White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka is batting .019 ... .019!

Do you suppose it's safe to delete this picture of me with Daniel Palka from SoxFest 2019? I get the feeling Palka is not going to be in the big leagues -- or with the White Sox -- for too much longer.

Palka is 1 for 53 at the big-league level this season. His slash line sits at .019/.133/.019 after an 0-for-4 performance in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

He's batting .019!

I'm trying to think of another case where a position player had a batting average that low. Sure, some pitchers have had a crummy average like that over the course of a season -- Al Leiter in 2003, for example. Leiter was 1 for 53, just like Palka.

But typically, a position player will run out of chances when he gets around, say, 1 for 30. Palka, however, is getting a chance to redeem his season as the Sox made him one of their September call-ups.

He's started two of the three games since rejoining the South Siders, and he's 0 for 8 with four strikeouts.

It's actually a little confounding that Palka is this miserable at the plate. He led the Sox in homers with 27 in 2018, and it isn't as if he had a bad season at Triple-A Charlotte:

2018 with White Sox: .240/.294/.484, 27 HRs, 15 2Bs, 67 RBIs in 124 games
2019 with Triple-A Charlotte: .263/.374/.527, 27 HRs, 23 2Bs, 72 RBI in 106 games

Maybe Palka hasn't set the world on fire with these numbers, but he also hasn't done so poorly that you would expect historic ineptness from him at the plate.

I was watching Palka's at-bat against Cleveland pitcher Tyler Clippard on Wednesday night, and he fouled off five pitches before grounding out to second base. Normally, you would say it was a good battle -- fouling off five pitches -- but four of those were pitches were right in the center of home plate. We're talking middle-middle strikes.

One of the four was a high changeup, a pitch that MLB hitters regularly put in play hard. The other three were hittable fastballs. Palka could not put any of them in fair territory, and that suggests his struggles have become a mental thing.

It may be about time to send him home for the year, then designate him for assignment at the end of the season. Palka was a fun story last year, but it just isn't working out anymore.

Lopez shuts down Cleveland

Maybe I'll keep this photo of me and Reynaldo Lopez a little while longer, after Lopez had one of the best outings of his career in a 7-1 win over the Indians on Thursday.

Lopez (9-12) became the first Sox pitcher to throw a complete-game one-hitter with 10 or more strikeouts since Floyd Bannister did it in 1987.

The right-hander's final line: 9 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 11 Ks, 3 BBs

I missed the game because I was at work, but it was real nice to hear that Lopez had bounced back after getting knocked out in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in his previous start.

Lopez has shown us that he can be an effective starter at times. There's just not much consistency. But the guess here is he's shown enough flashes of brilliance to be in the Sox's starting rotation once again in 2020.

Luis Robert named USA Today Minor League Player of the Year

Luis Robert

Accolades are starting to roll in for White Sox top prospect Luis Robert, who on Wednesday was named USA Today Minor League Player of the Year.

This won't be the last such honor that Robert receives, and it is well deserved.

Robert played for three teams this year -- Class-A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte -- and he posted a .328/.376/.624 slash line with 32 home runs, 36 stolen bases, 92 RBIs, 31 doubles, 11 triples and 108 runs scored in 122 games.

And, oh yeah, he's considered a topnotch defender at a premier position -- center field.

Typically, guys who win this award don't become busts. The recent winners include Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuna Jr., Alex Bregman, Blake Snell, Kris Bryant and Xander Bogaerts.

There's not a single bum on that list, so we all look forward to seeing Robert on the South Side in 2020 -- hopefully on Opening Day, but you know how that goes. If Robert signs a team-friendly, long-term deal, similar to the one Eloy Jimenez signed in March, he'll be in Chicago when the season starts.

Otherwise, the asinine service time manipulation will continue into April, as the Sox front office continues to prioritize money and years of control over winning.

Here's me with the Phillie Phanatic ...

I recently read in Sports Illustrated that there's a lawsuit that could lead to the demise of the Phillie Phanatic.

That would be a shame. I'm much more eager for the demise of the 2019 White Sox season, and I don't feel like writing about them today. So, all you're getting today is a photo of me with the Phillie Phanatic (encased in glass) in Cooperstown, N.Y.

If you don't like it, oh well, we could go back to talking about bad Sox baseball, I suppose.

