An inside look from an outsider
By Andy Martinez
White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka doesn’t take his time playing Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela for granted. He learned a lot about being a ballplayer, and about Latino baseball culture.
Having spent the last two winters playing for Leones del Escogido in the Dominican and then Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela, he’s well aware of what it did for him on the field.
“It cleaned up a lot of my game,” the Greenville, S.C. native said. “It was good to go down there. I had some good coaches down there and good direction.”
One of the things that stuck with him as much as baseball nuances was the Latin American culture.
Music especially stuck with him.
“Being in winter ball I was listening to Spanish music every day and just got acquainted to it and liked it,” he said.
Palka Got the Beat
So, when he finally got the call up to the majors for the time on April 25, Palka went straight to White Sox teammates Yolmer Sánchez and Leury García with a simple request.
“He got to the locker and he goes, ‘Hey Sánchez, give me a good (walk-up) song,’” Sánchez recalled.
The Venezuelan infielder didn’t hesitate. He knew he wanted to pick something with a Latino flare.
“I imagined he wanted something in Spanish because if he wanted an English song, he would have selected it himself,” Sánchez said.
After some quick thinking, Sánchez played the song “Aguanile” by Marc Anthony for Palka, who liked it.
“Aguanile” blared over the speakers when it was time for Palka’s first at-bat at Guaranteed Rate Field against the Mariners.
“We laughed because it’s different to see someone from another country come up to music from your language,” Garcia said. “It was all good.”
Palka’s walkup song actually has players — both White Sox and opponents — doing a double take.
“People always ask me ‘Hey, is he Latino?’ and I say, ‘No,’” Sánchez said. “Because of the music they think he’s Latino.”
Venezolano, By Cultural Adoption
Palka considers himself to be at least part Latino.
“He says he’s Venezuelan, that he says he’s Venezuelan-American,” Sánchez said with a laugh. “He’s joking, but he’s partly right.”
Palka can back it up. Earlier in June, when Sánchez brought arepas for the team, Palka was one of the first in line to grab one.
“Anytime we have it in here, I’m always eating it,” Palka said.
That kind of camaraderie only helps the atmosphere in the White Sox clubhouse.
“Here you talk about anything and everything,” Sánchez said. “Palka and I are really close. Our lockers are pretty close. We’re always talking. We’re always playing and pulling jokes on each other. Honestly, he’s a really good kid with a lot of talent.”
Palka is also a guy with comparable music tastes.
He’s proud to admit that he listens to Anthony and other Latin American music artists a lot.
“The more I was down in Venezuela and the Dominican,” he said, “the more I liked listening to it.”
Featured Image: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport