Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios went 'straight science' this offseason to work on his swing

Joshua Palacios attributes much of his success with the Pittsburgh Pirates to playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, helping him make the jump from Double-A to the major leagues last season.

But Palacios wanted to work on his weaknesses, so he spent this past offseason visiting Driveline Baseball and Motor Preference Experts to discover how technology could take his game to another level.

He wore a motion capture suit, which records body movements, for a visual presentation on how to improve his swing and bat speed. What the Pirates outfielder found beyond the scouting reports was fascinating.

“I went all-tech, straight science,” Palacios said. “I trust in the science right now because between Driveline and Motor Preference, they do assessments of everybody. They tell you your preferred stances, preferred angles and what situations to put yourself in so you move the fastest.

“I knew what I was doing wrong, but I really wanted to see how it came about and what was going wrong in the sequences and stuff like that. Had a really good thing with the ‘mocap’ and breaking down my swing and seeing how I was moving, where my weight was at a given time and turning on the breaks at depth and in detail.”

ICYMI: The Palacios brothers talked workout vids on yesterday's Foul Territory!

Watch it while you cram down Christmas cookies.

Full interview with @P_lo21_ & @richiemille
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— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) December 21, 2023

Palacios slashed .239/.279/.413 with nine doubles, 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 91 games last season, including several highlight-reel moments. He hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on his 28th birthday, had a five-RBI game against his younger brother, Richie, and the St. Louis Cardinals and smashed a home run out of PNC Park and into the Allegheny River.

“The one thing that really stands out about JP is he’s not afraid of the lights,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We saw him perform in some big situations last year.”

Palacios, however, was troubled by a .219 batting average against breaking pitches — including .206 against sliders — and 49.2% ground ball rate. What the technology showed him was “a little bit of a pushy sequence” where the left-handed hitter’s hands were going first and causing ground balls to the right side, so he worked to correct it and elevate balls in that direction.

“I try to keep the focus more toward how can I keep getting better so that I can be above and beyond and help this team even more,” Palacios said. “Last year was great. I did a lot of great things. But this year is a new year. I’m coming out and trying to get better every single day and hoping that what I’m doing can contribute to help the team win.”

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Palacios worked in the weight room to add 10 pounds to his 6-foot-1 frame and arrived at spring training ready to compete with Connor Joe, Billy McKinney, Edward Olivares and Canaan Smith-Njigba for the starting job in right field.

A lower-leg injury kept Palacios out of Grapefruit League play until Wednesday night, when he drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Jared Triolo and then scored in a four-run fifth inning of a 6-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Palacios has overcome greater odds. He wasn’t invited to major-league camp with the Pirates last year, instead playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Palacios started the season by playing eight games at Double-A Altoona before a dominant stretch at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he batted .410 with a 1.28 OPS, four doubles, eight homers and 27 RBIs in 20 games.

“He’s definitely bringing competition,” Shelton said. “He was a guy who performed really well for us last year and kind of opened some eyes. … He provides a ton of energy, and I think he got better defensively last year. Once he got to the big leagues, we kind of fine-tuned some things but the overall consistency of the at-bats will improve.”

Palacios believes his 2023 season was a blessing. Like the breaking pitches, it’s something he’s trying to elevate this season.

“It attests to if I can stay focused on my process, I continue to try to better myself, regardless of all the other moving parts going around, I’m eventually going to end up in a spot where I want to be,” Palacios said. “Last year, I did that. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m in Double-A. Let’s try to get better every day.’ I focused on getting 1% better, 1% better, 1% better. Now, if I keep doing that this year, God willing, I’ll be in a better place.”