Charlotte Knights blow opportunity to go to Triple-A playoffs

If you've been watching White Sox games lately -- and you deserve a medal if you have -- you have probably noticed that the TV broadcast team of Jason Benetti and Steve Stone has been touting the potential benefits of a deep playoff run for the Sox's Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights.

It was hard not to feel as though Benetti and Stone were preparing fans for the inevitable -- the fact that top prospects were not going to be called up for September, and that "going to win a championship together" would be ideal for the better players on that Charlotte roster.

Well, guess what?

Charlotte lost eight of its last nine games and blew a four-game lead in the wild-card race over the last 10 days. So, I guess you might say the Knights had the experience of "choking together," and we can only hope the players involved will deal with the situation better should they receive such an opportunity again.

The losing streak was characterized by a three-game sweep at the hands of the Durham Bulls, the team that ultimately took the playoff spot away from Charlotte. Here's a true story: Manny Banuelos and Carson Fulmer basically blew it for the Knights.

Banuelos made a rehab start Aug. 27 and got shelled for seven earned runs over four innings. He gave up seven hits, including three home runs, as Durham beat Charlotte, 10-6.

The very next day, the Knights took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning, only to see Fulmer come on and allow three of the four batters he faced to reach base -- two on walks and one on a hit. Two of those runners ended up scoring as Durham topped Charlotte, 3-2.

If the Knights win either of those two games, they are in the playoffs, Durham is not, and the season continues for two of the Sox's top prospects -- Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal.

Instead, Robert and Madrigal are going home without a September call-up -- money and service time are most important, you know? -- while Fulmer and Banuelos hysterically were the only two men the Sox called to the big leagues on Sept. 1.

Both these two failed pitchers were seen on the mound Monday, giving up runs as the Sox lost, 11-3, to the Cleveland Indians. With the defeat, the South Siders (60-77) tied their season-worst losing streak at seven games. Will these guys ever win a game again? It doesn't seem like it.

For the record, the Sox did make some call-ups on Tuesday now that Charlotte's season is over. Zack Collins is back, as he should be, and Danny Mendick is rightfully getting a shot. With Jon Jay going on the 60-day injured list with a hip problem, Mendick was added to the 40-man roster.

Let's hope both Collins and Mendick get some playing time from manager Rick Renteria. It would be nice to have more information on these two players going into the offseason. Can Collins be on this roster as a catcher in 2020? Is Mendick a viable option as a utility infielder? I don't know, but now is a good time to see what we can learn about these two guys.

Outfielder Daniel Palka and pitcher Dylan Covey also were recalled, in two moves that we need not get excited over. Let's just hope we don't see Covey back in the starting rotation, and let's hope we don't see Palka getting at-bats ahead of Collins.

Happy Labor Day from The Baseball Kid

Remember when Mike Trout got called up late in the season?

Mike Trout

Here is some food for thought for the "7 > 6" segment of the White Sox fan base -- those folks who apparently believe manipulating service time and not calling up Luis Robert in September is a stroke of genius.

Remember when the Los Angeles Angels called up Mike Trout late in the season? I'll bet you don't, because he did make much of an impression.

Trout played in 40 games and had 123 at-bats at the tail end of the 2011 season. He batted .220/.281/.390 with only five home runs and 16 RBIs. He struck out 30 times and generally took his lumps.

But you know what happened the next year? Trout learned from the ass-kicking he received in 2011 and came back strong in 2012. He won the American League Rookie of the Year, batting .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs, 83 RBIs, a league-best 49 stolen bases and a league-best 129 runs scored.

Trout made the All-Star team that year, something he's now done for eight consecutive years. Do you suppose Trout learned anything from those 123 struggling at-bats in 2011? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess he did.

This does not mean Robert will become Trout, but I think this example is just one that defeats the whole notion of "Robert won't learn anything if you call him up for 30 games in September."

Really? Who says?

If Robert were to be called up (he won't), I wouldn't even care if he struggled, because it would teach him what he needed to do in order to hit the ground running for the 2020 season.

Unfortunately, the Sox are going to sit on their hands and make Robert go through struggles next season, much the same way they sat on their hands last year and made Eloy Jimenez go through struggles this season.

This will kick the rebuild can down the road another year, and we'll have to listen to another year of general manager Rick Hahn's crap about "patience." After seven consecutive losing seasons and 11 years with no playoffs, I've waited long enough, thank you very much.

