Detroit Tigers infielder Jermaine Palacios, claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in October, went to the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason with a personal assignment.
The 26-year-old wanted to put lessons learned into practice.
“I was trying to do some things that I learned in the big leagues,” Palacios said. “The success was coming in the right way, so whatever I’m doing right now, I’m going to do it better going into this season.”
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The Venezuelan Winter League lacks high-caliber pitching, but what Palacios accomplished deserves some recognition: He hit .400 (48-for-120) with 13 doubles, five home runs, 16 walks and 19 strikeouts in 32 games for Cardenales de Lara.
He led his team in batting average during the regular season while playing alongside Andrés Giménez (.216 in 12 games), Odúbel Herrera (.279 in 37 games) and many more MLB hitters. His 1.104 OPS ranked second in the Venezuelan Winter League, behind only Oswaldo Arcia.
“Most of all, it was staying back. Some hitting coaches call it ‘scissors,’ ” Palacios said, referencing the action of the back foot being kicked out backward during the swing. “When the back foot moves, that helps you let the ball travel. That helped me let the ball travel, and that was one of my mistakes throughout my whole career. Sometimes I would fall forward, and that’s when I got in trouble.”
Palacios wasn’t sure whether or not he accomplished the scissor kick for every swing, but he practiced the concept in the batting cages and kept his body from drifting forward in games.
That’s what he focused on in the Venezuelan Winter League.
“If I let the ball travel a little bit more, I have a little more time to see if the pitch is going to be a ball or a strike,” Palacios said, adding he hopes to cut down on strikeouts and slightly improve his walk rate. “That’s going to be a huge change for my career.”
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Last season, Palacios reached the Triple-A level for the first time. He hit .283 with 14 homers, 34 walks (7.9% walk rate) and 102 strikeouts (23.8% strikeout rate) in 102 games with the St. Paul Saints.
But he struggled in the first 30 games of his MLB career, hitting .143 with two homers, four walks (5.2% walk rate) and 27 strikeouts (35.1% strikeout rate). He didn’t walk enough, struck out too often and rarely hit the ball to the opposite field
After the season, he reflected on his shortcomings in a small sample.
“That was one of the best experiences ever, but I know there are better experiences coming,” Palacios said. “I’m going to be better this year and over the next couple years. … It was my first experience, and I was trying to do too much. I have to calm down, do my thing and let the game come to me.”
At the Triple-A level, Palacios played shortstop (55 starts), third base (29 starts), second base (two starts), left field (six starts), right field (three starts) and first base (three innings). He started the second-most games (12) at shortstop for the Twins last season, behind Carlos Correa’s 129 games.
Palacios is most comfortable on the left side of the infield.
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For the Tigers, Palacios appears to be a utility player tagged as organizational depth with upside. One month after the Tigers picked him up, he was designated for assignment when president of baseball operations Scott Harris shuffled the 40-man roster. Palacios then signed a minor-league contract in mid-November to stick around.
“I was a little confused,” Palacios said of the Twins’ decision to cut him. “I didn’t understand that move. A lot of people didn’t understand. After they put me on waivers, Correa said he definitely wouldn’t re-sign with the Twins, so people wondered why they moved me.”
The past is in the past, though, and Palacios feels encouraged by a new opportunity under new coaches, even if he isn’t currently on the 40-man roster. He looks forward to learning from the Tigers’ new hitting department in spring training, which begins in mid-February.
The group features Michael Brdar (from the San Diego Padres), Keith Beauregard (from the Los Angeles Dodgers) and James Rowson (from the Miami Marlins). If Palacios starts in Triple-A Toledo, he will play for Mud Hens manager Anthony Iapoce, a former hitting coach with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox.
“I like when people talk to me about what I can do to improve,” Palacios said. “I can go in there and tell them what I’m working on. I’ll let them see it. But I like when people tell me how I can do better and be a better version of me. When they talk to me, I will listen. I listen to improve. That’s what I like.”
This time, Palacios promises he won’t fall into the trap of adding unnecessary pressure to his plate.
He plans to trust his natural abilities, newfound mechanical changes and the wealth of knowledge around him.
“I think every player wants to make the team,” Palacios said. “I want to make the team and start on the roster, but I’ll go wherever they send me and keep myself in good shape and do my best, so whenever they need me, I’ll be ready.”
More from winter ball
• The Dominican Winter League round-robin semifinals began Dec. 19. Left-handed reliever Gregory Soto is competing for Águilas Cibaeñas. He has thrown 3⅔ scoreless innings with three walks and three strikeouts in four outings, most recently pitching Monday. Soto entered for the ninth inning in his first game but has been used in the seventh inning in each of his past three games. The 27-year-old is expected to toss somewhere between 10-12 innings.
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• Right-handed reliever José Cisnero is pitching in the Dominican Winter League for Gigantes del Cibao. He has pitched three innings in the regular season and three innings in the semifinals, combining for a 1.50 ERA with one walk and three strikeouts in six appearances. The 33-year-old last pitched in the sixth inning Wednesday, and later in the game, 45-year-old Fernando Rodney — a Tiger from 2002-09 — picked up the save in the 11th inning.
• Catcher Mario Feliciano, a member of the Tigers’ 40-man roster, completed his offseason assignment for Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. The 24-year-old hit .171 with six walks and 24 strikeouts in 32 games. The Tigers claimed Feliciano, a former prospect, off waivers Dec. 21 from the Milwaukee Brewers.
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• Catcher Julio E. Rodriguez signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Dec. 2 while playing for Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican Winter League. He hit .214 with one home run, two walks and 12 strikeouts in 16 games during the regular season. Through four semifinal games, he is hitless in four plate appearances with one walk and one strikeout. The 25-year-old played at the Double-A level for the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization last season.
• Outfielder Diego Rincones, who signed a minor-league contract Dec. 8 with the Tigers, played 62 games for Bravos de Margarita in the Venezuelan Winter League regular season this offseason, as well as two games in the first round of the playoffs. The 23-year-old hit .302 with nine home runs, 18 walks and 17 strikeouts in the regular season. In the playoffs, he finished 3-for-8 with one homer. (He was not selected in the reinforcement draft ahead of the semifinals.) “I played against him,” Palacios said. “He has a lot of power. He’s a good outfielder, but his advantage is his power.”
• Clayton Campbell, who plays first base, third base and catcher, is competing for the Auckland Tuatara in the Australian Baseball League. He has a .267 batting average with two home runs, four walks and 18 strikeouts in 23 games. The 19-year-old played 37 games for the Tigers last season in the Florida Complex League.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.