Miami Palms Blog

 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.