Prospect Retrospective: Jermaine Palacios

Minnesota originally signed Jermaine Palacios back in 2013 as a teenager from Venezuela. In 2014, he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .270/.404/.399 (.803) with 11 doubles and six triples. He stole 14 bases and walked 35 times in 49 games. There were plenty of positive signs for a 17-year-old that was young for his level. 

During the 2015 season, Palacios made his stateside debut and posted a 1.061 OPS in 26 games for the GCL Twins. He continued to hit well after being promoted to Low-A. In 31 games, he hit .336/.345/.507 (.852) with 18 extra-base hits in 31 games. His 2016 season was the first time he struggled as injuries limited him to 71 games, and his bat could never get going. For Cedar Rapids, he hit .222/.276/.287 (.564) with 12 extra-base hits. 

After a rough 2016, Palacios set multiple career highs in 2017 thanks to a relatively healthy campaign. He split time between Low- and High-A, where he was still younger than the competition at each level. In 62 games for Cedar Rapids, Palacios posted a .907 OPS with 30 extra-base hits. His numbers dipped in Fort Myers (.662 OPS), but he was nearly three years younger than the average age of the competition in the FSL.

Leading into the 2018 season, the Twins traded Palacios to the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Jake Odorizzi. During his Twins tenure, Odorizzi pitched three seasons with a 107 ERA+, and he was named an All-Star. Palacios struggled in his first season in the Rays organization with a .575 OPS in 118 High- and Double-A games. His performance didn’t improve in 2019, as his OPS dropped over 30 points, and he was limited to 75 games. He never made it past Double-A in the Rays organization before becoming a minor league free agent.

Minnesota re-signed Palacios before the 2021 season, and he played the entire season at Double-A. He hit .259/.341/.439 (.780) with 17 doubles and 19 home runs in 110 games. Also, he went 18-for-26 in stolen base attempts. Last offseason, he played in the Venezuelan Winter League, and he posted a .987 OPS in 42 games. Entering his age-25 season, Palacios wasn’t viewed as a top-20 prospect in the organization, but he had reestablished some value with his 2021 campaign. 

Palacios reached Triple-A for the first time in 2021 as he has played the entire season in St. Paul. In 39 games, he has hit .262/.325/.376 (.701) with eight doubles and three home runs. On the bases, he has gone 6-for-8 in stolen base attempts. Defensively, he has been used all over the diamond, including every infield position and both corner outfield spots. His versatility will help him at the big-league level, but the Twins have a clear hole at shortstop that he needs to fill. 

What do you remember most about his minor league career? What can he bring to the Twins in the absence of Correa and Lewis? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.