Sunday, November 25, 2018

Fantasy Focus: Impact Rookies- Eloy Jimenez

Eloy Jimenez, OF, White Sox.  DOB:  11/27/1996.  B-R, T-R.  6'4", 2015 lbs.

2018 AA:  .317/.368/.556, 10 HR, 7.9 BB%, 17.9 K%, GB/FB= 1.00, 228 PA.
2018 AAA:  .355/.399/597, 6.1 BB%, 13.2 K%, GB/FB= 1.00, 228 PA.

A couple of years ago, my fantasy baseball league added 2 N/A roster spots which allows you to keep a couple of prospects on your roster without having to drop an active player.  Last year, I kept Eloy Jimenez on one of my N/A slots all season to no avail as the White Sox found excuses to keep him on the farm.  He probably won't be added in 2019 until after approximately May 1, but he'll be worth the wait whether you have an N/A on your fantasy roster or whether you have to stash him on your bench.

Jimenez does not run or catch particularly well.  There is some disagreement from different sources about his arm with Fangraphs rating it a 60 and projecting him as a RF, but MLB Pipleline says his arm has slipped and he's now barely a LF.  Nevermind that for fantasy baseball purposes.  He's got two tools nobody questions:  Hit and Power.  It does not matter if he plays LF or 1B or DH, the bat is going to play.  Steamer has him projected to hit .293/.342/.502, 23 HR  in 2019.  It does not hurt that the White Sox crib is hitter-friendly.

The one big question mark is whether he can stay healthy.  Last year saw him come to the plate more 456 times which is approximately 100 PA short of a full minor league season and he has visited the DL for 3 consecutive seasons.

2 comments:

  1. I wonder if the Cubs will regret trading Jimenez to the white Sox for Jose Quintana. They'll have Quintana who's a solid MLB Starting pitcher till 2020, but Jimenez could develop into something special.

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