After opening eyes in 2023, Palacios focused on day-to-day improvement

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Following a tough transition to the big-league level in a limited amount of games between 2021 and 2022, Joshua Palacios seemingly found his footing in a Pirates uniform last season. 

The 28-year-old played in double the amount of games he appeared in during parts of two seasons with the Blue Jays and Nationals, and made the most of every opportunity upon initially having his contract selected from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 9. 

In a larger sample size compared to years past, he proved his worth to a handful of people, including his new manager. 

“I think he was a guy who performed really well for us last year and opened some eyes,” Derek Shelton said of Palacios, who missed major-league camp last year due to his participation in the World Baseball Classic as a member of the Netherlands squad. 

“He provides a ton of energy and I think he got better defensively last year. Once he got to the big leagues, we kinda fine-tuned some things but the overall consistency of the at-bats will improve. The one thing that really stands out about JP is he’s not afraid of the lights. We saw him perform in some big situations last year.” 

In 91 games with the Pirates, Palacios hit .239/.279/.413 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs while appearing in 50 games out in right field, 25 in left and 11 in center. He made a significant impact at the plate in the final month of the season, compiling a slash line of .318/.338/.530 with four homers and 13 RBIs. Eight of his homers came in the final two months when the team was playing around .500 ball. 

“Last year definitely gave me some confidence because I learned a lot about myself and I learned a lot of things about the league,” Palacios said. “There are some things you’re just not going to learn until you’re here. There is a definite learning curve, so I got a basis of like ‘Alright, this is what I need to do, this is what they’re trying to do and this is what I need to be successful.’ Those are the things I tried to work on all offseason.” 

Palacios spent time during the offseason working in various locations around the country, including New York, Seattle and Arizona. He said he worked specifically at Motor Preferences in Maryland and at Driveline Baseball in Washington. 

“I just tried to get as much information as I could about myself from last year, get all my scouting reports and see where I was weak and where I was strong,” Palacios said. “Then I really tried to take those weaknesses and make them better, while increasing my strengths as best as possible.

“I feel like I got a little faster, my arm got better and I got a lot stronger this offseason. I put on some weight and I’m probably around 208 or 209 now, so I’m super excited to see what it’s going to do on the field for me.”

Entering the 2024 season, Palacios is one of a few players battling for a starting spot in right field. 

Others vying for playing time out there include Connor Joe, Edward Olivares and Billy McKinney. Canaan Smith-Njigba, the Pirates' opening day right fielder last year, should find himself in the mix, too, after being claimed off waivers from Seattle Monday. 

“My mindset is just trying to focus day by day and just trying to build on the next day,” Palacios said. “I wanna just continue to try to get better every single day of the season and turn myself into a player that can definitely help this team.” 

Palacios isn’t going to downplay the expectations he has for himself and the team as a whole this year. He believes if they can find ways to consistently play the type of ball they played down the stretch last year, the Pirates could be pushing for a playoff spot in 2024. 

“We gained a lot of confidence from the second half of last season, especially that last run when we were playing teams in the hunt for the Wild Card,” Palacios said. “We played games with a ton of energy and were coming out on top a lot of times. That allowed us to believe, ‘Hey, we can really do this.’”