Eloy Jimenez was such a good player for the Chicago White Sox in 2021.
Everyone knows that the Chicago White Sox fleeced the Chicago Cubs when they acquired Eloy Jimenez in exchange for Jose Quintana. They also received Dylan Cease and two other prospects so you know it was a good deal. The White Sox have been developing Jimenez ever since and now he is one of the best young power hitters in the game. This kid has the potential to be one of the best hitters on the team and should be a big key to them winning a lot of games in the future.
He had a phenomenal rookie season at the plate where he topped 30 home runs in a year that had two somewhat long stints on the injured list. He was even better in 2020 and that earned him a Silver Slugger Award for his efforts. He slashed .296/.332/.559 and had 14 home runs and 41 RBIs with an OPS of .891. If all of this translated to a full 162 game regular season, he would have monster numbers.
As good as he is at the plate, he is that bad defensively. He does not play his defensive position of left-field well at all. The thing is, it would be wise to let him get better in the field than just removing him completely. Sometimes, taking guys out of the field hurts their production at the plate because it takes them “out of the game”.
Jimenez has made comments about this before and feels he would be better suited to staying in the outfield. He could be a designated hitter from time to time but dealing with his issues in left might be worth his offensive production. It’s not like he doesn’t make the routine plays for the most part either. If he can improve that part of his game and then keep it up offensively, we’re talking about an MVP type player.
Final Grade: B
Eloy Jimenez is a player that is capable of getting an A+. If his offense stays the same (or dare we say improve, even) and his defense is literally just average, he will be considered one of the best players in the league. His offense is at an A+ and his defense is at a D so giving him a B seems fair. The White Sox probably has it as a top priority to figure something out with his play in the field so next year should see him get an even better grade.
2021 Outlook:
Eloy Jimenez is going to have a monster year in 2021. He has been so good at the plate in his first two years and he has barely scratched the surface of his potential. The league is going to see him reach another level in year three. The nice thing for Jimenez is that the lineup around him is getting even better which offers him even protection. Expect him to be amazing from the start of next season on.