB H AVG 2b 3b HR RBI Run K BB GIDP LOB/3outs TB SLG OBP OPS Sac OPS + Clutch Perceived value ISO BABIP K% BB% 10 Edwin Encarnacion 1b 138 544 150 0.276 22 2 26 76 93 111 59 1 142 254 0.467 0.347 0.814 104 Edwin Encarnacion 0.535211 55.84833152 0.191 0.305 18.4% 9.8% 12 Johnny Giavotella UTIL 38 134 40 0.299 10 2 2 10 18 24 9 0 21 60 0.448 0.340 0.788 1 98 Johnny Giavotella 0.47619 46.8134995 0.149 0.352 16.8% 6.3% 17 Jaspero Gonzalez 2b 137 584 159 0.272 35 3 29 99 75 83 32 7 126 287 0.491 0.309 0.800 3 98 Jaspero Gonzalez 0.785714 77.31230237 0.219 0.275 13.5% 5.2% 35 Greg Gar...

 Despite the scoreline, the near complete game from Blake Johnston, and the three home runs to seal a season ending sweep, there were many handshakes, hugs and even a few tears in the clubhouse, as the sun set on the 2018 season, with the Palms narrowly missing the playoffs.. The Palms are seemingly at the end of an era, as the 2019 iteration of the clubs looks to be substantially different. Overhauls to the pitching and catching battery are expected, due to retirements and free agency, not to mention the usual tinkering iwth the rest of the lineup and bullpen. Until next year!  Miami Palms 4, Washington Nationals 1  Sunday, September 30, 2018      Miami Palms (96-66)                                      Washington Nationals (1-4)       ...

 The Palms and Nationals didn't seem to have any problems with Lucas Harrell or Stephen Strasburg, neither of whom made it past the 5th inning in their final appearance for the year. The Palms hit 8 doubles through the game, and their ability to get into scoring position proved more valuable than Washington's skill at drawing walks, of which they extracted 7. The season finale is tomorrow afternoon.  Miami Palms 8, Washington Nationals 6  Saturday, September 29, 2018      Miami Palms (95-66)                                      Washington Nationals (1-3)                                Player      ...

 The Nationals jumped out to a two run lead thanks to an Anthony Rendon double, but from that point forward, Dylan Bundy was in control, and his bullpen followed suit. The Palms scored 4 of their runs on home runs from Chris Korb, a two run shot from Edwin Encarnacion and even a pinch hit home run from Jaspero Gonzalez.   Miami Palms 5, Washington Nationals 2  Friday, September 28, 2018      Miami Palms (94-66)                                      Washington Nationals (1-2)                                Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB ...

 It was likely the last appearance at Palms Park for many Palms players, and it didn't end as most would have hoped. Tony Abreu went 2 for 5 with an RBI, while Carlos Ruiz had double. Manny Parra got the loss in a 6 inning outing in which he gave up 4 runs. Mookie Betts led the game off with a home run, and Boston never trailed. The Palms will finish their season in Washington.  Boston Red Sox 6, Miami Palms 3  Thursday, September 27, 2018      Boston Red Sox (7-8)                                     Miami Palms (93-66)                                      Player      ...

 It took a dominant pitching performance from Chris Sale and a two run home run from Brandon Phillips to finally upend the Palms long winning streak. Miami left too many runners stranded to really feel as they should have won this game, and will hope their bats wake up for the home finale on Thursday.   Boston Red Sox 2, Miami Palms 1  Wednesday, September 26, 2018      Boston Red Sox (6-8)                                     Miami Palms (93-66)                                      Player          AB R  H BI BB SO  P  A  E LOB...