Richie Palacios

The Cardinals picked up Palacios from the Guardians in a trade in June and promoted him to the majors in August. The 26-year-old proved to be a spark down the stretch of St. Louis' lost season, collecting an .823 OPS with six home runs and a couple stolen bases in 102 plate appearances. The elite contact ability Palacios showed in the minors carried over, as well, as he struck out at just a 10.8 percent clip. Palacios also drew walks at a 15.7 percent rate last season at the Triple-A level, but that part didn't translate in the majors (5.9 percent). The 14 homers Palacios hit between the majors and minors in 2023 nearly doubled his pro total coming into the year, and his poor quality of contact at both levels suggests it's unlikely to be repeated. Palacios looks like a viable bench piece, though, with his contact skills and ability to play second base and all three outfield spots.

Palacios' path to the majors is currently blocked, as the Guardians likely have their starting outfield set. He's in a position to battle with Will Benson and Will Brennan for a reserve role to begin 2023. Palacios' 2022 was a fine campaign -- he slashed .279/.371/.458 in 45 games with Triple-A Columbus. He spent more time in the majors, getting into 54 contests but logging just 123 plate appearances with a .232/.293/.286 slash line. Power won't be what makes the lefty hitter stick in the majors -- he's got good plate discipline and can provide some speed. He'll still need to hit consistently, which could be tough if he doesn't see much playing time.

Palacios was one of the better stories in the minors last season. He missed all of 2019 with a major shoulder injury that required surgery and was left to work out by himself in 2020, but he was so good in his return to action that the Guardians added him to the 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter slashed .297/.404/.471 with seven home runs and 20 steals (on 23 attempts) in 103 games between Double-A and Triple-A. The most impressive aspect of his profile as it pertains to future big-league success is the 16.4 K% and 13.6 BB% he logged while using the whole field (Pull% under 40%). The main thing he lacks is impact power, but he has plus speed and a potentially plus hit tool. Palacios saw most of his time at second base, but he also played some center field and left field and played exclusively in the outfield during the Arizona Fall League, which is where he will likely get work in Cleveland this year, although he will enter the year with a 2B designation in fantasy. The outfield depth chart is fairly wide open, so he should get his chance sometime this summer.