White Sox: Nicky Delmonico proved his worth in 2017

Nicky Delmonico was in the shadows of higher ranked prospects in 2017 but when his time came he took advantage of it. Now he appears to have a role on Chicago White Sox going forward.

Fans that followed the Sox through Spring Training were probably a bit more excited to see Nicky Delmonico when he was called up. He batted .266 with 5 homers in 32 games played over the spring. He was playing largely first and third base then, and with a log jam at those positions it became clear that he would have to wait for a shot in the big leagues.

After the pure chaos that was July on the south side of Chicago, there were plenty of holes on the roster. Todd Frazier and basically the entire bullpen were sent to the Yankees, Melky Cabrera being traded to the Royals, and a handful of other trades crippled the White Sox roster.

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With openings in the outfield the White Sox decided it was time to give Delmonico a shot. On August 1st Delmonico got the call, he would play left field versus the Toronto Blue Jays. After a 1 for 4 performance at the plate that night he never looked back.

As the games went on he got better at the dish. It felt like he was seeing beach balls when up to bat. Two days after his first game he hit his first career home run versus the Red Sox. On August 16th he hit two homers in one game versus the Dodgers.

From the time he was called on until the end of the year Delmonico raked. When it was all over, he finished batting .262 with 9 homers and 23 runs batted in.

When the calendar flips to 2018 the White Sox will have no reason to not start Delmonico at left field. It is possible that they go to a platoon for him but there is simply no other player who deserves that spot more.

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As the White Sox move forward in the rebuild process busts and gems will be discovered. The biggest gem found so far for the Sox has been Nicky Delmonico and all fans should expect to see him in left field in 2018.