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Although the Chicago Cubs no longer hold the title for the best farm system in MLB, the 2016 World Series champions still have some studs in the minors. Earlier this week Baseball Prospectus released its top-10 Cubs prospects rankings and the list is headlined by none other than Eloy Jimenez.
The power-hitting outfielder mashed the baseball with the South Bend Cubs in 2016. At 19-years-old, Jimenez had a slash line of .329/.369/.532, with 14 home runs in 112 games at the Low-A level. After the Cubs traded Gleyber Torres as part of a package to the New York Yankees for Aroldis Chapman in July 2016, Jimenez shot up the system’s rankings to No. 1.
It was a bitter pill to swallow when the Cubs traded away Torres, but after winning a World Series title the organization is just fine holding on to Jimenez, who has reminded team officials of a young Kris Bryant.
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So, how good is Jimenez expected to be? Here’s a quick breakdown from Baseball Prospectus’ Jeffrey Paternostro.
Jimenez progressed from a raw, toolsy, but exciting corner outfield prospect in April to one of the best offensive prospects in baseball by the end of the year. He has plus-plus raw power and enough barrel control to get almost all of it into games. There’s leverage and bat speed, and all those good scouty words, but cutting to the chase, we are talking a potential 30-home-run hitter, and even with the ball a bit more juiced—allegedly—that is no common feat. He’s no mere corner masher either—although there would be enough mashing for a corner—he’s an advanced hitter for a teenager, and his approach improved throughout the season against the more experienced arms of the Midwest League.
Jimenez does have his limitations, mainly his average at best projection as a corner outfielder. That being said, expectations are high for the Dominican, who is viewed as a future All-Star. He’s still young, only reaching Low-A in 2016, but so far the Cubs have shown that their highly-touted prospects pan out more often than not since 2011.
Cubs fans should be ready to see what Jimenez can do in the Major League level by 2019.
Here’s the rest of the top-10 Cubs prospects as ranked by Baseball Prospectus.
