Since the 2011 season when Theo Epstein joined the Chicago Cubs as the President of Baseball Operations after leaving the Boston Red Sox, the Cubs have undergone a dramatic transformation.
This transformation, which resulted in Chicago’s first World Series in over 100 years, has seen all-stars Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell join the team through trades, and homegrown talent such as Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez get called up to the bigs in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
With such a young and dynamic squad, one would think the Cubs’ minor league system was lacking, but that would be an incorrect assumption.
And it seems that Chicago already has its next future call-up in the form of outfielder Eloy Jimenez.
Recently rated as the top Cubs prospect by Baseball America, Jimenez hails from the Dominican Republic, where he signed from in 2013 for a $2.8 million signing bonus as one of the top international prospects. The 20-year-old recently completed his first full season with the South Bend Cubs of the Class-A Midwest League. Here, he put on a dominant performance, winning the Midwest League MVP after batting .329, recording the second most runs batted in (81) and third most home runs (14) in the league.
This past fall, Jimenez played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. He batted .255 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 15 games, but hit just .139 against right-handed pitchers.
At just 20 years old, Jimenez is obviously an extremely raw talent, and may take some time to develop at the lower levels of the minor leagues. In South Bend, he saw time at both left and right field, proving his versatility as a fielder and ability to produce solid numbers both offensively and defensively. When looking at the outfielders Chicago currently has on its major league roster, it is safe to say it could be a while before Jimenez makes his debut at Wrigley Field.
However, things like injuries happen (Schwarber last year), and so do slumps. With 22-year-old Albert Almora set to be the everyday center fielder, manager Joe Maddon is putting faith in yet another young player who has to prove he is worthy of constant time in the MLB. So if Almora doesn’t produce or a few things go wrong for the Cubs, and Jimenez does well for whatever minor league team he is on, he could find himself closer to a shot in the majors as the season goes by.
Jason Kates is a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB covering the Chicago Cubs. Follow Jason on Twitter
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