Pirates A to Z: OF Joshua Palacios brought energy, delivered homers in dramatic fashion

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Joshua Palacios

Position: Outfielder

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Age: 28

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 200 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Batted .239/.279/.413 with nine doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 91 games.

Contract: Not eligible for arbitration until 2026.

Acquired: From the Washington Nationals in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 7, 2022.

This past season: First, Palacios played with his younger brother, Richie, for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. When both homered in a Triple-A game between Indianapolis and Columbus on April 28, it was a foreshadowing of things to come.

Palacios batted .368 with a 1.031 OPS, four homers and 22 RBIs over 21 games, eight with Double-A Altoona and 13 with Indianapolis, when he earned a promotion to the Pirates as they were in a stretch of scoring 12 runs in nine games, eight of which were losses.

Over two seasons with Toronto and Washington, Palacios had played in 42 major league games. It wasn’t until his 110th at-bat, however, that he got his first career home run when Palacios sent a Giovanny Gallegos pitch 426 feet over the Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park.

Josh Palacios hit his first MLB home run, and made sure his parents got the ball. ???? pic.twitter.com/03KJs6RgTg

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 4, 2023

Palacios hitting highlight homers would become a recurring theme.

He smacked an Andrew Vasquez slider 367 feet for a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4, on July 30, his 28th birthday. Palacios became the first Pirates player to hit a walk-off homer on his birthday, and joined Alex Rodriguez as the only players to have three hits and a walk-off homer on their birthday in MLB history.

“That was the best birthday gift I ever got,” Palacios said. “I think that’s probably on the top. Best birthday I could ask for.”

Birthday bash for a #walkoff smash!

It doesn't get more poetic than that for Josh Palacios. ???? pic.twitter.com/wkozbwOpgK

— MLB (@MLB) July 30, 2023

The gifts kept getting better. When Richie visited PNC Park with the Cardinals on Aug. 21, big brother responded with a career-high five RBIs in an 11-1 Pirates win. Joshua hit a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run double in the eighth, then made a diving catch in left field to rob Jose Fermin of an extra-base hit for the final out of the game.

“That was definitely going through my mind, was, ‘I am the big brother. Don’t forget it,’” said Joshua Palacios, who estimated that he had about four dozen family members and friends in attendance. “And I’ve got my cousins and everybody in the stands, so I knew they would enjoy that one. Before the game, they said, ‘Oh, he better not show you up, kid. I don’t know, you can’t come back home.’ So I had to put on a show for them.”

Joshua Palacios caps off an incredible day with a highlight reel catch! pic.twitter.com/gJIlChhmoG

— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2023

Josh Palacios on his career-best 5 RBI game, winning the battle of the brothers as Pirates pound Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/unOlKhTgpA

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) August 22, 2023

Four days later, against the Chicago Cubs, Joshua Palacios smashed Justin Steele’s 2-1 fastball over the right field seats at PNC Park and into the Allegheny River.

“It is important. He does have some energy, and he gets after it a little bit,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “You want your guys to have fun, and Josh definitely has fun.”

Palacios was trying to take advantage of more playing time in right field, with rookie Henry Davis being on the injured list. Although Palacios was batting only .207 in 61 games, he had been very effective in pinch-hit situations by hitting .375 (6 for 16) with an .849 OPS.

“If you watch him take swings, it’s extremely aggressive,” Shelton said. “He creates a ton of torque with his lower half and gets the barrel out. He’s ready to hit every pitch. It’s why he’s been so successful as a pinch-hitter.”

Palacios hit a dramatic pinch-hit, two-run homer in the top of the ninth for a 7-6 win at St. Louis on Sept. 2 to clinch the Pirates’ 63rd victory, surpassing their win total from 2022.

Joshua Palacios with a 94.3 MPH rocket from RF to get the out at home pic.twitter.com/0vxxk34Tub

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) November 8, 2023

Ten days later, Palacios put it to his former team when he hit a two-run homer in the second inning and threw out Ildemaro Vargas at home in the seventh of a 5-1 win over the Nationals.

“This is a guy who has a lot of enthusiasm. He controls himself very well, which is why he’s one of the leaders in the National League in pinch hits,” Shelton said. “This is a guy who wasn’t in big-league camp, started the year in Double-A and just performed his way to the big leagues. We talked at the beginning of the year if guys perform, even if they’re not on the roster, then they’re going to have an opportunity to get at-bats. He’s done it and deserving.”

Palacios added another highlight-reel homer Sept. 21 at Wrigley Field, sending Julian Merryweather’s full-count slider 384 feet to right for a pinch-hit, three-run shot in the ninth in an 8-6 win over the Cubs.

Joshua Palacios robbing Juan Soto of a home run pic.twitter.com/YReMFrSk7g

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) November 8, 2023

The future: The Pirates loved the energy and enthusiasm Palacios brought to their clubhouse and dugout, as well as his pinch-hit prowess and propensity for highlight-reel homers this season.

Whether he did enough to earn a spot as the fourth outfielder remains to be seen. He can play all three outfield positions but, despite robbing Juan Soto of a home run with a leaping grab over the corner fence, had minus-2 defensive runs saved in 25 games in left field and minus-1 in 11 games in center. Palacios played well in 50 games in right field, however, recording 3 DRS and making a circus catch by doing a cartwheel over the short fence along the right field line.

Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski return as starters, and it’s possible that Suwinski could shift from center to right. What could help Palacios is that Henry Davis will report to spring training with the catchers, Connor Joe should see playing time at first base and if free agent Andrew McCutchen re-signs, it will likely be as a designated hitter.

Palacios will have to improve his 4.5% walk rate to increase his .279 on-base percentage, but the Pirates will have to consider his production. Palacios had 10 homers and 40 RBIs in 264 plate appearances, trailing Joe (472 PA) by only one homer and two RBIs and McCutchen (473 PA) by two homers and three RBIs.

That Palacios thrived as a pinch hitter and delivered dramatic homers should work in his favor.