Pirates' Josh Palacios learns hot bat doesn't matter if your phone's dead

When Josh Palacios went to dinner Monday night with Indianapolis Indians teammates Chavez Young and Vinny Capra, he never imagined that disaster would strike.

He didn’t forget his wallet, and there was nothing wrong with the food at the hibachi restaurant in Minneapolis’ Mall of America. Those things the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder could have handled.

But not this: His phone went dead.

“We were making jokes like ‘Hey, imagine (the Pirates) are calling me up right now and my phone is dead,’ ” Palacios said.

Only it wasn’t a joke. The Pirates were actually calling.

When Palacios didn’t answer, Young and Capra received texts.

“Do you have his number? Is he doing all right?”

“Yeah, he’s next to me.”

“Tell him to pick up the phone.”

Eventually, the Pirates got through to Palacios via his buddy’s phone.

“Our people are persistent,” said John Baker, the Pirates’ director of coaching and player development. “We will find you no matter where you are, especially if you’re going to the big leagues.”

“Lesson learned,” Palacios said. “I just need to remember to charge (the phone). It was a long day. I think I’m going to buy myself a portable battery moving forward.”

Those little details out of the way, Palacios found his way to Pittsburgh in time for the Pirates’ game Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. He started in right field and batted sixth in the 10-1 loss.

After scoring a total of 12 runs in the past nine games (eight defeats), the Pirates are looking for a boost at the plate. Palacios, who was chosen by the Pirates in the Rule 5 Minor League Draft in December, earned his promotion with his bat. In 21 games between the Indians (13) and the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate in Altoona (eight), he hit .368/.433/1.031, with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

“If guys are playing well and we feel it’s going to help us, we’re going to add him to the roster,” manager Dersk Shelton said.

But Palacios grounded out to the pitcher twice Tuesday before he was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning.

Palacios was under the radar in spring training after playing for The Netherlands with his brother, Richie, in the World Baseball Classic. This season, he played against Richie, a member of the Cleveland Guardians’ Triple-A team in Columbus. The brothers both hit home runs in the Indians’ 7-4 loss to the Clippers on April 28.

“Nice for my parents,” he said. “My brother told me I have to envision him being on the other side of the field every game.”

In limited big-league duty, Palacios hit .200 for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 and .213 for the Washington Nationals last year. This season, Palacios finally solved some problems at the plate.

He credited his own personal growth and help from the organization’s hitting coaches.

“They have taught me a few things,” he said, “and I’ve been able to grasp a little bit of an idea of what I should be looking at, what pitches I want to swing at and letting go of some pitches you can’t make hard contact with. It’s been working pretty good.”

Something else also helped: He started wearing his contacts.

“Shout out to all the eye doctors out there,” he said in the Pirates’ clubhouse before Tuesday’s game.

“I was supposed to wear them and I didn’t wear them. They were a little uncomfortable and I finally made the sacrifice to wear them. Any little bit helps.

“I started wearing contacts and seeing the ball better. I was able to make some better decisions.”

Palacios had hoped he would return to the majors, but at the age of 27, he couldn’t be sure

“You never know in this game. I don’t have control of those things,” he said. “I was just excited when the call did happen.”

His brief time in the majors taught him some good, if difficult, lessons.

“No. 1, how to handle your business in The Show. There are a lot of moving parts going on in The Show, learning how to really zone in,” he said. “Also, the mental game, there is a lot going on. There are ups and downs. You don’t know if you are going to play every day. It’s not quite like the minor leagues.

“It was just cool to have a team that wanted me and to continue to play the game I love.”

Palacios, who played winter ball under Pirates coach Stephen Morales, said his agent told him to expect to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

“When it was coming around, he said, ‘Just keep your phone available and around,’ ” Palacios said. “’Keep it charged’ is what he should have said.”