Offseason Driveline work earns Palacios a roster spot

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Early in the offseason, Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios came to his younger brother, Richie, with an idea. They were living in Phoenix for the winter, and the nearby Driveline Baseball facility in Scottsdale was offering a program to help hitters increase their bat speed.

The two often team up in their offseason pursuits of information and improvement, so why not give it a shot?

“We always, together, look for any advantage we can get in the offseason, and we’ll go wherever we need to go in order to get that,” Richie Palacios said. “We’ve done a ton of different programs or just gone to places to take in knowledge from them.”

So Palacios hooked himself up to body-tracking sensors, trained with a variety of weighted bats and worked on his swing at Driveline throughout the offseason, even as he was dealt from the Cardinals to the Rays on Jan. 5. He said he’s picked up the bat speed he wanted, and it’s helped the versatile defender put together one of the best Spring Training performances in Tampa Bay’s camp.

“Palacios is a guy that’s had a great camp. He’s going to play a role for us,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I think he's done a good job. He gives very competitive, good at-bats. He's driven the ball really, really well. … Worked hard on his offense, his swing this offseason. It's nice to see early results.”

After Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium, Palacios has a team-leading 16 hits and three homers, tied with Yandy Díaz for the second-most on the team behind Randy Arozarena. The 26-year-old’s excellent showing has come at a good time, as injuries to Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda have left the Rays light on left-handed hitters as Opening Day approaches.

“I’ve felt really good. Getting some good swings on balls. Been in two strikes a lot,” he said. “Not trying to swing too hard, just trying to put a good barrel on the ball, and that’s been able to produce a couple home runs.”

Lifting the ball wasn’t the issue for Palacios, as he already had a swing that allowed him to hit the ball in the air, but he wanted to develop more bat speed at Driveline to create more extra-base power. Combining that with his plate discipline and ability to work out of two-strike counts, he’s made a strong impression on Tampa Bay’s staff.

“Obviously the results have been really good. The quality of the at-bat is probably the more impressive part,” hitting coach Chad Mottola said. “Kind of shrinking the zone after some pretty big swings early in the at-bat, so that’s been the better part for me -- the competitive at-bats, not necessarily the results.

“He’s built belief in what he’s doing. … Guys usually explore a lot [in Spring Training], where he’s convicted in his moves right now.”

Palacios got a taste of the Majors the past two years, playing 54 games for Cleveland in 2022 and 32 for St. Louis last season. He took a massive step forward after joining the Cardinals’ organization last June, slashing .299/.418/.459 for Triple-A Memphis and .258/.307/.516 with six homers over 32 games in the big leagues.

Now, he will play an important role for the Rays in the early going. Brandon Lowe is the most experienced left-handed hitter on their projected Opening Day roster, and Palacios will be their second-most proven lefty option unless they acquire someone from outside the organization in the coming days to fill the spot that would otherwise go to Austin Shenton.

Palacios has bounced around all three outfield spots, with a little time at second base, but should spend most of his time in right field while Josh Lowe is recovering from a right oblique strain. He could also slide over to left field, if Arozarena gets a day off or shifts to center to back up Jose Siri.

Palacios made a spectacular running, diving catch in left field at Charlotte Sports Park on Saturday, laying out for a grab that left the bases loaded in the second inning behind Zach Eflin. He was in right field Sunday against the Tigers. Palacios said he appreciates the challenge of moving around the field, and the Rays have made him feel right at home doing so.

“The guys have welcomed me really well, so I feel like I’ve been on this team for a full season already. It’s only been a spring,” Palacios said. “It’s really cool having those guys accept me and bring me in, and when that happens, it’s a lot easier to play.”