Former MLB catcher Rey Palacios often enjoys bragging to his two big league nephews, Richie and Joshua, about his walk-off homer from 30 years ago “as if it happened yesterday.”
“We’ve seen that video a million times,” Richie Palacios said on Glenn Clark Radio May 31.
Joshua, an outfielder in the Pirates organization, has a walk-off homer of his own. He hit one on July 30, 2023, against the Phillies. That meant Richie was the only one of the three yet to pull off the feat.
That changed when the Towson baseball alumnus recorded a walk-off single on May 30 to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 12th-inning victory against the Oakland Athletics. Now, each Palacios has one to his name.
“My brother, he doesn’t brag or anything about that,” Palacios said. “But it’s cool to be able to join the family with that accomplishment.”
The former Tiger has enjoyed a solid season for Tampa Bay during his third year in the majors. After being drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Palacios played 51 games for the major league club in 2022. He began the 2023 season in Triple-A, then struggled mightily to the tune of a .217/.351/.318 line.
Palacios was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in June for cash considerations, enjoying a resurgence at the Triple-A level. He hit .299/.418/.459 in 40 games for the Memphis Redbirds, earning a call-up to the big league squad. He played in 32 games, hitting .258/.307/.516 with six homers and 16 RBIs.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound outfielder was once again traded, this time to the Rays for relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge. The January trade has worked quite well for Palacios. He’s been a fixture in the Tampa Bay lineup, playing in 51 games while slashing .262/.355/.369. He’s also spent some time at second base in addition to the outfield.
“For me, going to a new team there’s not any doubts,” Palacios said. “It’s just an exciting opportunity to meet some new guys, to show them that you can be a good asset to a team. And it’s exciting to come to a team like Tampa because it’s just a great culture, a winning culture, so I was excited to be a part of that.”
Palacios, who played at Towson from 2016-2018, returned to the Baltimore area for a weekend series with the Orioles from May 31 to June 2. Before the three-game set, Palacios expressed his excitement to return to the state of Maryland. He expected some close friends from college to attend, while he didn’t know how many other people would be there.
Palacios hit .329 with 18 homers and 91 RBIs across his three seasons with the Tigers.
“I’m excited because it’s usually a surprise when I come here,” Palacios said. “Some guys text me, and some guys just pull up, so it’s pretty awesome.”
Palacios has also been able to connect with fellow Towson alum Andy Freed, the radio play-by-play voice of the Rays. The two recently chatted for about 30 minutes, talking all things Towson and the shared experiences the school brought them.
The 27-year-old has been back to campus as well. He visited last October for a golf tournament. He sat down with the baseball team at a practice to discuss the great opportunities the program presents and the possibilities it offers.
“I sat there and talked to the guys, and I pretty much told them, ‘Look, when I got to Towson I didn’t think I was going to be in the big leagues,'” Palacios said. “I just wanted to work hard. That’s what I wanted to do. But I told them if you’re doing the things the right way, you’re not getting distracted and you’re sacrificing, the snowball can start to go. And when pro ball becomes a thing, then after pro ball you continue to work hard, and then the major leagues is a possibility.”
Palacios knows Towson doesn’t play in a premier baseball conference or get the same number of eyes as a power conference school. But he also knows that doesn’t preclude Towson players from accomplishing their big league dreams.
“If you put the work in, if you put the numbers up and you have a good college career, you can do it,” Palacios said. “You don’t have to go to the best school, the biggest school — and I was able to tell those guys that.”
For more from Palacios, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays