Eloy Jimenez needs to chill on defense for the Chicago White Sox before he gets really hurt.
The Chicago White Sox know that they have an absolute stud in Eloy Jimenez. It didn’t take him long to be one of the best players on the team. In addition to one of the best players on the team, he is one of the funniest and most exciting players on the squad. He is a key piece to this team in the present and more importantly, the future. The hope is that he is able to stay healthy for most of his career so he can put up some great career numbers.
Eloy Jimenez is a star because of his offense. He has the raw power in his bat that will put you in awe. There is no doubt that he can hit 30 or more home runs and be around the 100 RBI mark consistently during a 162 game season. His skills are so elite and when he is at the plate, it is must-see TV at this point. 30 home runs might even be conservative because this guy has the talent to be a 50 home run man.
Where Jimenez can get himself into trouble is defense. He only needs to be average at best defensively and he will be known as one of the best players in the league. He is in the league to hit home runs and produce offense for the White Sox. He does, however, need to be more aware when he is out there in the field.
In Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, there was a worrisome play involving Jimenez in the first inning. The play really set the tone for the eventual beat down that the Twins were going to put on the Sox. The Twins put together a grand slam and it came off the bat of Jake Cave. In the play, Jimenez was going back thinking he had a chance to catch it but he smashed into the wall at full speed. He was down for a bit after the collision. He stayed in the game right after but was eventually pulled.
Jimenez needs to chill in the outfield and that is the bottom line. This isn’t the first time that he injured himself playing the outfield for the White Sox. Running full speed into a wall is definitely bad so he needs to be able to track baseballs while knowing where he is. He is there to play a competent left field but he needs to be an elite hitter. He really needs to be more aware of his surroundings out there so this doesn’t happen again.
Hopefully, Jimenez is okay and he can use this as a learning experience. Not everyone can be a designated hitter because you aren’t as mentally in the game as you are if you are a position player so just assuming that he should become a DH is ignorant to assume. No matter what, the White Sox need to use this as a coaching experience so that Jimenez can continue to mash home runs and help this team win baseball games.