Richie Palacios

The Cardinals picked up Palacios from the Guardians in a trade in June and promoted him to the majors in August. The 26-year-old proved to be a spark down the stretch of St. Louis' lost season, collecting an .823 OPS with six home runs and a couple stolen bases in 102 plate appearances. The elite contact ability Palacios showed in the minors carried over, as well, as he struck out at just a 10.8 percent clip. Palacios also drew walks at a 15.7 percent rate last season at the Triple-A level, but that part didn't translate in the majors (5.9 percent). The 14 homers Palacios hit between the majors and minors in 2023 nearly doubled his pro total coming into the year, and his poor quality of contact at both levels suggests it's unlikely to be repeated. Palacios looks like a viable bench piece, though, with his contact skills and ability to play second base and all three outfield spots. Read Past Outlooks