The White Sox objectively played their best game of the spring on Thursday, beating the Brewers 9-5. Among the highlights:
- Carlos Rodon delivered four innings that were as easy as they were scoreless.
- Three of the five White Sox pitchers were unscored upon, and Nate Jones' damage was brief (a Tyler Saladino solo shot).
- Tim Anderson raised his average to .500 with a 2-for-3 day.
- Yoan Moncada doubled, walked, avoided striking out and made a nice play backing up on hop at third.
- Danny Mendick made a diving stab behind second base, then grabbed a share of the home-run lead with a game-breaking three-run shot, giving him the kind of start he needed to stand out in a crowded utility field.
- Daniel Palka struck out in his only trip, but he's back in action after a hamstring pull.
But it wasn't completely without incident. Ian Hamilton, making his first appearance of a spring delayed by a car accident, gave up four runs on four hits in his first inning of Cactus League work. The unraveling started with a deep drive to left by Manny Pina that ended up with Pina touching home and Nicky Delmonico in concussion protocol.
From the video, it doesn't look like he's tracking the fly ball with that much speed, but Craig Counsell said Delmonico generated enough force for mutual destruction:
“From what we heard, he hit the gate so hard that it popped the gate,’’ Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “Broke it. And then there was an exposed pole that he hit his head on pretty good. Pretty scary. The guys in the bullpen said he hit his head pretty hard.”
Delmonico was taken off the field via cart, and the Sox haven't yet provided further update on his status.
(Update (10:43 a.m.): The White Sox are calling it a mild concussion, and says Delmonico remains in MLB's concussion protocol)
The injury catches him during a fine start to his spring, as he's 6-for-15 with two doubles, two walks and two strikeouts. It deals a blow to his chances of making the 25-man roster, but I'm not sure to what extent, because Delmonico has a unique magnetism to him.
If you base it on normal factors, Delmonico should have entered the spring on the outside looking in. He hit just .215/.296/.373 in 88 games last year, and the White Sox' biggest position player acquisitions cover what he offers -- Yonder Alonso a left-handed bat who can help out Jose Abreu at first base, and Jon Jay a left-handed bat in an outfield corner. Both are superior defenders. Delmonico might be able to recapture some of the pop that made him a sensation, but he'd probably have to show it in Charlotte. Daniel Palka, Leury Garcia and an out-of-options Jose Rondon all offer more, which would seemingly give them the priority lane for the remaining spots, and this is before Eloy Jimenez does his Kool-Aid Man impression.
Yet Delmonico has been prominently featured in White Sox marketing all winter, be it SoxFest, the White Sox cruise, or this feature with Chuck Garfien, which I wouldn't call "epic":
(As somebody whose ceiling as a drummer was limited only by a weak left hand and worse left foot, I'm fascinated by those who swing baseball bats lefty and golf clubs righty.)
If you judge his future only on presentation, Delmonico resembles a South Side fixture. If you only look at the roster, Delmonico has been Charlotte-bound the whole time. As long as nobody raises the latter possibility, I'm guessing Delmonico's strategy is to maintain his gregarious brand of status quo until somebody delivers bad news.
It's not a bad approach, especially given the nature of a rebuilding team. With Jimenez suffering from acute lack of service time, Palka previously sidelined by the hamstring issue and Brandon Guyer slowed by an elbow issue, a White Sox fringe player should consider himself in until he's out. Hopefully Delmonico remains more in than out after his run-in with the fence.
