Jimenez does it all in big Futures Game performance

Cubs prospect contributes with glove and bat in impressive showcase

July 11th, 2016

SAN DIEGO -- At 19 and in low-A ball, Eloy Jimenez must feel like he's a long way from Wrigley Field. But he used an appearance in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday to showcase the two-way skills that could get him there quicker than you might think.
Jimenez, who entered the game in right field in the fourth inning, made arguably the catch of the game in the seventh inning of the World Team's 11-3 win over the U.S. He was playing straight up for Phillies prospect Dylan Cozens and ran a long way to grab a foul ball.

Jimenez leaped at the railing along the line and grabbed the ball. He hit the wall about waist high and almost flipped over the barrier but hung on to make the catch.
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At the plate, Jimenez played a role in a two-run rally that started the World team on its comeback from a 3-0 deficit, then delivered a three-run home run in the ninth inning.
Jimenez came up against lefty Nate Smith with two outs and Manny Margot on first base in the sixth inning, and shot a hard double down the left-field line. Margot scored. Jimenez then scored on a single by Josh Naylor, bringing the World team within one run, 3-2.
With Ryne Stanek struggling in the ninth, Jimenez blasted a 95-mph fastball over the left-field fence for a three-run homer. It extended the World lead to 11-3 and gave him four RBIs in the game. He even hit the ball hard in grounding to short in his other at-bat, finishing the game 2-for-3.
Jimenez, signed to a $2.8 million bonus in 2013, is hitting .332 with 10 home runs and 40 extra-base hits for South Bend.