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Chicago White Sox should challenge Eloy Jimenez with Double-A callup

By Dan Schmelzer

Chicago White Sox (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Chicago White Sox (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Chicago White Sox star prospect Eloy Jimenez is absolutely destroying High-A pitching. It is time to give him a challenge by promoting him to Double-A.

General manager Rick Hahn and the Chicago White Sox have done an incredible job of building their minor league system by trades. Ever since the organization completely bought into the rebuild, they have drastically improved the future of their ballclub.

Earlier last month, Hahn made one of their most interesting moves, when he sent starting pitcher Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for some serious prospect talent. Outfielder Eloy Jimenez was the prize for the White Sox in that deal.

Jimenez is an impact offensive prospect with a massive ceiling going forward. He shows incredible contact skills, good plate discipline and fantastic raw power. Make no mistake about it, Jimenez is a star in the making.

Baseball America ranks Jimenez as the fifth best prospect in the entire game, while MLB.com has him come in at number seven. Besides Yoan Moncada, Jimenez is the best prospect in a loaded White Sox’s system. To get an idea of him as an overall player, here is what MLB.com has to say about Jimenez:

"“(Jimenez) generates impressive bat speed and leverage from the right side of the plate, and already understands that he doesn’t have to sell out for power to hit home runs. He does a good job of using the entire field and making adjustments, though he could stand to draw more walks.”“A below-average runner out of the batter’s box, Jimenez is closer to average underway and has decent instincts on the bases. He works hard on his defense and has seen most of his action in left field, though he has the arm for right if he can improve his throwing accuracy. He also draws praise for his makeup and intelligence.”"

There is a lot to like about Jimenez as an offensive prospect and he has been particularly crushing the ball since joining the White Sox’s organization. Playing for the High-A Winston-Salem Dash, Jimenez is hitting an incredible .352/.418/.690 in 79 plate appearances. His advanced statistics are also through the roof, as he has a .475 wOBA and a 201 wRC+, according to FanGraphs.

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We should use a bit of small sample size caution here, but Jimenez also hit extremely well at High-A for the Cubs before getting traded. With a talented prospect like Jimenez who is so impressive at the plate, I like the idea of aggressively challenging him with promotions. Sure, you don’t want to get carried away with it, but challenging a guy like Jimenez with a promotion to Double-A could pay major dividends. I think it is time.

Jimenez has proved that he can handle the High-A level, the Chicago White Sox should give him a shot at Double-A. The jump from High-A to Double-A is arguably the biggest in the minor leagues. This is where the real prospects get separated from the rest. However, Jimenez is an incredibly talented and disciplined player who can handle the challenge.

If Jimenez can continue to play at a high level at Double-A for the rest of the season, an MLB debut in 2018 is not out of the realm of possibilities. However, if they keep him at High-A for the entire season, 2019 is extremely likely to be the first time we ever see Jimenez in the bigs.

Next: White Sox: Ranking the Top 15 Prospects

The White Sox do not expect to be competitive any time soon, so there is no real hurry. But not challenging a guy like Jimenez could do more harm than good. He could easily learn bad habits as he continues to feast on overmatched pitchers. Instead of allowing that to happen, I would like to see the Chicago White Sox be aggressive and give Jimenez that challenge at Double-A. Even if he struggles right away, it would help him down the line.

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