Chicago White Sox: Eloy Jimenez picking up steam in Double-A

After a tough start to 2018, Chicago White Sox star prospect Eloy Jimenez is back to crushing the baseball. Is he still on track for a call-up later this season?

Chicago White Sox outfield mega-prospect Eloy Jimenez’s start to the 2018 season hasn’t gone exactly as planned, to say the least.

First, he suffered a pectoral injury that got his season started late. And once he got back in the lineup, his .234/.269/.801 slash isn’t what anyone, including he himself, had in mind for his performance at Class AA Birmingham.

Sure, learning curves are to be expected for young players, even those with the potential to become real MLB stars.

Still, after everything we’ve heard about Jimenez, seeing those numbers could be disheartening to those hoping for him to eventually inject a little excitement into this 2018 White Sox season later in the summer.

Well, look out, everyone: Jimenez is finding his stroke again. And baseballs are starting to fly very far away from home plate as a result.

Jimenez heating up

Coming into today’s game against Biloxi, Jimenez had homered in back-to-back games, bringing his home run total to four and his RBIs up to 14.

On top of that, he just went 2-for-5 with a double in the Barons’ 11-7 win today. That gives him a five-game hitting streak over which he’s hitting .304 with two homers and nine RBIs.

As the weather warms up, it seems like Jimenez is warming up with it. And that’s an excellent sign for him and for his prospects of a call-up later this season.

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With the White Sox suffering through a predictably unfortunate season, you have to imagine that they’re going to see what their young guns can do in low-pressure situations at the end of this season.

People have already discussed the possibility of Michael Kopech getting that call sooner rather than later, so it seems logical that those talks will eventually happen regarding Jimenez. He probably needs quite a few more at-bats before Rick Hahn brings him up to face big-league pitching. But at the rate he’s going, he’s likely to be just fine.

From an advanced stats standpoint, he has generally stayed true to his normal approach from the plate. In fact, his strikeout percentage of 14.9% entering today is his lowest mark as a professional.

The one area he’s noticeably struggled in from an advanced stats standpoint is his low batted balls in play average (.152 heading into today). Hopefully, given his recent streak, that number is about to turn around.

Next: Bears' post-draft outlook for 2018

For sure, this stretch for Jimenez in Class AA is more along the lines of what the Chicago White Sox had in mind. Who knows if it will actually affect the plan regarding Jimenez or not? My guess is that the White Sox were ready for a little bit of ebb and flow, especially with him returning from injury.

If nothing else, though, it could serve to reignite some White Sox excitement about seeing Jimenez in the big leagues this year. We all know he has the ability to make a big impact with his bat. Now, it’s time to see him show it to Class AA pitching as long as he stays in Birmingham.