Daniel Palka (pronounced as PAL-Kah) is an American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent.
At present, he serves as a baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals organization. Furthermore, he commenced his gameplay in his college days and has played for the Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Additionally, Palka is a designated hitter and a right fielder who exceeded his rookie limits during the 2018 season. Besides, we have tabled the general facts below.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Daniel Bennett Palka |
| Date of Birth | October 28, 1991 |
| Birth Place | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Nick Name | N/A |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Age | 32 Years Old |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 feet 10 inches) |
| Weight | 99.8 kg (220 lb) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Mike Palka |
| Mother’s Name | Denise Palka |
| Siblings | N/A |
| Education | Greer High School Georgia Institue of Technology |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Emily Parry |
| Kids | No |
| Profession | Baseball player |
| Position | Right fielder and designated hitter |
| Teams played | Arizona Diamondbacks (2014-2015) Minnesota Twins (2015-2017) Chicago White Sox (2018–2019) Samsung Lions (2020–present) |
| Active Years | 2014 – present |
| Net Worth | $100K – $5 Million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Arizona Diamondbacks’ Merch | Jersey, T-Shirt, Autographed Items, and Baseball Cards |
| Play Style | Bats and Throws: Left |
| MLB debut | April 25, 2018, for the Chicago White Sox |
| KBO debut | August 23, 2020, for the Samsung Lions |
| Last Update | October, 2024 |
Physical Attributes
Palka is a fair-complexioned man with an athletic body. He stands tall at 1.88 m (6 feet 10 inches), weighing 99.8 kg (220 lb). To illustrate, he has black hair and eyes with a light beard on his oval-shaped face.
Daniel Palka | Early Life and Career
Palka was born on October 28, 1991, under the star sign of Scorpio and the Chinese animal sign of the goat.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and is fully named Daniel Bennett Palka. He is the youngest son of Mike Palka and Denise Palka.
Daniel attended the Greer High School in Greer, South Carolina. Back then, the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 19th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.
Nevertheless, he did not sign with the Phillies and instead got enrolled in the Georgia Institute of Technology. Right then, he started playing baseball for the college team.
Afterward, in 2012, Palka became the West division MVP of the league’s all-star game. He had played for the collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
As he finished his junior year, Arizona Diamondback drafted him in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Daniel Palka | Professional Career
Arizona Diamondbacks
When the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Palka, he was 21 years old and stood at the height of 6 feet and 2 inches.
Having said it, he made his foremost professional debut with the Missoula Osprey and was later promoted to the Hillsboro Hops.
Besides, Daniel played for the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2014 and the Visalia Rawhide in 2015. Right after it, he was also featured in the 2015 Arizona Fall League.
By the end of the time with Arizona Diamondbacks, although he lacked speed and was a below-average runner, he had an above-average arm strength. Thus, he was termed as a solid-average corner outfielder.
Minnesota Twins
On November 10, 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded Daniel Palka to Minnesota Twins for Chris Herrmann.
Therewith, he commenced the year 2016 with the Chattanooga Lookouts and was promoted to the Rochester Red Wings in July.
Hence, he ended the year with a combined .254 batting average, whopping 34 home runs, and 90 RBI’s between Double-A and Triple-A.
For the 2017 season, he was added to the 40 man roster where he played for Rochester. For this year, he recorded a .274 batting average with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs in 84 games.
Consequently, he had a low number of home runs as he missed many games due to his broken finger.
Chicago White Sox
Palka claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox on November 3, 2017. On April 24, 2018, he was called up for the Major League and made the debut the next day.
For the year 2018, he stood fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting with 27 home runs for the Chicago Sox.
On April 7, Palka faced the Mariners, where he strikes 39.1 percent of his plate appearances. Following it on April 13, 2019, he had gone 0-for-25 at the plate with 12 strikeouts against southpaw CC Sabathia and the Yankees.
Similarly, on April 17, 2019, Palka had 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts against the Royals, an eventual 5-1 win.
In Addition, Palka was named the International League Player of the Week for the period of May 13-20. In the same month, he had slashed .364/.493/.818 with eight homers and 16 RBI over 15 games.
However, on June 28, 2019, he started badly in the majors with a .219 OPS in 42 plate appearances but later improved with a .922 OPS and 38:61 BB: K in 262 plate appearances.
After a rough 2019 campaign, Palka had hit .107/.194/.179 in 93 big-league plate appearances. Not to mention, Palka was the only player in the season to hit at least 25 home runs and have an exit velocity over 100 mph on all of them.
Among it, nine of the home runs had over 115 mph, more than all but three players in the majors: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Joey Gallo.
Samsung Lions
On July 29, 2020, Palka signed a one-year, $120,000 contract with $50,000 in incentives with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization.
Alongside, Lions paid Chicago a $100,000 buyout to secure his services. Besides, he is to replace a former White Sox organizational mate in Tyler Saladino.
Bringing on his KBO stats, Palka slashed .209/.272/.367 with 8 home runs and 23 RBI in 51 games for Samsung. He became a free agent next season.
Washington Nationals
Palka signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals organization on April 16, 2021.
Daniel Palka | Net Worth
As of 2024, Palka is estimated to have a $100K – $5 Million net worth.
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Daniel Palka | Love Life and Social Media
Palka is currently married to his longtime girlfriend, Emily Parry. The duo met on Instagram, and back then, Emily used to be a “rally back” for Arizona Diamondbacks.
Therefore, as Palka went through Instagram to search for his photos, he came across Parry’s picture.
Furthermore, they had the majority of their relationship as long-distance and got married in February 2019. Although Palka is not a daily user of social media, he is well-known for his humor, which we can find on his Twitter feed.
Additionally, Palka is helping children around the corner of time at Children’s Home & Aid. It is an organization that protects, educates & counsels more than 40,000 children, youth & families in IL.
| Instagram handle | @palkadaniel |
| Twitter handle | @Danielbpalka |
“I think people appreciate it when you’re yourself. You don’t hide what you’re really thinking. I think that was my favorite part. Me being able to be me.”
-Daniel Palka
Frequently Asked Question
How’s Daniel Palka going with the Nationals?
Aligning with the online sources, Palta is not doing up to his level, his performance is below his potential. He hasn’t been bad at the plate in 154 games but his .218/.277/.433 slash line does not seem good enough for a corner outfielder.
