Better know your Blue Jays 40-man: Josh Palacios

Josh Palacios is a 25-year-old (turns 26 in July) left-handed hitting outfielder.

He is having a very nice camp, hitting .393/.414/.821, with 2 each of doubles, triples, and home runs in 29 PA. I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but don’t read anything into 29 spring at-bats.

Josh was number 37 on our top 40 prospect list last year (and he was 37 the year before too).

Why wasn’t he higher on the list? His glove isn’t really good enough to be a major league centerfielder, and he doesn’t have the power you would want in a corner outfielder. Matt wrote:

Palacios should move up to Buffalo for 2020 and it will be interesting to watch for further refinement. At this point, it seems very likely he ends up a big leaguer in some capacity, at this point more likely as an extra outfielder or maybe fringe-starter. But his production has held up and in some ways improved at every level, and if he keeps making adjustments it’s not out of the question he profiles as an everyday regular.

At the moment, despite the great spring, he won’t be making the team to start the season (unless there is an injury outbreak in our outfield). And he’s behind Jonathan Davis in the ‘grab a spot if there is an injury’ race.

Josh does have a lot of traits you would like in a fourth outfielder. He can play all three spots, he has enough speed to pinch run, and he’s a good enough fielder in the corner spots to be a defensive replacement and could pinch-hit against an RHP. Davis has most of the same traits, with a much better glove and more speed.

On the downside, the Jays have four outfielders who will make the roster. And Davis is ahead of him on the depth chart (and the team seems to like Cavan Biggio in the outfield, I don’t really agree).

ZiPS figures that if he were to play in the majors, he would hit .214/.282/.336.

PECOTA projects him to play 8 MLB games, hitting .227/.300/.341.

I want to think he’d do a little better than that.