Miami Palms Blog

 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.