Miami Palms Blog

 Despite the low score, and narrow margin of victory, the game wasn't particularly close in reality. The Yankees clubbed 16 hits off of Miami pitching, despite only being able to collect the 4 runs. Three of the runs came off of the bullpen, which struggled in relief of Jarod Lantz. For Miami's part, they only had 6 hits, and three of them were off the bat of Chris Korb. Korb provided the only run, with a solo home run in the late innings. The rubber match is tomorrow, and Miami will hope to get solid, durable pitching when Manny Parra takes to the mound.   New York Yankees 4, Miami Palms 1  Tuesday, April 2, 2019      New York Yankees (1-1)                                   Miami Palms (2-4)                                         Player      ...

 The Palms feasted on Domingo German's rough 2nd inning, when they sent 12 to plate, and brought every one of their 7 runs across the plate. The Yankees made it a ball game by chipping away at the Palms and their bullpen. They scored twice off Blake Johnston in the third, but then also single runs off Braden Shipley and Chris Martin in his Palms debut, and twice off Brian Matusz, but Matusz was able to lock it in after the Yankees scored twice with one out in the 9th, and gave Miami the win to start the series.    Miami Palms 7, New York Yankees 6  Monday, April 1, 2019      New York Yankees (0-1)                                   Miami Palms (2-3)                       ...

 Erick Fedde had an inauspicious debut for the Miami Palms, thanks to a disastrous 4th inning. Already down 2-1, Fedde allowed the first 6 batters of the inning to score, thanks to a 2 run homer from Jackie Bradley Jr. and a grand slam from Xander Bogaerts. Edwin Encarnacion tried, almost singlehandedly to turn it around, collecting 2 home runs and 4 RBI in a wasted effort. Miami welcomes the Yankees on Monday.  Boston Red Sox 8, Miami Palms 5  Sunday, March 31, 2019      Boston Red Sox (3-1)                                     Miami Palms (1-3)                                         Play...

 Miami's bats fell flat a night after smashing Boston pitching. The Red Sox scored 2 runs on a J.D. Martinez single in the first, but it looked like Miami was back to it's slugging ways when Yasmani Grandal launched a towering home run off the foul pole. Martinez would strike again in the 3rd, and the pitchers would then take over. Starters and relievers alike were able to work 6 more innings without a run crossing the plate, though threats were certainly there. The final game of the first series comes tomorrow, when Erick Fedde makes his debut.  Boston Red Sox 3, Miami Palms 1  Saturday, March 30, 2019      Boston Red Sox (2-1)                                     Miami Palms (1-2)                ...

 Miami and Boston were locked in a pitchers dual until the 6th, when Jaspero Gonzalez doubled the Palms' lead with a solo home run. Chris Korb would follow with a solo shot of his own, and in the 7th, Edwin Encarnacion smacked a three run blast. Miami would add two more after loading the bases in the 8th. Manny Parra worked 8 scoreless innings, and the Palms nearly had a shut out until Christian Vazquez launched a 2 run shot in the top of the 9th.   Miami Palms 9, Boston Red Sox 2  Friday, March 29, 2019      Boston Red Sox (1-1)                                     Miami Palms (1-1)                                ...

 The Palms got some bad news before the game, in that Jaspero Gonzalez, the likely clean up hitter for the coming season, was under the weather and would not play in the opener, giving Matt Koch the opportunity to open the season in the lineup. He scored a run on newcomer Yairo Munoz's two run single in the 4th, which helped in knocking Chris Sale out of the game early. Unfortunately for the home side, the Red Sox bullpen pitched 5 scoreless innings, and the Red Sox drew level on a 3 run Eduardo Nunez home run in the 6th, and took the lead in the 7th when Rafael Devers capped his excellent opener with the go ahead sacrifice fly.  Boston Red Sox 5, Miami Palms 4  Thursday, March 28, 2019      Boston Red Sox (1-0)                                     Miami Palms (0-1)  ...

 The Palms have a last preseason set of games at home against the Atlanta Braves before the season starts, but Spring Training is over, and the season is nearly here. It's hard to correlate results in the spring to how they will go in the regular season, but some players that had good springs see themselves on the roster, including rookie Matt Koch and reliever Braden Shipley.  The opening day starter is scheduled to be Jarod Lantz, while the Palms also are unexpected to make many modifications to the opening day lineup, with a healthy regular starting lineup, with even the bench coming into the season unfazed.  This is a good way to enter a season, and the team certainly hopes to carry that energy forward. Here's to a great season!

