Eloy Jimenez Continues To Rake For Winston-Salem Dash

Now that the White Sox have sold off Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle; they have really started to tank. After suffering their third sweep in a row (this time at hand to the Royals), the White Sox fell to 38-57. Good for worst record in the American League and third worst in all of baseball. Times like these are going to be pretty common for White Sox fans the next year and a half. That's just the growing pains of the rebuild. The good news is that White Sox fans can always turn their attention to their loaded farm system, which has been dominating their competition as of late. One prospect who has been especially hot is newly acquired outfielder Eloy Jimenez. The 20-year-old Jimenez was the centerpiece in the deal that saw Jose Quintana shipped off to the North Side of town. He is regarded as a top 10 prospect in baseball by both MLB.com, and Baseball America. Jimenez is often compared to former Cub Jorge Soler because of his raw power, but scouts across all levels seem to agree that Eloy's hit tool is clearly above Soler's.

Comparisons

So if not Jorge Soler, then who does Eloy Jimenez compare to most then? Well, some scouts have said that he can have potential upside to that of Giancarlo Stanton. Others see him as more of a Jermaine Dye type player. If Jimenez can turn into either of those two players, the White Sox and their fans would be ecstatic. And right now, he seems to be on his way.

Production

If some people thought that a trade would get to Jimenez mentally, think again. It's funny actually, but when Eloy was traded, the Cubs and White Sox farms were actually playing against each other. All Jimenez had to do was walk across the field with his gear, suit up in a new uniform, and go out and play. And play he has. Since joining the White Sox system, Jimenez has slashed .360/.448/.600 with a 1.048 OPS in 8 games and 25 at-bats. Earlier today, Eloy had his best game of the season, as he went 5-6 with 2 doubles, a home run, and 3 RBI.

There are 2 things that immediately stick out about this particular home run. The first being how quickly the ball took to get out of the park, the second being how effortless his swing looked. What is great about Eloy is that he knows he does not have to constantly attempt to mash home runs every plate appearance. He has more than enough raw strength to where if he can barrel the ball, it will always have a chance to go deep. This will help him keep his swing quick and short, which will hopefully result in lower strikeout numbers.

How Quickly Will He Move?

While Eloy might stay in High-A ball the rest of the year, it wouldn't surprise me if he saw some time with Double-A Birmingham. His ETA for the Big Leagues is 2019. Here's where it gets interesting though. While MLB.com has Eloy rated as the eighth best prospect overall, the seven players in front of him will reach the MLB either this year or next. Depending on how scouts evaluate the younger talent coming into the pipeline, we could eventually see Jimenez rank as high as top 3 in the entire MLB as soon as the middle of next year. Some scouts have already said that Eloy will end up being better than Yoan Moncada. Only time will tell if those people are correct. Right now though, just enjoy what Jimenez brings to the table as he continues to develop into a future core player for the South Side of Chicago.