The Pirate outfield is struggling. Aside from Bryan Reynolds, who cannot stop hitting in what is historically his best time of the year, Pittsburgh is struggling to get any real offense from anyone who plays the outfield.
While in some cases (like Michael A. Taylor) offense has been sacrificed in exchange for elevated defensive play, the Pirates will still find it difficult to stay in the wild card race if this many players are struggling at the plate. Here’s a quick look at what the outfield, aside from the aforementioned Reynolds and Connor Joe (who is playing first base half the time) are performing:
Edward Olivares: 44 games, .221/.291/.357, 5 HR, 20 RBI
Ji Hwan Bae (injured): 8 games, .208/.269/.208, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Michael A. Taylor: 59 games, .195/.245/.255, 1 HR, 11 RBI
Jack Suwinski: 61 games, .174/.267/.308, 6 HR, 18 RBI
It’s not going great, and on any given day, these players have been towards the bottom of the batting order for the Pirates. So, one has to wonder if any changes could be coming to the roster in that department to try and spark the Pirate bats.
To try and solve this question, I bring up the interesting name of Joshua Palacios. Full disclosure: at the start of last season, I was very much not a fan of Palacios. It felt like every time I watched a game I saw him do something stupid or take a bad strikeout. However, by season’s end, he was one of my favorite Pirates to watch.
For me, he was a breakout candidate for the Pirates in 2024, but a spring training injury and very limited reps made making the team out of Florida nearly impossible. As expected, he didn’t, and other injuries hampered the start to his season.
He just recently ended a rehab assignment in High-A with the Greensboro Grasshoppers and now is back in Triple-A with the Indianapolis Indians.
Palacios brought an insane clutch factor last year and was the ultimate vibes guy. His vibes per nine innings were off the charts.
And also, who could forget the way he broke the Chicago Cubs’ hearts last year with a three-run knockout punch over the right field wall in Wrigley?
But in more numerical fashion, Palacios appeared in 91 games for the Pirates last season, slashing .239/.279/.413. Now, that line isn’t outstanding, but it is better than all four outfielders listed above.
Palacios’ 10 home runs and 40 RBI also beats out of the pace of everybody listed with the exception of Olivares, who just barely is ahead of him.
It’s also important to note that Palacios ended last season on a very solid hot streak, which is part of the reason I and some other people were high on him coming into this year. From September 1st onward, Palacios slashed .318/.338/.530 in 66 at bats for Pittsburgh.
He will turn 29 years old this season, which is usually an indication that what you see is what you get. However, I believe in my heart of hearts that there is more to unlock with Palacios’ bat. Even if he is a bench player down the line, he is somebody you can regularly have pinch hit.
Some of his best moments last season came as a pinch hitter, where in that role he went 8-for-22 for a .364 average an OPS of 1.099.
Palacios is also versatile in the outfield; while he spent a majority of his playing time in right field, he did play 25 games in left field and 11 games in center. This brings me to the question of who would be moved to bring Palacios in.
Taylor is highly unlikely to be moved as he evolves into this year’s Austin Hedges, being a very poor batter but doing his best to make up for it defensively. Bae started the season injured, and then in Triple-A before being recalled. He played very sparingly before another injury sidelined him, but he did not impress at the plate early on.
Suwinski has already been optioned to Triple-A once this season, but was rushed back far too soon after injuries and Paternity List trip for Taylor caused wrinkles in the lineup. Olivares, meanwhile, has been in the majors all season, but has often been an option candidate if the Pirates needed to make a move.
I love Jack Suwinski, but this season has been a disaster for him. A .174 average just can’t cut it in the major leagues, and with the Pirates already feeling comfortable enough to option him once, I think he is the most likely outfielder to be sent to Indianapolis.
I think it’s a possibility, however, that anybody with the exception of Taylor could be an option. The Pirates like Taylor’s defense too much, and while Palacios doesn’t quite match up with the Gold Glove status of Taylor, I don’t think defense will be a huge concern for him.
He had some huge highlights in right field, like when he robbed Juan Soto of what looked like a surefire home run.
However, Bryan Reynolds has played in every single game so far this season (and 50 of those have come in left field). Good thing Palacios has some talent in rigjht field too:
This season in Triple-A, in limited action due to injuries, Palacios is slashing .261/.346/.370 in 13 games.
He only has 22 minor league games played this season, so perhaps just a little more seasoning is needed before he gets a call to the major leagues. But if the current major league outfielders continue to struggle like this, why shouldn’t he get a call?
(Featured photo by David Banks/USA Today Sports)
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