Jimenez gets into hit column with authority

Eloy Jiménez weathered a roller-coaster spring through injury rehab and a slow start at the plate. But the top White Sox prospect found his groove Monday night.
After going 0-for-11 following his delayed start to the 2018 season, Jimenez not only connected on his first pair of hits this spring, but sent both sailing over the outfield wall.

He smacked a pair of solo homers in Double-A Birmingham's 9-5 loss to Pensacola in Monday's doubleheader opener at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Jimenez followed that breakout game by going with a 1-for-3 in the Barons' 6-0 victory in the nightcap.

After grounding out in the first inning of the opener, Jimenez led off the fourth with a solo shot to left-center field off Blue Wahoos southpaw reliever Seth Varner. The 21-year-old followed a groundout in the fifth with his second solo shot of the night in the eighth to left, this time off righty Carlos Navas.
The easy-going Jimenez said neither his injury-filled spring nor his hitless first three games had him frustrated or nervous entering the doubleheader. He'd been making consistent contact this past week, with one strikeout in his first 10 at-bats. And with the short bursts of success he managed to carry into spring from last fall, Jimenez knew his time would come.
"I just told myself 'Don't give up. This is going to happen. You just need to work hard,' so that's all I've been trying to do," Jimenez said. "My focus at home is that anything can happen. Just be smart and keep swinging."
Gameday box score
MLB.com's No. 4 overall prospect missed the first 13 games of the season for the Barons with a mild strain in his left pectoral muscle he suffered during Spring Training in Arizona. Combined with his rust after rehab, Birmingham manager Ryan Newman said his star needed to adjust to playing under the lights during the regular season.
"It's exciting. We knew what he was capable of and it was just a matter of time before he broke out," the first-year skipper said. "I think today he showed he's great at making those adjustments. He's going to be exciting to watch for as long as we have him, and I'm just going to stay out of his way."

While in Glendale for Spring Training with Chicago, Jimenez appeared in just four games while dealing with soreness in his knee, but even there, Jimenez hinted at signs of a strong 2018 campaign. He finished 4-for-7 with a pair of homers, a triple and three RBIs before he was optioned to Birmingham on March 13.
Newman knew he was inheriting a special prospect. Jimenez's disciplined approach at the plate, combined with an ability to make quick adjustments and his level-headed mentality through the game's highs and lows backed up the outfielder's standing within the organization, according to the Barons manager.

Since landing with the White Sox last summer in a blockbuster trade with the Cubs, Jimenez has been on a tear at the plate. In 29 games with Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, he compiled a .345 average with 11 doubles, eight homers, one triple and 26 RBIs. After a promotion to Birmingham in August, the 21-year-old outfielder hit .353 with five doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in 18 games.
Despite his dry spell, Newman said Jimenez entered the batter's box Monday with the same energetic approach as he finished the doubleheader. With his previous tangible successes, combined with Jimenez's inherent mental feel for the game and his dedicated work ethic, Monday night's spark should be just a sign of things to come, said Newman.
"I think we're going to see what he's done his entire career, which is as a dominant player and hitter," he said. "With the adjustments he's shown he can make and his goals, if he continues to get good at-bats and competes every night, he's going to be a special player in Chicago soon enough."