If there is one thing that the Pirates have plenty of, especially in the upper levels, is left-handed hitting outfielders.
Regardless, Josh Palacios seems to fit a growing trend within the system, and not just that he is another left-handed bat that plays the outfield.
At 27-years-old, Palacios is not a prospect anymore, but his skill set on the field matches a very familiar theme that the Pirates have going on in their system. While they don’t have a lot of big-time power prospects in the minors, they have made up for that with their aggressiveness on the base paths.
Palacios stole a career high in stolen bases in 2022, swiping 21 bases while playing for Toronto and Washington’s Triple-A teams. He’s failed to reach double digits in stolen bases twice, 2016 and 2021 – the first of which was his draft year and the latter he only played in 19 games.
He has hit for some power, with nine home runs in 2022, most of which after joining the Nationals’ system.
The addition of speed shouldn’t be a surprise for the Pirates, as if there is a common theme in the system it’s the aggressiveness on the base paths. There are several players, especially in the upper levels, that seem capable of stealing 20+ bases.
Ji-Hwan Bae led the system in the category last year, and Oneil Cruz certainly seems capable of that mark. Jared Triolo and Liover Peguero both stole more than bases in Altoona last year, and even Canaan Smith-Njigba has multiple years of double-digits swipes.
When your team isn’t built to compete with others by trading home runs, you have to generate runs anyway that you can, which it looks like that’s what the Pirates have recognized and are building towards.
With so many outfielders on the 40-man roster, Palacios getting any playing time in the majors probably means that something went wrong. The outfield in Indianapolis is going to be a little crowded, but adding Palacios does allow a roster spot to be filled while some of the prospects from Altoona who struggled in 2022 look to get back to their form when the upcoming season gets started.
In the greater scheme of things, Palacios may not make the biggest impact (he did have a wRC+ of 122 last year in Triple-A) but it does show the organizational philosophy continues to fall into place.
Highlight of the Day
Josh Palacios hit a moonshot onto the roof in RF 2-0 Blue Jays. pic.twitter.com/xfY6zFUEVA
— Julian Guilarte (@JulianGuilarte1) March 26, 2022
Pirates Prospects Daily
By Tim Williams
**There was a lot going on at the winter meetings this week, and still so much for the Pirates to do this offseason. Jeff Reed wraps up the winter meetings in this week’s Pirates Discussion.
**Tsung-Che Cheng continues to hit in Puerto Rico. John Dreker has the latest on the Pirates infield prospect in the latest winter league update.
**Missed yesterday? Anthony broke down where the 40-man roster sits after the MLB Winter Meetings.
Song of the Day
Pirates Prospects Weekly
The MLB Winter Meetings wrapped up this week, and Jeff Reed had a rundown of the events in this week’s Pirates Discussion.
John Dreker will have the latest Pirates Winter Report on Saturday at noon.
