Joshua Palacios is a very interesting topic when discussing the current roster construction of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

While the Pirates roster, especially now with extra players called up for September, is always in a bit of a limbo, Palacios’s standing within the lineup remains questioned by many. 

I’m not calling anyone out here specifically, because there’s no reason to, but some of the most typical accounts you see on Pirates Twitter usually complain when he’s in the lineup. Palacios typically gets lumped in with guys like Alfonso Rivas, Alika Williams, Vinny Capra, and most recently Miguel Andujar as part of a group of players that are deemed by some as inexcusable to still be playing at this point in time. 

The take almost always goes along the lines of it being September of year four in the Ben Cherington rebuild, and all these guys are still playing MLB games for the Pirates.

I get why this is a take people have, I really do. A quick look at the surface stats for Palacios fuels the belief that he’s not a very good batter at the major league level. 

The 28 year old is currently sporting just a .214 batting average, and has just 7 home runs and 29 RBIs through nearly 200 at bats so far here in 2023. 

This kind of look can give the impression that perhaps Palacios couldn’t cut it on a more competitive baseball team, and that may very well be the case. But, and make no mistake, Palacios is not like some of the other players on this roster. He is not on the same level as a Rivas, Capra, or Andujar. Williams at least provides some defensive upside. 

Yes, Palacios is not a very consistent batter, no one could realistically make the argument that he is. But, he provides more value at the plate than any one of Capra, Rivas, Williams, or Andujar. 

For starters, Palacios has more home runs (7) than Capra, Andujar, Rivas, and Williams combined (4). Palacios also has more runs batted in (29) than all four of those players combined (22). 

Yes, his numbers individually still aren’t great, but he’s regularly out-batting these four players. Palacios’s batting average is also the highest of these five men.

In addition to that, Palacios brings an element to his game that is unique to him and him only amongst this group. He has been an extremely clutch hitter. 

His walk off birthday home run was instantly iconic, and was one of several big-time hits he’s had for Pittsburgh this season. His most recent came Saturday night when he smacked a two run homer out of the park, giving the Pirates a 7-6 lead in the ninth inning. His home run stood as the game-winner in a back-and-forth, tightly contested game against the St. Louis Cardinals. 

I saw a tweet from @SteeloCity3 on Twitter that summed up Palacios almost perfectly. They said that there needs to be a “real feel” feature in baseball, stemming from Palacios’s subpar numbers but his amazing clutch ability this season. 

It certainly does feel at times like he’s a much better batter than he actually is currently. There’s not that same feeling for any other player he’s been likened to.

While there’s no real way to calculate just how clutch Palacios has been for the Bucs, there is an amazing stat to back up the argument. Coming into Saturday’s contest against St. Louis, Palacios was batting .375 as a pinch hitter, putting him near the top of the Major League Baseball lead. 

After his home run, Palacios now has 7 hits in 17 at bats appearing as a pinch hitter. 

Sure, it would be great if Palacios could bat like that full time, but even though he can’t, he still provides more than a lot of the players he is commonly lumped in with. 

A high energy guy, Palacios also provides a more enthusiastic and electric vibe around the team, certainly more than his comparables. While yes, that’s not necessarily an ultra important trait for a player on this team, that contagious attitude is always beneficial to have, especially for a team full of young players who can still get rattled. 

I will concede this to Palacios’s critics: he needs to provide more in order to stick around long term. 

If, and believe me that’s a very big if, the Pirates are a more competitive ball club in 2024, a guy batting .209 over his major league career, even as a bench guy, isn’t going to cut it. He will need to bring his batting average up, and in an ideal world, showcase a bit more of that power in his swing that we’ve seen flashes of in 2023. 

But that’s exactly why he needs more playing time. You need these September games to see if Palacios can provide any kind of glimmer that he can be a more consistent batter. 

I get it, this has been a very frustrating rebuild. And yes, some of the players who are still appearing in games for Pittsburgh would not be if this rebuild was moving at a pace any faster than a snail. 

Who exactly would fit that criteria is a whole different argument, one that gets dicey fast. But comparing Palacios to them is a disservice to Joshua. He provides more value already, and in my opinion, still has more upside. 

He’s not like the others.

(Featured photo by Matt Freed/AP)