Lots of Palka fans on South Side
Rookie’s 27 homers lead Sox, but hitting, ‘D’ must improve
MINNEAPOLIS — You’d be hardpressed to pick the White Sox’ most valuable player in 2018, but their rookie of the year is a no-brainer.
Daniel Palka’s 27 home runs lead the Sox, lead all major-league rookies and are tied for third all time with Zeke Bonura in 1934 among Sox rookies. And the leg-kicking lefty’s 67 RBI are tied for third among major-league rookies, with 12 of them coming in the ninth inning.
Palka has poked his homers with some panache, too. He has hit four in a pinch-hitting role, the most in Sox history, and his exit-velocity numbers rank among the league leaders.
Not bad at all for a 2013 thirdround draft choice picked up on waivers from the Twins in November. To say he’s a media sensation might be a stretch, but Palka has emerged as the closest thing to it for a Sox player in a season that will end with 100 losses if they fall to the Twins again Sunday in the season finale.
All of that said, Palka, 26, is not being penciled in for a place on the team the Sox believe will form a championship core. He’s below average defensively in the outfield, and he owns a .237 batting average and .292 on-base percentage after going 1-for-3 with a walk and infield single in the Sox’ 8-3 loss Saturday. Palka also struck out for the 150th and 151st times on a night the Sox, with 1,579, broke the one-year-old major-league record for strikeouts set by the 2017 Brewers.
So there are things to work on, including his versatility in the field. Palka played first base in the minorleague systems of the Diamondbacks and Twins, and he takes ground balls at first on his days off and when he’s the designated hitter, he said. Manager Rick Renteria said Saturday that he’ll tell Palka to keep his first baseman’s glove close by.
“Maybe he can expand it and chase the chicken like ‘Rocky [II],’ maybe loosen up and play some first base,’’ Renteria said. “Concentrate more on both positions to see if he can come in [to spring training in 2019 and hit] the ground running, getting more acclimated to possibly doing both.’’
That’s good news for Palka. “I know I’m more of the guy that in the long run can be a little more utility than sticking in one spot, whether it’s giving someone a day off at first, outfield and going in at DH,’’ Palka said.
It has been a fun year for Palka, whose dry sense of humor and wink-wink claims that he was a McDonald’s All-American in basketball made him something of a social-media darling. He has made numerous TV appearances, most recently on MLB Network’s ‘‘Intentional Talk,’’ something he never envisioned a few months ago.
“I still get chills interacting with fans,’’ he said. “It’s been such a long time, since college, when you have a fan base. I’ve built a solid group of people interacting. It’s been fun.’’
Palka had a door open because of a hamstring injury to Avisail Garcia.
“It was a good first impression for what I can bring to the table,’’ Palka said. “The adjustments I’ve made — defensively and offensively — are going to turn out good for what I’m going to do next year.
“The opportunity I was given to play every day, who knows if I would have ever gotten one with another team. It’s been awesome. The go-ahead situations are my favorite spots. To contribute and help the team is the biggest thing for me. I didn’t want to just be a guy in the lineup.’’
“He’s shown you he has power,’’ Renteria said. “His at-bats still have to continue to improve. Right now, he’s trying to prove to everybody he can do it.’’