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Eloy Jiménez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Spanish football manager and former footballer, see Eloy Jiménez (footballer).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Jiménez and the second or maternal family name is Solano.
Eloy Jiménez
Jiménez at the 2016 All-Star Futures Game
Free agent
Designated hitter / Outfielder
Born: (1996-11-27) November 27, 1996 (age 27)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 28, 2019, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.269
Home runs95
Runs batted in298
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Eloy Arturo Jiménez Solano (born November 27, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder who is currently a free agent. Jiménez signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2013 as an international free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2019 with the Chicago White Sox and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2020 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.

Career

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Chicago Cubs

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Jiménez was considered the top international free agent for 2013.[1] MLB.com called him as a five-tool player, noting that during workouts he impressed scouts with his intelligence, speed, and gap-to-gap power.[2] He signed with the Chicago Cubs in July 2013 for a $2.8 million signing bonus.[3][4][5][6]

Jiménez made his professional debut in 2014 with the rookie–level Arizona League Cubs, where he was limited to just 164 plate appearances due to a shoulder injury. When healthy, he had a .268 OBP. Still, scouts remained optimistic due to his young age and physical ability.[7] Jiménez received a promotion to short-season Single–A to start 2015 with the Eugene Emeralds.[8] There, Jiménez fared considerably better, improving his on-base percentage to .328, and slugging seven home runs in 250 plate appearances.

Jiménez began the 2016 season with the Low–A South Bend Cubs.[9] Jiménez spent all of 2016 with South Bend, hitting .329 with 14 home runs and 81 RBI in 112 games.[10] After the season, the Cubs assigned Jiménez to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.[11] Jiménez began the 2017 season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the High–A Carolina League.

Chicago White Sox

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On July 13, 2017, the Cubs traded Jiménez, Dylan Cease, Matt Rose, and Bryant Flete to the Chicago White Sox for José Quintana.[12] The White Sox assigned him to the Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League,[13] and later promoted him to the Birmingham Barons of the Double–A Southern League. In 89 total games between Myrtle Beach, Winston-Salem and Birmingham, he batted .312 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, and a .947 OPS.[14] The White Sox added Jiménez to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[15]

In 2018, the White Sox assigned Jiménez to the Birmingham Barons of the Double–A Southern League, though he missed the end of spring training with a knee injury and the beginning of the regular season with a pectoral injury.[16] The White Sox promoted him to the Charlotte Knights of the Triple–A International League in June.[17] In 108 total games between the two teams, he slashed .337/.384/.577 with 22 home runs and 75 RBI.[18]

On March 22, 2019, Jiménez signed a six-year, $43 million contract with White Sox. The deal included two additional option years for the team which could bring the total value to $75 million. It was the richest contract ever for a player before his major league debut.[19][20][21]

Jiménez was promoted to the White Sox 25-man roster for the 2019 season.[22] On April 12, Jimenez hit his first two Major League Home Runs off of New York Yankees pitchers Jonathan Holder and Chad Green. He was placed on the injured list on April 29 with an ankle injury.[23] On June 18, 2019, Jiménez hit a go ahead two run home run against his former team, the Chicago Cubs, off of Pedro Strop to give the White Sox a 3-1 win. Overall in 2019, Jiménez appeared in 122 games hitting .267 with a .316 OBP and 31 Home Runs and 79 RBI. On defense in 2019, he had a -11 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) rating, the lowest in the major leagues among left fielders.[24] Eloy placed 4th in Rookie of the Year voting.[25]

In 2020, Jiménez batted .296 with a .332 OBP and 14 home runs and 41 RBI in 55 games.[26] He won his first Silver Slugger Award that season.

On March 24, 2021, Jiménez ruptured his left pectoral tendon while trying to rob Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy of a home run during a spring training game. The injury required surgery, and he was expected to miss five to six months.[27] On April 1, Jiménez was placed on the 60-day injured list.[28] On July 26, Jiménez was activated off of the injured list to make his season debut.[29] The following day on July 27, Jimenez hit a go ahead three run homerun in the 8th inning off of Kyle Zimmer to give the White Sox a 5-3 win. His homerun was measured at 459 feet. On August 8 and 9, Jiménez became the first player in White Sox history to hit two home runs and five RBI in back-to-back games. His two home runs on August 8 came off of Chicago Cubs pitchers Zach Davies and Michael Rucker and his two homers on August 9 came off of Minnesota Twins pitcher Beau Burrows.[30] On September 7 in a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum, Jimenez was hit in the knee in the dugout by a foul ball that was hit off of his teammate Andrew Vaughn. Jiménez left the game with a significant bone bruise.[31] In 2021, Jiménez hit .249 with a .303 OBP in 55 games with 10 home runs and 37 RBI.

