Prepare For Launch When Daniel Palka Lands In Chicago

After Avisail Garcia hobbled over first base in the second inning of Monday night’s game, the outlook was grim for a return to the lineup anytime soon. Those fears were confirmed Tuesday when the White Sox placed Garcia on the 10-day DL and promoted Daniel Palka from Triple-A.

Palka was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins back in Nov. and was rated as the No. 22 prospect in the Twins organization. He was a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012, traded to the Twins in 2015 and will make his big-league debut with the Southsiders. He is 26 years old.

Versatility is the driving force behind this decision. His physical stature notwithstanding, Palka is athletic and has experience at multiple positions. Labeled as a first baseman/outfielder, the White Sox can use Palka as a reserve for Jose Abreu and drop him in right field when they need a strong arm with range. He maxes out the prospect-grade scale in raw power (60/60), speed (50/50) and arm strength (55/55). Baseball America rated him with the best power in the Midwest league in 2014 while ranking in the organizational top-30 with each club he’s played for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XznAeM4lDs Power is Palka’s primary asset and his grade drops when translated to games. Fangraphs rates Palka’s game power as 40/50; a result no doubt, of his swing-and-miss Achilles heel. Palka has struggled to hold his K-rate below 20 percent and in 2016 he fanned an alarming 38 percent of the time at Triple-A. His high watermark season was in 2015 when he blasted 29 home runs while driving in 90 runs at High-A. One positive to take away from his stat-sheet is his walk rate this season. He has demonstrated more patience at the plate walking at a career-high 13.7 percent in 2018, however he’s only played in 17 games. Still, Palka is batting a healthy .286 with three doubles, three home runs and seven runs batted in. Palka is a career .270 hitter with 109 home runs and 361 RBI in 555 minor-league games in six seasons. He will wear No. 18 with the White Sox.