Cubs Minor League Daily: Eloy Jimenez Arrives

cubs azl spring training logoEasily the most anticipated hitter on the Eugene roster is the big right handed slugging outfielder Eloy Jimenez. It is a toss up whether Jimenez or Gleyber Torres was the best prospect in their International Free Agent class, and that is an exciting thought given how well Torres has played so far.

Jimenez was not as polished a hitter as Torres in the spring, so while Torres opened the year in South Bend his fellow signee was continuing to refine his game and getting ready for the Eugene season. Don’t let that difference in timeline convince you that Jimenez is not a potentially significant prospect, though. He absolutely is. For starters, he is probably the best power bat in this organization below Double A.

Finally in action, and batting third, Jimenez got off to a very good start for the Emeralds. He had their first hit (actually their first two hits) and their first RBI, not to mention their first outfield assist (actually, their first two outfield assists). He also triggered their first two double plays.

You read that right. From right field he started both a 9-4-3 and a 9-2-4 double play in the same game. We can interpret that to mean he has a good arm (he does), or that weird things happen in the low levels of the minors (they do). Or both.

Regardless, it is a very nice start to the season for one of the most promising players in the very low levels of the organization. Hopefully he can hit his way onto the South Bend roster quickly so we can start watching his home games on MiLB.tv.

Scores From Yesterday

Iowa – Iowa turned two big innings into a 7-2 win.
Tennessee – Rain suspended this game, and the players had some fun.
Myrtle Beach – The Pelicans were rained out altogether.
South Bend – The Cubs tied this one up in the seventh, but they lost it in the tenth 2-1.
Eugene – Eugene was held to just three hits in this 6-1 loss.

Performances of Note

  • [Iowa] Rafael Lopez had another good game. He finished 3 for 5 for in this one.
  • [Iowa] Adron Chambers and Christian Villanueva both finished 2 for 4 with a double. John Andreoli also had 2 hits.
  • [Iowa] Matt Szczur doubled, stole his 14th base, and scored twice for Iowa.
  • [Iowa] Carlos Pimentel pitched 6.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (one earned) on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4.
  • [South Bend] Jake Stinnett allowed a run on a hit and 3 walks while striking out 4 over 6 innings on the mound. David Garner then struck out 3 and walked one in 2 innings of no-hit relief.
  • [South Bend] Yasiel Balaguert pushed his current hitting streak to 8 games with this 3 for 5 day. Cael Brockmeyer also had 3 hits.
  • [South Bend] Charcer Burks doubled twice and finished 2 for 5.
  • [Eugene] Eloy Jimenez finished the game 2 for 4. Ho-young Son doubled for the team’s only other hit.
  • [Eugene] Carson Sands allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits over 5 innings in the start. He struck out 2.
  • [Eugene] Sam Wilson added 1.2 innings of one hit relief with 2 strikeouts.
  • Other News

  • Looking for more info on the Eugene Emeralds? If you missed it, be sure to check out the intro to yesterday’s Minor League Daily.
  • True to their pattern from previous years, the Cubs announced a fairly large batch of draft pick signings yesterday. You can read all about it here.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

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