Josh Palacios

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #30 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Palacios was drafted twice, first in the 31st round of the 2014 draft by Cincinnati following his Freshman season at San Jacinto, and again by the Blue Jays in the fourth round, following a junior campaign with Auburn. A Brooklyn native, Josh is the older brother of Guardians infield prospect Richie Palacios. He made his major league debut on April 9, 2021, but spent a majority of his 2021 season on the Triple-A injury list dealing with an unspecified hand injury.
  
  Scouting Report: A versatile outfielder with the ability to provide average defense across all three outfield spots. He tracks the ball well off the bat, with above-average closing speed, and an average throwing arm. Palacios dealt with a hand injury for a majority of the year and when he returned he didn’t show much impact upon contact. This is to be expected with injuries of that nature, and Palacios wasn’t a power hitter to begin with. His game revolves around above-average contact, on-base ability, and speed. Prior to the pandemic, Palacios displayed some intriguing offensive qualities, but it always came with an approach boarding on over-aggressive. The contact and on-base skills came with moderate swing and miss and below-average game power, but enough to drive the gaps and run into a modest number of home runs in the high single-digits. This is unlikely to change without mechanical tweaks to alter his path to the ball.
  
  The Future: After losing a majority of the last two seasons it’s difficult to know where Palacios stands long term. He looks squarely like a reserve outfielder with limited offensive impact.
  
• 
  Ranked Toronto Blue Jays #19 prospect in 2017
  The nephew of ex-Royals catcher Rey Palacios, Josh grew up in Brooklyn and wound up at San Jacinto (Texas) JC for two seasons, getting drafted by the Reds in 2014. He didn't sign and transferred to Auburn for 2016 before a broken left wrist ended his season in April. Blue Jays officials doubt they would have gotten Palacios as late as they got him if not for his injury. Palacios is one of the best pure hitters in the Jays' system thanks to his natural rhythm and timing at the plate, smooth lefthanded swing, present strength and the speed to leg out infield hits from time to time. He hit .330 in his debut, albeit with no home runs, and he controls the strike zone while providing decent gap power. He's a slightly above-average runner who played left field at Auburn in deference to Diamondbacks supplemental first-rounder Anfernee Grier, but the Jays intend to try him in center field for 2017. He may have to share time with J.B. Woodman, another Southeastern Conference outfielder whom the Jays drafted with thei rsecond pick. Palacios doesn't have the arm for right field but could hit his way into being a regular eventually, with fourth outfielder a more likely career path. He's likely to lead off at low Class A Lansing in 2017.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #255 prospect in 2016 draft
  Palacios comes from a baseball family, as his uncle Rey played parts of three seasons in the major leagues with the Royals. He's from Brooklyn and attended San Jacinto (Texas) for two seasons before transferring to Auburn, where he was the Tigers' top hitter before a wrist injury on April 7 ended his season. He's a left fielder for Auburn who has a good swing and potentially above-average bat thanks to his natural rhythm at the plate and feel for hitting. He's an average runner who fits a tweener profile, with his power falling below what scouts look for in a corner profile, so he'll likely be tried in center field as a pro to see if he can be a future fourth outfielder.
• Ranked #324 prospect in 2014 draft
  Palacios, a Brooklyn native, originally committed to stay close to home and play college ball at Stony Brook before landing at San Jacinto (Texas) JC instead, hitting .372/.468/.439 as a freshman this spring. A switch-hitter in high school, Palacios has ditched his righthanded swing in favor of hitting exclusively from the left side, where he has more promise. He's still growing into his frame but shows a good approach and a quick bat. Palacios has the athleticism to play center field and an average arm.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Palacios was drafted twice, first in the 31st round of the 2014 draft by Cincinnati following his Freshman season at San Jacinto, and again by the Blue Jays in the fourth round, following a junior campaign with Auburn. A Brooklyn native, Josh is the older brother of Guardians infield prospect Richie Palacios. He made his major league debut on April 9, 2021, but spent a majority of his 2021 season on the Triple-A injury list dealing with an unspecified hand injury.
  
  Scouting Report: A versatile outfielder with the ability to provide average defense across all three outfield spots. He tracks the ball well off the bat, with above-average closing speed, and an average throwing arm. Palacios dealt with a hand injury for a majority of the year and when he returned he didn’t show much impact upon contact. This is to be expected with injuries of that nature, and Palacios wasn’t a power hitter to begin with. His game revolves around above-average contact, on-base ability, and speed. Prior to the pandemic, Palacios displayed some intriguing offensive qualities, but it always came with an approach boarding on over-aggressive. The contact and on-base skills came with moderate swing and miss and below-average game power, but enough to drive the gaps and run into a modest number of home runs in the high single-digits. This is unlikely to change without mechanical tweaks to alter his path to the ball.
  
  The Future: After losing a majority of the last two seasons it’s difficult to know where Palacios stands long term. He looks squarely like a reserve outfielder with limited offensive impact.