The first 11 games of the White Sox 2019 season have had some awesome moments, and a lot more bad ones. At 3-8, the team is off to their worst start since 1997. A large part of that has to do with the pitching. Everyone knew that the rotation would make or break the season and so far it has been breaking it. It’s doubtful that the Sox will add Dallas Keuchel, and don’t bet on them calling up Dylan Cease until he has a lot more Triple-A innings under his belt. For now, it looks like the pitching problems are here to stay. However, there are three quick fixes that can be made to the lineup to make it much more productive, and they are all in-house options.
- Send Daniel Palka To Triple-A, Call Up Ryan Cordell
Last year, Daniel Palka became a fan favorite due to his interaction with the fans on Twitter and his 27 home runs. Opposing teams didn’t really have a strategy on how to get him out, so he was able to punish a ton of fastballs. 2019 has been a completely different story. He has yet to get a hit in 29 plate appearances, and is striking out at a 41.4% rate. Add in his horrible fielding and it is clear that he is doing more harm than good. He needs to go to Charlotte to correct some things. If the Cubs can do it with Kyle Schwarber, the Sox can do it with Palka.
Meanwhile, Ryan Cordell has been great for the White Sox. During his short stint with Chicago, he is batting .333 and added a pinch hit home run against Cleveland earlier this year. He’s not a great fielder but he’s absolutely better than Palka. Oh, and he just hit for the cycle with the Knights just last night. He’s done more than enough to earn a spot in Chicago’s lineup for the time being.
2. Call Up Danny Mendick, Move Yolmer Sanchez To Bench Role
Danny Mendick had a phenomenal Spring Training but has regressed since starting the year in Charlotte. He is only batting .200 through 7 games, but he also has a 10% walk rate, giving him a current OBP of .310. He has shown some pop, as evidenced by 2 home runs in 30 plate appearances, and currently has no errors in 2019. We all know Yolmer is more of a utility man to come off the bench anyways, so it couldn’t hurt to give Mendick a shot in Chicago, if only for an abbreviated period.
3. Call Up Seby Zavala To Catch
Between Zack Collins and Seby Zavala, it is going to be hard for either to get in a rhythm behind the plate. Although Collins has been on a tear offensively, Zavala is the more well rounded player as of today. By calling him up, it also allows Collins to take over catching duties full time for the Knights, which will accelerate his development. While Zavala isn’t an elite offensive talent, he can definitely hold his own with the bat. As for who the odd man out would be, I honestly can’t say for sure. Lucas Giolito seems to love James McCann as his personal catcher, and Castillo has been awful to start the year so he could be a good bet to draw the short stick.
Knowing the White Sox front office, these moves probably won’t happen. At least not in the near future. But if the White Sox want to put the best team out there every day, these are a few simple moves that should improve the everyday lineup.