In a series against the Twins on April 23, 2022, Jiménez suffered a hamstring strain while attempting to beat a throw to first base and was ruled out for 6–8 weeks. On July 6, Jiménez was activated off the injured list and homered in his second at–bat.[32] Overall in 2022 with the White Sox, Jimenez appeared in 84 games, hitting .295/.358/.500 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI, while with Charlotte he batted .246 with two home runs and six RBI.[33]

On May 6, 2023, Jiménez underwent an appendectomy and was placed on the injured list.[34] He returned on May 28, earlier than expected. Jiménez played in 120 games for Chicago in 2023, slashing .272/.317/.441 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI.[35] Jiménez made 65 appearances for the White Sox in 2024, batting .240/.297/.345 with five home runs and 16 RBI.[36]

Baltimore Orioles

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On July 30, 2024, the White Sox traded Jiménez and cash considerations to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Trey McGough.[37][38] On November 2, 2024, the Orioles declined Jiménez's club option for 2025, opting to pay a $3 million buyout.[39]

References

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  1. ^ Sanchez, Jesse (June 21, 2013). "Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez is the top prospect as the international signing period begins July 2". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  2. ^ "2013 Prospect Watch". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Chicago Cubs set to sign top international outfielder prospect Eloy Jimenez". Chicago Cubs. July 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago : News : Politics : Things To Do : Sports". Chicago. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "Cubs Sign No. 1 International Prospect Eloy Jimenez". BaseballAmerica.com. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  6. ^ "Top prospects Eloy Jimenez, Gleybar Torres growing, learning with Cubs". Chicago Cubs. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  7. ^ Sickels, John (December 7, 2014). "Chicago Cubs Top 20 Prospects for 2015". Minor League Ball. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "Chicago Cubs' Eloy Jimenez clubs second homer in two games for Eugene Emeralds - MiLB.com News - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "Cubs Carl Edwards on witnessing 2015 playoffs". Chicago Cubs. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  10. ^ "Eloy Jimenez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "Major League Baseball - Winter Leagues - Arizona Fall League". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "Crosstown shocker: Cubs acquire José Quintana from Sox in blockbuster". July 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  13. ^ "Jimenez makes good first impression on Dash". MiLB.com. July 13, 2017. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  14. ^ "Eloy Jimenez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  15. ^ "White Sox add Eloy Jimenez to 40-man roster". Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  16. ^ "Next wave of Chicago White Sox prospects to keep an eye on". Dailyherald.com. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  17. ^ "White Sox promote Eloy Jimenez to Class AAA Charlotte". Chicago Sun-Times. June 21, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  18. ^ "Eloy Jimenez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  19. ^ "White Sox sign Eloy to six-year contract". milb.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "Details of Eloy Jimenez's record contract with the White Sox include a $5 million bonus and a potential value of $75M". chicagotribune.com. March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  21. ^ "Report: White Sox Agree to Six-Year Deal With Top Prospect Eloy Jimenez". si.com. March 20, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  22. ^ "The White Sox roster is set for Opening Day, and yes, Eloy Jimenez is on it". CBS Sports Chicago. March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Eloy Jimenez placed on 10-day IL with high ankle sprain". Sports.yahoo.com. April 28, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  24. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2019 » Left Fielders » Fielding Statistics". Fangraphs. January 1, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  25. ^ "2019 Awards Voting". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "Eloy Jiménez Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  27. ^ Merkin, Scott (March 25, 2021). "Eloy Jiménez out 5-6 months with pec injury". mlb.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  28. ^ "White Sox Finalize Season-Opening Roster". April 2021.
  29. ^ @whitesox (July 26, 2021). "Prior to tonight's series opener at Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox returned outfielder Eloy Jiménez from his in…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ "Eloy Jimenez hits 2 Home Runs and 5 RBI's for a second straight game". Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  31. ^ "White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez hit by a foul ball". Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  32. ^ "Eloy Jimenez activated from 60-day IL, homers in return to Chicago White Sox lineup". July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  33. ^ "Eloy Jiménez Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  34. ^ "Eloy Jiménez of White Sox undergoes appendectomy". AP News. May 7, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  35. ^ "Eloy Jimenez 2023 batting Stats Per Game - MLB". espn.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  36. ^ "Eloy Jiménez Lands With Orioles As White Sox Dump Contract in Trade, per Report". si.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  37. ^ Rill, Jake. "O's get big bat Eloy Jiménez from White Sox". MLB.com.
  38. ^ "Orioles acquire Eloy Jimenez from White Sox". ESPN.com. July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  39. ^ "Orioles Decline Club Option On Eloy Jiménez". MLB Trade Rumors. November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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