MLB Prospect Preview: Eloy Jimenez
Photo: clutchpoints.com
With the Mariners-Athletics game in Tokyo in the books, we are now just a week away from Opening Day in Major League Baseball. It’s getting very exciting being this close to baseball season, but until then I have two more prospects to preview. The prospects I’ve been delving into are some of the top talent in the minor leagues and are in a good position to begin the year in the majors this season, or break into it at some point later in the season. Last week I highlighted the talents of Fernando Tatis Jr. Today I’ll take a closer look at the guy who we were fortunate to see play last year in Charlotte (with the Knights), and who just signed a 6-year deal with the Chicago White Sox before ever playing an MLB game: Eloy Jimenez.
Photo: www.upi.com
Eloy Jimenez
OF
Chicago White Sox
Eloy Jimenez was signed in 2013 by the Chicago Cubs, but was traded to the southside rivals the following year as part of the Jose Quintana deal. He’s the number three overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and the number one outfield prospect. When it comes to Jimenez, there’s one thing you must know…he can really hit. We’ve previewed a lot of prospects who are better known for their hitting ability, rather than their defensive ability, but the discrepancy is the greatest in Eloy’s case. After Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he is the best hitting prospect in the game.
With a scouting grade of 70/80, Jimenez’s best attribute is his raw power. In terms of power alone, he has been compared to Yankees’ outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. The difference between the two, according to scouts, is that Jimenez is a much better hitter. In his first full season in the minors in 2016, he hit .329. He followed that up with .312 and .337 seasons the last two years. In 55 games in Triple-A last season, his only Triple-A experience, he hit .355 with 12 home runs and 33 rbi with the Charlotte Knights. Even though he has struggled this Spring Training, everyone in baseball is confident he will be a successful big league hitter.
Outside of impacting the game with a bat in his hands, Eloy Jimenez isn’t going to provide much else. He’s restricted to left field with below-average fielding and running. As he’s gotten bigger (currently 6’4’’ and 205 lbs) he has consequently gotten slower. The last of the five tools, his arm, grades out as average. It’s easy to see DHing in his future. It tells you a lot about how good his offense is though, when he is rated the #3 prospect in baseball with his below-average defensive capabilities.
Most people around baseball expect to see Eloy in a White Sox uniform sometime during April. Most likely, he will begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte for that two-week period that will grant him an extra year under team control. So around mid-April, you should expect to see him make his debut, and be inserted in the middle of the lineup and impact games right away. According to MLB Pipeline, Jimenez has the highest ceiling and highest floor of any MLB outfield prospects. He is also highly predicted to be a Rookie of the Year finalist. It’s a pretty exciting time for White Sox fans, whose team has the fourth best farm system in the major leagues.
*Click HERE to read about Eloy Jimenez’s recently signed long-term deal with the White Sox*
Garett