The latest Eloy Jimenez news
Despite being the No. 3 overall prospect, Eloy Jimenez still seems to be a bit overshadowed. The 22-year-old outfielder has a 65-grade hit tool to go along with his 70-grade power and he showed both of those off in 2018. Playing in 108 games with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, Jimenez hit .337/.384/.577 with 75 RBIs and a career-high 22 homers.
March 26: Jimenez makes Opening Day roster
Jimenez is recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, officially making the club's Opening Day roster.
In his final exhibition game before joining the White Sox on Thursday, Jimenez played left field and went hitless in a pair of plate appearances out of the fifth spot in the lineup in a 7-1 win over the D-backs at Chase Field.
Jimenez finished the spring by going 9-for-37 (.243/.263/.459) with two doubles, two homers and six driven in over 13 games.
March 25: Jimenez drives in a run
Jimenez went 1-for-3 against the D-backs, bringing his Spring Training average to .257. The top prospect was retired in his first two at-bats, before picking up an RBI single in his third trip to the plate.
March 24: Jimenez singles, drives in one
A day after everything, on and off the field, went right for Jimenez, he came back down to earth a bit and finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
March 23: Jimenez signs extension, homers
It's hard to imagine a day much better than the one Jimenez had on Saturday. Hours after signing his six-year, $43 million contract extension, the outfielder hit his second Spring Training homer as part of a 3-for-3 afternoon.
While a 3-for-3 game is always a good sign, the breakthrough performance was especially meaningful for Jimenez. Prior to Saturday, the prospect had been 4-for-26 in spring and despite being optioned to Triple-A on March 13, it now appears likely Jimenez will make the Opening Day roster.
March 23: Jimenez mic'd up at Spring Training
March 22: White Sox finalize six-year extension with Jimenez
Jimenez's extension with the White Sox was finalized Friday, as the club officially announced the terms of the deal -- six years, $43 million and two club options that could extend it through the 2026 season.
Here is the breakdown of the contract: Jimenez will receive a $5 million bonus in addition to $1 million in 2019, $1.5 million in 2020, $3.5 million in 2021, $6.5 million in 2022, $9.5 million in 2023 and $13 million in 2024. The White Sox hold options for $16.5 million in 2025 and $18.5 million in 2026, with $3 million buyouts for either season.
“My family and I are very happy and excited to sign this deal,” Jimenez said in a statement. “It gives us the opportunity to ensure our future, but more importantly, to reinforce my commitment to the White Sox organization. All of my effort, focus and desire is to help this team win multiple championships and bring joy to our fan base.”
As the White Sox and Jimenez complete the top prospect's long-term extension, the outfielder's future teammates were excited at camp on Thursday about the club's commitment to one of the game's potential next big stars.
“Couldn’t happen to a better person,” White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson said. “It shows the love they have for you, taking care of you at an early age, early in your career. For him to sign it means a lot from the organization’s standpoint to being more committed. They know what they want to do.”
March 20: Source: White Sox extend Jimenez
According to a source, the White Sox and Jimenez are finalizing a long-term extension that is expected to contain six guaranteed years and two option years, with a maximum value of $77.5 million. The deal will guarantee Jimenez $43 million, a source told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal. Jimenez, who has yet to play in an MLB game, joins Scott Kingery with the Phillies and Jon Singleton with the Astros as players to receive extensions with zero days of service time. Kingery hit .226 last year in his first season in the Majors, with a .605 OPS in 147 games. Singleton, who signed his deal before the 2014 season, played in 114 MLB games, with the last coming on Oct. 2, 2015.
March 16: Jimenez eager to improve
While Jimenez had hoped to make the Opening Day roster, his Spring Training struggles ultimately caused the White Sox to option him to Triple-A Charlotte.
"I tried to do too much," Jimenez said. "I think that's why I didn't have ... good results. But I'm going to keep working and I'm going to try and control that."
Jimenez hit .154 (4-for-26) in the Cactus League, but considering that his bat is his carrying tool, it's likely that Jimenez gets back on track in Charlotte and will be up with the White Sox in the near future.
March 13: White Sox option Jimenez
After collecting only four hits with a homer and nine strikeouts in 26 at-bats (.154 average) this spring, Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A amid a flurry of White Sox roster moves Wednesday.
If the 22-year-old continues to excel in Triple-A -- he hit .355 with 12 home runs and a .996 OPS in 55 games for Charlotte last season -- he likely won't stay in the Minors much longer.
March 11: Jimenez's slow start continues
Jimenez did raise his average to .154, but is still waiting for his breakout day at the plate. The outfielder came through with an RBI double in the sixth, but was otherwise held in check and finished 1-for-3 on the afternoon.
