Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez has shown flashes of brilliance at the major league level, but health has been a problem, and he said that he has a potential fix to those issues coming into camp for 2023, which is losing 25-30 points this offseason, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
“I wanted to do it because I was like that when I was in Minor Leagues and I had success,” Eloy Jimenez said, via Merkin. “So I thought why not do that here. The benefit is I'm quicker, I can run faster and feel good.”
Jimenez has been in the major leagues since 2019, and has not played over 100 games since then. He did play 55 in 2020, which was a 60-game season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Jimenez played just 55 games because he ruptured his pectoral at the end of spring training. He posted fine numbers that season, but not what White Sox fans were hoping.
In 2022, Jimenez played 84 games, missing many games because of a hamstring injury he suffered in April, but when he returned to the field he was among the best hitters in baseball.
Jimenez hit .295 with a .358 on-base percentage, .500 slugging and 16 home runs in 2022. That was good for a 144 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), which is a common modern baseball statistic to calculate offensive output. A 100 wRC+ is league-average, so Jimenez's 144 wRC+ shows that he was a 44% better than league average hitter in 2022.
The White Sox will need contributions from Jimenez, Tim Anderson, Dylan Cease, Luis Robert and others in 2023. The team disappointed and missed the playoffs last year, and while key players like Tim Anderson, Dylan Cease and Luis Robert will have to contribute to a rebound, Jimenez staying healthy is arguably one of the biggest x-factors.
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