Richie Palacios

Palacios was one of the better stories in the minors last season. He missed all of 2019 with a major shoulder injury that required surgery and was left to work out by himself in 2020, but he was so good in his return to action that the Guardians added him to the 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter slashed .297/.404/.471 with seven home runs and 20 steals (on 23 attempts) in 103 games between Double-A and Triple-A. The most impressive aspect of his profile as it pertains to future big-league success is the 16.4 K% and 13.6 BB% he logged while using the whole field (Pull% under 40%). The main thing he lacks is impact power, but he has plus speed and a potentially plus hit tool. Palacios saw most of his time at second base, but he also played some center field and left field and played exclusively in the outfield during the Arizona Fall League, which is where he will likely get work in Cleveland this year, although he will enter the year with a 2B designation in fantasy. The outfield depth chart is fairly wide open, so he should get his chance sometime this summer.