March 10: Jimenez not worried about results
Of course Jimenez would have like to get off to a fast start and be crushing balls all over the Cactus League, but that has hardly been the case. Jimenez has struggled so far in Spring Training and is 3-for-23 with eight strikeouts.
While the strikeouts certainly bother Jimenez, as he had just 69 all of last season, he isn't too worried about his struggles at the plate. Jimenez knows spring is simply a time to get ready for the season and feels if he keeps working and trusting the process, the results will come when the games start to count.
“Just keep playing. The more at-bats I take, the better I’m going to feel,” Jimenez said. “It’s still just the timing. It’s a little bit off. I know it’s just a little bit. It’s there.”
March 9: Jimenez goes 0-for-3
Jimenez's Spring Training struggles continued on Saturday as the White Sox top prospect went hitless once again. Jimenez went 0-for-3 against the Rangers and is hitting .130.
March 7: Jimenez goes 0-for-3
Jimenez's Spring Training batting average dropped to .150 after an 0-for-3 performance against the Brewers.
March 5: Jimenez hits first homer of Spring Training
Jimenez went just 1-for-3 in the White Sox loss to the Padres, but that one hit was a big one as Jimenez hit his first homer of Spring Training. Jimenez, 22, hit 19 homers in 2017 and then went deep a career-high 22 times in 2018.
March 3: Jimenez gives White Sox optimism
There has been plenty of talk of the White Sox future and its farm system, which ranks fourth in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. However, if all those prospects are eventually going to lead the White Sox to championships, it's likely Eloy Jimenez will play a vital role.
Jimenez, the White Sox No. 1 prospect, has yet to take a Major League at-bat and is expected to debut at some point during the upcoming season, but the potential for him to become a true impact player is evident.
“Really, just looks like a natural-born hitter -- very loose, very powerful to all fields,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who watched Jimenez in his early stages, with the prospect’s first big league camp being with the Cubs. “Aggressive, assertive -- he had a decent eye. He kind of checked all the boxes.
The White Sox got a brief glimpse of the future in Monday's 4-4 tie against the Giants as several of the organization's top prospects put their skills on display. Eloy Jimenez singled and stole a base in the game, during which Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert and Zack Collins also impressed.
It was just a single Cactus League performance, but having all the young players contributing got them thinking about the future.
“Really fun when you play in the same lineup with the guys you will play with in the future,” Jimenez said. “It’s really awesome.”
Just when it seemed like the hype around Eloy Jimenez couldn't possibly reach another level, he gets compared to Babe Ruth. Yes, you read that right.
Fellow White Sox prospect Michael Kopech called Jimenez "the Babe Ruth of our generation" while discussing the power-hitting outfield prospect. While Jimenez has yet to make his MLB debut, he is bursting with potential and has everyone in the White Sox organization excited to see what he can accomplish at the next level.
The expectations are seemingly growing by the day, but the outside noise doesn't seem to be having much of an impact -- if any -- on Jimenez.
"It's not pressure for me because I don't really think about it," Jimenez said. "I just try to work hard and be ready for the moment. Assuming I get there, I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing all my career. I always say I'm ready."
All eyes will be on Jimenez when the White Sox report to Arizona, but the 22-year-old is trying his est to ignore the hype. The big question on everyone's mind is whether Jimenez will crack the Opening Day roster, and while that's obviously a goal, Jimenez is more focused on the process and knows he'll get his chance when the timing is right.
"I don't want to rush my time," Jimenez said. "I don't want to rush my development process. When the moment comes, I'm going to be there, and I'm going to be ready to do my best."
The 2019 Top 100 Prospects list came out Saturday night and unsurprisingly the White Sox were well represented. Jimenez, who trailed only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., is the White Sox No. 1 prospect and is ranked third overall. Michael Kopech (18), Dylan Cease (21), Luis Robert (40), Nick Madrigal (47) and Dan Dunning (80) were also featured.
Jan. 26: Jimenez excited for 2019 season
There's plenty of hype and anticipation for Jimenez to arrive in Chicago in 2019, but the White Sox top prospect is remaining even keel. Jimenez hit .337 with 22 homers last season and has many wondering what type of production he'll put forth in the Majors.
Is he eyeing the Rookie of the Year Award?
Jimenez said it was too early to discuss any specific awards, but he did offer some insight into his goals for the upcoming season.
"Yeah, I have a couple goals every year," Jimenez said. "Just be better in the strike zone and learn about the zone more and try to hit for average, hit homers and bring RBIs."