 Opening day looms closer and closer, and the Palms are set with their 25 man unit. There aren't many surprises as to who made the team, but a prospective opening day lineup (barring injury or other issues) seems to be floating around out there. It is seen below. RF Frank Sohn C Yasmani Grandal 1b Pat Grant 2b Jaspero Gonzalez DH Edwin Encarnacion 3b Chris Korb CF Travis Jankowski LF Nick Markakis SS Yairo Munoz The Palms will start at home against the Boston Red Sox on March 28th.

 The Palms came into the offseason looking to shore up their pitching rotation, the catching spot and short stop. Finding starting and relief pitchers took some effort, but was patched up on in free agency via many different avenues. They grabbed Yasmani Grandal an Wellington Castillo to function as backstops, but the short stop position left many questions unanswered. Yairo Munoz is a natural shortstop but he has played around the diamond in his career. Brock Holt is also an accomplished utility man. Instead of regular short stop, it seems like the Palms might platoon there. They called up Matt Koch, and he is expected to fill in at times there too. It was announced this week, though, that Munoz is expected to get the majority of the playing time at short. The free agent acquisition from St. Louis has acquitted himself nicely this spring, and the Palms hope a full season out of the youngster is a low priced revelation.

The Palms are grinding through Spring Training, but they have made at least one decision for opening day in Boston a couple weeks from now. Jarod Lantz will be the opening day starter for the second year in a row, thanks to his sustained success and status as a home grown player. Manny Parra will start the second game of the season, with Dylan Bundy, Erick Fedde and Blake Johnston filling out the rotation for at least the first several starts.

 The wiley veteran, and heart and soul of the team is still chugging along in the corner for the Palms. Long gone are his 30-40 home runs seasons, but he is still good at finding gaps and the lines, racking up 48 doubles and a team leading OPS for returning players last season. He started his career at the top of the order, and he will likely move back there as he is so capable of getting extra base hits and greasing the wheels of offense. Even more important are his work ethic and leadership, often taking younger players under his wing. After the turnover after 2018, that turnover will, perhaps, be a bit more pronounced, and his leadership more appreciated.

 Braden Shipley had a rough beginning to his Palms career, as he found himself victim of the long ball at a jarring rate. He needs to start striking guys out with a bit more frequency, and that should help him with the proclivity for giving up home runs as well. With a bullpen that is significantly more veteran in 2019, he will have resources who are investing in helping him develop his natural abilities.

 Wandy Peralta was one of the new additions to the roster last year out of the bullpen, and was an extremely pleasant surprise. He worked his way into a reliable setup person with a 2.05 ERA, which may actually have been a bit of an underperformance. He excelled at keeping the ball in the ballpark last season, something that is greatly appreciated at the bandbox that is Palms Park. Given the issues at the back of the bullpen last year, it would not be a surprise to see Peralta closing games at some point in 2019.

 Manny Parra was prepared to explore the free agent market this offseason, however thankfully for the Palms, he returned to the team he has called home for the last half decade. He started with Miami as a starter, moved to the bullpen, then moved back to the rotation, where he has excelled. He works quickly, a rarity in this game, and induces a lot of soft contact, even if he doesn't produce a lot of strikeouts. He's an anchor to a rotation that needs as much presence and lengthy starting outings as it can get. Parra is durable and usually available. 

 The Palms are attempting to replace Tony Abreu with a rotation of players in his stead. Brock Holt will play all over the field, including some at short, but the majority of the time will be split between rookie Matt Koch and newcomer Yairo Munoz. Munoz had a strong rookie season in St. Louis, with a decent average, particularly for a rookie. He also offers positional flexibility, and can spell many players on days Koch is in the lineup at short. As far as long term placement, Munoz could be a suitable stopgap almost anywhere, and his youth suggests he will continue to get better.

 Mike Morin came over from the Angels, and has been surprisingly effective in his stint in Miami. His ERA has circled in the 3.00s, but his peripherals suggest that there is more in the tank for the veteran righty. With the turnover in the bullpen this offseason, Morin's stability will certainly be appreciated.

 Brian Matusz had transformed into an elite reliever with the Miami Palms, and upon Francisco Rodriguez's departure after the 2017 season, it seemed natural to move Matusz into the closer's role. In turn, Matusz struggled, relative to his performance in previous seasons in a Miami uniform. Matusz won't be the primary closer this season, but rather, the Palms expect to close by committee. Hopefully, Matusz finds the mojo he lost in 2018.

