Richie Palacios

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #24 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program's single-season and career stolen base records. His professional career got off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March 2019. He's gotten back on track since getting healthy and made his major league debut in April 2022.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which plays as doubles pop to this point. He's a good athlete with above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question. In Cleveland, he primarily played left field, which was a switch from the minor leagues, where he has mostly been a second baseman. His hands work on the infield, while his speed plays well in the outfield.
  
  The Future: Having reached the major leagues, the challenge now for Palacios is to carve out a consistent role. It'll be up to his bat to make him a regular, but his speed, versatility and lefthanded swing all give him the tools to win a utility spot.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #13 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program’s single-season and career stolen base records. He got his pro career off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March. He worked out in Arizona in 2020 and hit the ground running in 2021, reaching Triple-A Columbus by the end of the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which mostly has played as doubles pop to this point, but he’s increasingly doing a better job of getting to it in games. He’s a good athlete and has above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question and in 2021 he played second base and all three outfield positions. He’s primarily been a second baseman and his hands work well enough on the infield, while his speed plays in the outfield.
  
  The Future: The Guardians added Palacios to the 40-man roster in November, bringing him one step closer to joining his older brother Josh in the major leagues. Whether he ends up at second base or in the outfield, his bat will be the main attraction and he could be ready to help Cleveland sometime during 2022.
  
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson. Drafted in the third round, he followed the footsteps of his uncle, Rey, and older brother, Joshua, into pro ball and had a solid debut.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He worked this spring to cut down on his strikeouts and hit the ball the other way more often. He improved in both areas, while getting to his average power more frequently. He's a good athlete and a plus runner. Palacios has a high ceiling offensively, but questions remain about his defense. He played shortstop for Towson, but his infield actions and arm strength are not good enough to stay there. His athleticism and work ethic may help him stay in the infield at second base, but his speed would also play well in the outfield.
  
  The Future: Wherever Palacios ends up defensively, he'll likely always be bat over glove. He's advanced enough to handle an assignment to high Class A Lynchburg, where he'll continue to work on his defense.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #142 prospect in 2018 draft
  The first Towson player ever named the Colonial Athletic Association's Rookie of the Year, Palacios is an intriguing infielder with professional bloodlines. His father, Richard, played in the Tigers organization, his uncle, Rey, played parts of three seasons with the Royals and his brother, Josh, played for San Jacinto (Texas) JC and Auburn before being selected by the Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Richie has shown a knack for hitting throughout his time with Towson, following up his record-setting freshman campaign (.329/.415/.480) with an even better sophomore season in 2017, when he hit .338/.417/.502 with five home runs. Palacios was the only member of Towson's club to start all 54 games in 2017 and he led the Tigers in hits (72), runs (43) and stolen bases (19). This spring, he's continued to do more of the same at the plate, hitting .316/.463/.542 with a career-high eight home runs through 49 games. Palacios, who currently has average raw power, has added more pop in each of his seasons at Towson, culminating this spring with an OPS over 1.000 and an isolated slugging over .200--both of which are career highs. With that power has also come a dramatically improved strikeout-to-walk ratio, as Palacios had a walk rate around 19 percent compared to a strikeout rate below seven percent after 49 games. Both of those are career bests, though Palacios has walked more than he's struck out in each of his three seasons at Towson. Defensively, Palacios has the twitchy athleticism and speed--he ran a plus-plus 60-yard dash at Towson's scout day--to give himself a chance to stick at shortstop. His arm is fringe-average, however, so he might be better suited to move to second base or take on a utility role. His run times to first base are not as regularly impressive as his 60-yard dash time would indicate, but he has stolen 74 bases at an 86 percent success rate through parts of three seasons. If a team thinks Palacios can handle shortstop, he may be drafted as high as the third or fourth round.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program's single-season and career stolen base records. His professional career got off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March 2019. He's gotten back on track since getting healthy and made his major league debut in April 2022.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which plays as doubles pop to this point. He's a good athlete with above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question. In Cleveland, he primarily played left field, which was a switch from the minor leagues, where he has mostly been a second baseman. His hands work on the infield, while his speed plays well in the outfield.
  
  The Future: Having reached the major leagues, the challenge now for Palacios is to carve out a consistent role. It'll be up to his bat to make him a regular, but his speed, versatility and lefthanded swing all give him the tools to win a utility spot.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program's single-season and career stolen base records. His professional career got off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March 2019. He's gotten back on track since getting healthy and made his major league debut in April 2022.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which plays as doubles pop to this point. He's a good athlete with above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question. In Cleveland, he primarily played left field, which was a switch from the minor leagues, where he has mostly been a second baseman. His hands work on the infield, while his speed plays well in the outfield.
  
  The Future: Having reached the major leagues, the challenge now for Palacios is to carve out a consistent role. It'll be up to his bat to make him a regular, but his speed, versatility and lefthanded swing all give him the tools to win a utility spot.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 45. Speed: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program&#39s single-season and career stolen base records. He got his pro career off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March. He worked out in Arizona in 2020 and hit the ground running in 2021, reaching Triple-A Columbus by the end of the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which mostly has played as doubles pop to this point, but he&#39s increasingly doing a better job of getting to it in games. He&#39s a good athlete and has above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question and in 2021 he played second base and all three outfield positions. He&#39s primarily been a second baseman and his hands work well enough on the infield, while his speed plays in the outfield.
  
  The Future: The Guardians added Palacios to the 40-man roster in November, bringing him one step closer to joining his older brother Josh in the major leagues. Whether he ends up at second base or in the outfield, his bat will be the main attraction and he could be ready to help Cleveland sometime during 2022.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Palacios had a decorated college career at Towson, where he became the fastest player in program history to reach 200 hits and set the program’s single-season and career stolen base records. He got his pro career off to a strong start in 2018 but he tore the labrum in his right shoulder that offseason and had season-ending surgery in March. He worked out in Arizona in 2020 and hit the ground running in 2021, reaching Triple-A Columbus by the end of the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Palacios has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed. He has good plate discipline, knows how to work a walk and rarely strikes out. He has average power, which mostly has played as doubles pop to this point, but he’s increasingly doing a better job of getting to it in games. He’s a good athlete and has above-average speed. Where Palacios fits best defensively has long been a question and in 2021 he played second base and all three outfield positions. He’s primarily been a second baseman and his hands work well enough on the infield, while his speed plays in the outfield.
  
  The Future: The Guardians added Palacios to the 40-man roster in November, bringing him one step closer to joining his older brother Josh in the major leagues. Whether he ends up at second base or in the outfield, his bat will be the main attraction and he could be ready to help Cleveland sometime during 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Palacios, 24, was drafted in the third round in 2018 but missed 2019 due to a torn labrum. Between his injury and the pandemic, coming into the year, Palacios had only played 45 professional games. He's making up for lost time this year, putting together a solid season at the plate in Double-A. He's mostly played second base but has seen action at all three outfield positions.