Hold onto your buts. Rick Hahn is reportedly in Charlotte tonight and Eloy Jimenez is not in the lineup. And White Sox twitter swiftly erupts with unbridled joy!
According to Jonathan Lee, a journalist who covers the Charlotte Knights, Hahn is in the building and Jimenez was given the night off.
Interesting. Eloy Jimenez has the night off. #WhiteSox GM Rick Hahn is here in Charlotte. Hmm.. @SoxMachine @FutureSox pic.twitter.com/uF8YPRoTfT
— Jonathan Lee (@followmefor3) August 1, 2018
Parsing out the meaning of this coincidence is futile. Of course, we all want to believe Hahn has already asked Jimenez to head home and pack his bags so he can escort him down to Tampa Bay for the next series. But the odds are stacked against that possibility.
Sure, Jimenez has posted ridiculous stats in Triple-A since his promotion on June 21. He was named the White Sox minor-league player of the month on Wednesday and there’s no doubt that he is forcing the issue. Yet, it’s unlikely that Jimenez has checked all the boxes for a promotion only five days after the checking-the-boxes statement became a catchphrase.
This is the second time Jimenez has been named #whitesox MiL player of the week. He closed July with a .435 batting average and 1.293 OPS. Since his promotion to AAA on 6/21 he leads the International League in BA (.376) and ranks second in OBP (.423). https://t.co/JwufuC7IjE
— Matt Enuco (@Matt_Enuco) August 1, 2018
Moreover, speaking from experience, executives don’t travel to minor-league affiliates to deliver promotions. Instead, they head to the minors to watch certain players when a promotion is on the horizon. The fact that Jimenez is not in the game tonight doesn’t indicate much in my opinion.
On the other side of this argument is that big-league brass typically take multi-day trips to the minors, so Hahn is likely down in Charlotte for a few days. We don’t know when he arrived in Charlotte; all we know is that he is there tonight and Jimenez is not in the game.
The more likely alternative narrative is that Hahn is down there to eye a few pitchers. Kopech threw last night and for all we know he could have been in the building last night for a final look at the flamethrower. But, there are other possibilities as well.
Two immediate possibilities that standout is Ryan Cordell and Jordan Stephens. Cordell seemed poised for a big-league appearance early in Spring Training before an injury derailed his season. He’s batting .145 in 15 games in Triple-A after batting .333 in Birmingham.
Stephens posted exceptional numbers in Double-A as well before stumbling in his last 14 starts in Triple-A. He’s dealing with a 4.36 earned run average in Charlotte and while that isn’t terrible it’s not a figure that begs for a promotion.
Cordell is a more likely scenario considering Adam Engel hasn’t pieced his offensive game together. Adding Stephens to the big leagues doesn’t make much sense either considering there isn’t an opening in the rotation.
The most likely possibility that I see is Hahn is taking a hard look at relievers. Caleb Frare was acquired last week from the New York Yankees when Hahn swapped $1.5 million in international free agent bonus money. He’s been exceptional this season at Double-A and continued his success briefly in Triple-A. He’s given up one run in three combined innings between Scranton-Wilkesbarre and Charlotte, and as a southpaw, Frare seems to be an easy choice to promote quickly.
Although White Sox fans might not have much patience for it, Carson Fulmer could also be another reason for Hahn’s excursion to the south. Fulmer might be a future piece of the bullpen, but he still suffers from cold spells where he can’t find the strike zone and everything in the strike zone gets turned around.
Given the ease with which relievers can be moved over the waiver wire, Hahn might have to make a decision quickly. But, the possibility also exists that Hahn is just down there to catch a glimpse of his shiny toys and ponder the future.
