Chicago White Sox rookie outfielder Eloy Jimenez has become the youngest player in franchise history to reach the 30-homer mark, besting the previous mark set by Hall of Fame slugger Frank Thomas:
Eloy Jiménez hits his 8th HR of September today and his 30th of the season.
At 22 years old, Jiménez is the youngest player in White Sox history to hit 30 HR in a single season. The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, held the previous mark when he hit 32 HR in his age-23 season. pic.twitter.com/LQ3HTIxjBm
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 22, 2019
Jimenez homered off Detroit Tigers starter Matthew Boyd in the first inning of Sunday's game.
The youngster from the Dominican Republic has long been heralded as one of the best prospects in baseball. After moving from the North Side of Chicago to the South Side as part of the Jose Quintana trade in 2017, Jimenez tore through the minor leagues.
Prior to the start of the 2019 season, the White Sox signed Jimenez to a six-year, $43 million deal with a pair of club options that could bring the total to $80 million … all before he had played a single game in the major leagues.
Jimenez got off to a poor start in both April and May, but he clubbed eight homers in June and started to look like the guy who had garnered so much hype as a big-time prospect.
Following an injury-riddled July and a mediocre August, Jimenez has destroyed opposing pitchers in September. Prior to Sunday's game, Jimenez was slashing .358/.402/.716 for the month. Since the All-Star break, Jimenez is hitting close to .300 with an OPS over .860, and he has been a force in the middle of the lineup.
Although the South Siders will once again miss out on the postseason, they possess a number of fearsome hitters in Jimenez, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu. With youngster Michael Kopech returning next season and Dylan Cease primed to improve in the rotation, the White Sox could soon return to contention.
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