 Chris Martin represents another member of the Palms' revamped bullpen, though Miami has to look through some alarming numbers to get there. Martin has a short track record, but with Texas in 2018, he had good underlying numbers. He was plagued by a rough BABIP, which the Palms hope he can overcome, and his raw numbers work as well as Miami believes they can.

 The Palms have veteran corner outfielders, including former Gold Glover Nick Markakis. Markakis is a patient hitter and still has a little gap power. His left handed bat stands out in the lineup, but with his time spent in the league so far, he will expect to be spelled more often in 2019, and will be a respected voice in the clubhouse if he is in the lineup or not.

 Jarod Lantz has developed into the teams opening day starter for the last two seasons, and will enter his third season with that assignment. Lantz isn't a modern strikeout pitcher, but is an workhorse, who can work by inducing light contact, and confidently works around the strike zone. He doesn't walk many or allow too many homers, and his cast of teammates trusts him to get the job done. 

 Chris Korb has settled into his role at the hot corner now, and is coming off his best season yet, hitting .294 with 22 home runs. He's going to play his  5th season as the starter after emerging from the bench in his first two seasons. He will be able to offer a blue print for Matt Koch to develop his career, all while hoping to help Miami return to the postseason as soon as possible.

 Matt Koch will have a little more pressure on him as an infield addition this in the wake of the loss of a couple of old infield stalwarts in Johnny Giavotella and of course, the indomitable Tony Abreu. The Palms only veteran replacement was Yairo Munoz, who doesn't have a long track record, and it seems likely that the rookie will get a lot more action than most rookies do in Miami.

 Blake Johnston is well suited for a roll in the back of a rotation. He is durable, and has a lot of experience, formerly as one of the Palms first or second starters even in playoff runs. Now, he is still one of the more effective strikeout pitchers in the rotation, but his penchant for finding the strike zone also makes him fairly hittable. With some turmoil in the rotation, having Johnston pitch a few reliable innings every 5 days is a huge benefit.

 The Palms were hoping to backstop their bullpen after a couple of key departures, and they appear to have added a good one. Jeremy Jeffress was an all star with Milwaukee last year, even working some games in the Brewers' playoff run. His post season was not the reason Miami signed him, but rather his 10k/9 and sub 2.00 ERA in his work with Milwaukee. Expect Jeffress to work high leverage situations in late, close games for the Palms in 2019.

 Travis Jankowski is entering his third season with the Palms, each of which he has played as the starting center fielder. Jankowski was not promised to be a big bat, but he has certainly been better than anticipated, and has been improving, raising his OPS by 87 points in his first two years. Offensive production is nice, but the Palms have a roster full of fly ball pitchers, and his range is the greatest benefit for the team. He won't bat at the top of the order, but he is does maintain an important role on the team.

 Brock Holt really represents a caliber of player that the Palms have really sought in their bench. Holt is a defensively versatile player that can spell outfielders and infielders alike, ensuring that everyone can get a day off, while Holt can keep sharp. Holt has a championship pedigree and the ability to motivate the clubhouse, while functioning as a competent bat off the bench, no matter where he plays.

 After a couple years of impressive performances in short exposure, Pat Grant's first full season as a starter was pretty good. He was pushed to first base, thanks to an outfield full of talented glovemen, and hit over .300 with almost 20 home runs and over 40 doubles. It was a much more sustainable rate than he had put up in his short stints as a back up outfielder, and it was still pretty good. Grant wasn't the leadoff hitter he was thought to be going into 2018, but he does project to bat in the middle of the lineup, as a quality corner infield bat.

 The Palms' biggest hole in the offseason was behind the plate. It was wrought larger by the production they got from Brett Hayes and Carlos Ruiz in previous years. The Palms went out and snagged the top catching option on the market, signing Yasmani Grandal, who the team expects to produce at the plate, to the tune of 20-30 home runs, but especially behind the plate. He's regularly been worth 4-5 wins per year, many of which are tied to his defensive and pitch framing abilities. With the pitching staff undergoing some turnover as well this year, it is particularly welcome to have Grandal on the roster.