We all know the main reason the Sox will stash Robert in the minors is so they keep the extra year of service time, which means they don't have to pay him until after the 2026 season.

As a fan, I don't know why I should care about 83-year-old Jerry Reinsdorf's 2026 payroll. In fact, I don't care about Reinsdorf at all. He has more money than I'll ever see in my life.

What I do care about is the Sox putting good players on the field, and winning more baseball games than they lose for a change. Sadly, I don't see it happening anytime soon.

The front office's defenders tell me I'll be "happy" about all this in 2026 when Robert is still on the team.

But, here's the thing: If Robert is called up now, why does that mean he won't be on the team in 2026?

You know who Mike Trout plays for? He's still with the Angels. You want to know why? It's because the Angels' ownership group paid Trout fair market value -- before he ever reached free agency. Trout is the best player in the sport, and he's paid as the best player in the sport. There was never any thought that Trout would leave the Angels, because the team showed him the respect he has earned.

See how that works. That's how it is supposed to work, no?

If Robert does what all Sox fans hope he will do, eventually the team will have to pay him. And they should pay him. What do I care if that day comes in 2026 or 2027?

Most of the rebuild proponents seem thoroughly convinced that the Sox will be contending for the World Series by 2021. (Wishful thinking, if the organization is going to continue to bury talented players in the minors, draft poorly and not spend on the best free agents.)

But if the Sox truly do have a championship window from 2021-25, there should be more than enough revenues to keep the players who brought the city and the fan base those hypothetical championships.

It's time to stop defending these lame strategies by the Sox front office. Remember, Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito only have four years left of team control after this.

The clock is already ticking, whether we like it or not.

Series sweep by Twins shows the White Sox aren't close to contention

Is anyone else glad they missed Thursday afternoon's game because they were at work? Because I sure am.

The Minnesota Twins have outscored the White Sox, 110-51, in the 16 meetings between the two teams this season. In that context, it's a miracle the Sox have won five of 16.

However, none of those five wins came this week at Guaranteed Rate Field, as the Twins left town with an emphatic three-game sweep.

Poor defense by Tim Anderson, the inability of Ross Detwiler to pitch over that poor defense and garbage relief pitching by Jace Fry led to an 8-2 loss Wednesday night.

Thursday was arguably worse, as Dylan Cease (3-7) wasted no time in erasing the optimism his previous start against the Texas Rangers generated.

Cease allowed hits to the first five batters he faced, and six of the first seven, putting the Sox in a 4-0 hole before they had a chance to bat. The rookie right-hander gave up two more runs in the second inning and allowed two solo home runs to start the third inning before mercifully being removed from the game, which ended in a 10-5 Twins victory.

Final line on Cease: 2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 Ks, 1 BB.

His season ERA now stands at 6.92. Ugh. This is reminiscent of the first halves we saw from Reynaldo Lopez and Ivan Nova.

In this series, Lucas Giolito was the only Sox pitcher who seemed capable of retiring Minnesota batters. And even he lost, because he gave up two runs on a night when the Sox could only muster one.

The Twins are the leaders in the AL Central with a 82-51 record, and they have proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are significantly better than the Sox.

The gap is so wide, in fact, that it's hard to see the Sox making up the difference in just one offseason. I would go as far as to say general manager Rick Hahn needs not one but two big offseasons to get this team into contention by 2021. This Chicago roster has holes in it like Swiss cheese.

Frankly, I think the Sox have overachieved at 60-73. They have benefited from having two even more dismal teams in their division -- the Kansas City Royals (47-88) and the Detroit Tigers (39-92). Not that Minnesota doesn't benefit from playing those teams, too. They clearly do, but the 22-game edge they own on the Sox, and the run differential in head-to-head meetings, doesn't lie.

And let's not forget the Sox are 48-0 when leading after eight innings this year. That's great, but it's probably not going to be duplicated next season. You have to assume there will be more blown leads in 2020, just because of the law of averages in baseball. The Sox bullpen is protecting leads with ridiculously good efficiency, and as nice as that is, it can fool us into believing the team is closer than it really is.

Looking at the 25-man roster, you've got eight to 10 players who belong with the Sox. The rest of the group needs to be overhauled, and not all of that is going to come from within.

Hahn is going to need to pull a rabbit out of his hat to make the optimists in the fan base correct in their belief that the contention window opens next year.