Forming the best possible second half lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Right Field: Joshua Palacios

Finding a good player in the Rule 5 draft isn't easy. Finding a good player in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft is extremely difficult. Still, the Pirates may have hit on one with Joshua Palacios. Not only has Palacios shown some talent in the big leagues, but he also brings fire in him that can get the rest of the lineup going.

Since getting recalled to the bigs, Palacios has collected five hits (including two dingers), has drawn five walks, and has yet to go down on strike three in 23 plate appearances. Now, it's impossible to tell whether or not Palacios will maintain a 1.046 OPS, but Palacios certainly posted some very promising underlying numbers last season.

The outfielder hit the ball hard and had a 91.3 MPH exit velocity. Along with that, he made quality contact at a consistent rate with a 9.8% barrel rate. Palacios had a .318 xwOBA, which was much higher than his .297 wOBA. DRC+ (deserved runs created plus), which is Baseball Prospectus' version of wRC+ or OPS+, has a predictive element to it, putting him as an above-average hitter at 105, which placed him above some notable hitters like Ryan O'Hearn, Nolan Gorman, and J.D. Martinez.

Palacios has done everything he can to at least earn a semi-regular role in the second half of the season. If Palacios can prove to at least be a solid platoon outfielder, he'll be plenty valuable to this team. He definitely deserves a longer look, and with some promising underlying numbers, Palacios could be a surprise contributor in the second half of the Pirates' season.