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When fielding savant Andres Gimenez hit 32 home runs over a two-season stretch with the Cleveland Guardians, it seemed as if the middle infielder could morph into an all-round talent. He earned an All-Star selection and top six finish in MVP voting in 2022, but his overall offensive numbers dropped to league average and then fell into substandard territory in 2024. He is finding new life at the plate with the Toronto Blue Jays, however.
The offseason trade addition is already making franchise history in the Great White North during the 2025 season. Gimenez is the first Jays player to belt at least three home runs in his first five games with the team, per MLB Network.
He launched two dingers against the Baltimore Orioles and then knocked another ball over the fence in Monday's 5-2 win versus the Washington Nationals. The 26-year-old Venezuelan obviously cannot sustain such a torrid power pace, but it is surely invigorating for fans to see a supposedly one-dimensional player brandish a big bat in his new MLB home.
Is Andres Gimenez an X-factor for Blue Jays?
Following a Dec. 10 trade that sent Gimenez and right-handed pitcher Nick Sandlin to the Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Spencer Horwitz and outfield prospect Nick Mitchell, the hope was that Toronto had become a more fundamentally sound squad. There is a long way to go until a proper evaluation can be conducted in that regard, but the organization is already receiving an unexpected slugging surge in the form of Andres Gimenez.
He is posting a .333/.455/.944/.1.399 slash line in this minuscule sample size, providing valuable pop behind fellow newcomer Anthony Santander in manager John Schneider's lineup. Again, people do not anticipate the man to outhit Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other premier performers, but maybe they won't have to worry about a massive drop-off, either.
Gimenez is less than three years removed from accumulating more than 100 MVP voting points than Guerrero and Bo Bichette combined. With a new hitting approach, as noted by Chris Clegg, he is ready to enjoy an offensive renaissance in The 6. And maybe, just maybe, that could help lead to a Blue Jays revival as well.
