Alright, let’s get this straight. The White Sox top prospect, resident baseball punisher and Minor League Baseball’s No. 3 prospect Eloy Jimenez…from the Dominican Republic…had dreams of playing in the NBA?
.@WhiteSox top prospect Eloy Jimenez of the @BhamBarons is rated as the 3rd best prospect in all of pro baseball.
But, growing up in his hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he had dreams of career in the NBA.
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— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) June 15, 2018
Yes, it’s true. Jimenez is part of a basketball legacy. His dad played basketball and his first love (like Tim Anderson) was basketball. Basketball isn’t that obscure in the Dominican Republic. In fact, the Caribbean island-chain has discovered a passion for the sport and fared well in international competition.
Jimenez fancied himself a playmaker like Kobe Bryant, but his dad had other plans. At 12 years old his father took him aside and explained the process of reaching the NBA versus the quick money of a career in baseball.
Jimenez shared the hilarity and frustration of his first at-bat. Basically, he popped up and told his dad he wanted to quit. But in only his second trip to the plate he whipped a home run; something he’s been doing ever since.
It’s hard to believe that he’s only been playing baseball for eight years and perhaps this plays into the White Sox deliberate and patient approach to promoting the slugger. After erupting early in the season and batting .374 in May with six home runs he has cooled off a bit.
With Jimenez size and skills he could really do some damage in the majors. The White Sox are ready for him to join the big-league club soon and fans have already called for him to reach the bigs.
But one can’t help but wonder what could have been if he stuck with basketball…