 Jaspero Gonzalez was a popular player with the Palms during his first spell with the team, but was traded to Philadelphia for a much needed contributor at catcher. When he became a free agent, he returned to Miami and has been a solid contributor ever since, especially as a second baseman. He stepped back a bit in 2018, but still had an OPS of .800 with 29 homeruns. Now a veteran, he is expected to be a reliable bat in the middle of the lineup and leader in the clubhouse.

 Former Cardinal Greg Garcia is now in his third year with the Palms. The team has appreciated his positional flexibility, which has allowed him to step in and spell teammates all around the diamond. He has never been a threat to impress too many people at the plate, but he won't embarrass himself either. In short, it would be tough to find a better fit than Garcia on the Palms roster.

 Erick Fedde was limited in his opportunities for the Washington Nationals, not necessarily by his own abilities, but rather by the depth of the Nationals rotation. He would have projected as a long reliever with Washington, potentially for the long term, but Miami, a team that should near contention, had an open spot in their rotation, and will hope Fedde can anchor the back of the rotation. Fedde is certainly confident in his abilities, and believes he can do just that.

 The Palms are bringing back veteran designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion for a fourth season with the Palms. While he was still good in 2018, it was a step in the wrong direction. He hit .276 with 26 home runs, both lows for his time with Miami. The team will hope for some more pop to his bat, though he remains a difficult out at the plate even as his power numbers diminished.

 Wellington Castillo is a veteran backstop, prominently known for his time spent with the Chicago Cubs. He's bounced around since his time in Chicago, providing an above average bat for a catcher. Now, he has seen enough time in the league and enough pitchers that the Palms hope he will provide some insight for younger players.

 Dylan Bundy enters his second season with the Palms, and Miami will likely lean on him a little bit more, given the departures of the previous season. Bundy was consistent, if unspectacular in 2018, but with Lucas Harrell's retirement, and a bullpen without as much certainty, Bundy will be asked to step it up to a solid 3rd starter role. Bundy is still young, and Miami hopes there is room to grow into the role.

 Cody Allen never approached the all star closer level he had with the Indians, but he is now in entering his 5th season in Miami, and if he can maintain the same level he had in his first 4, he will be a valuable bullpen workhorse in middle relief. It's always important to have stable, veteran presences in the pen, and Allen provides just that.

 The Palms have made it known that they are likely done making additions to the organization, which means that there is one open spot on the roster. According to sources, that means that infield prospect Matt Koch will get a chance to join the big league club. Koch was drafted as a short stop prospect, but he projects more as a corner infielder or outfielder as he has grown into his frame. Don't be surprised to see Koch all over the lineup and all over the field once the Manager gets comfortable with Koch's offense.

 The Palms seem to have snagged their 5th starter, acquiring young Eric Fedde from Washington. Fedde is only entering his 3rd season, and projects as a true swingman. He has good stamina, but not overpowering stuff, and can meet his demise if he has to face his opposition too many times. He will be able to look to his new teammate, Manny Parra, for inspiration, though, or former Palm Lucas Harrell as a swingman brought aboard and developed into a reliable, top end starter. Miami sees potential in Fedde, and made the move to snag him.

 After shoring up the biggest positional hole, the Palms moved to secure an important part of the rotation. Manny Parra, perhaps the best starter Miami has had for the last three years or so, has penned a contract to return to the Palms. With Lucas Harrell retiring this winter, it was important for Miami to keep at least one of their top starters at the top of the rotation. Parra has had an ERA in the 3's in the last several years, and has a nearly legendary stamina, which allows the bullpen to remain intact during the more grueling stretches of the season. Miami is surely thankful to have Parra back in the fold.

 The Palms just added Yasmani Grandal, and now, they know who his partner behind the plate will be. Wellington Castillo will join the Palms to give Grandal a respite. Castillo has been a part of 5 teams, making Miami his 6th. He is an average hitter in the grand scheme of things, which makes him above average as a catcher.  The veteran will have no illusions of a starting role, and will succeed as a back up thanks in part to the clarity of his role.

 Miami's formidable catching depth vanished as the season ended, and the Palms felt that they needed to make a big move to resupply the roster. After adding former Dodger Yasmani Grandal, they have made the first step in restrengthening what has been an organizational cornerstone throughout the team's history. Grandal was an all star in 2015 and is known as a solid enough hitter that he has been used as a first baseman as well. Grandal doesn't hit for the average that Brett Hayes has recently, but he will surely add the power Palms fans have come to expect from catchers in the organization.