The phrase “enough is enough” is a pretty common one and can apply to many things in life. My dad says it to me probably once a week when he sees my dump of a bedroom. A teacher may tell her class “enough is enough” when they get too rowdy as the school year starts to wind down. Or you can be a White Sox fan reading about how Eloy Jimenez is murdering Triple-A pitching and screaming “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” at Rick Hahn through your computer screen hoping he hears your cries of anger and despair.
So far, he has not heard them, or maybe he has but still continues to deprive us fans of the otherworldly talent Jimenez possesses. He apparently needs to “Check all of the boxes.” I have been a White Sox fan for as long as I can remember and I can honestly say I have no idea what other boxes Jimenez needs to check off.
In 102 plate appearances in Triple-A, Eloy is putting up a laughably remarkable slash line of .383/.422/.691. That’s good for an OPS of 1.113 and a wRC+ of 212 (100 being league average). Yoan Moncada, the former no. 1 prospect in baseball, never came CLOSE to even sniffing numbers like that at the Triple-A level. Jimenez will be a legitimate triple crown threat year in and year out once he establishes himself in the league. His bat is 1000% Major League ready and you cannot convince me otherwise.
This is what he did yesterday. Keep in mind, these are the opponents announcers drooling over him.
Monster game for @whitesox top prospect (@MLB No. 3) Eloy Jimenez yesterday — 3-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBIs for @KnightsBaseball. More: https://t.co/IjJBNaE867 pic.twitter.com/wpADlYCt8j
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 30, 2018
“This guy’s a big-leaguer.” Not much else needs to be said.
“But wait Sports Mockery, why would they bring him up now in a lost season and start his service clock when they can keep him in Charlotte until April of 2019 and keep him for another year in his prime?”
I’ll tell you why. It’s actually very simple. If Eloy winds up being as good as everyone says he will be, the White Sox will make it their mission to lock him up long term before he even hits free agency. They know they are going to have to eventually pay their top guys regardless, so the whole service time debate is a moot point.
So what could it be then? Does Hahn want him to work on his defense more? I sincerely doubt that. While he’ll never win a Gold Glove, Eloy is more than capable of manning left field. And even if that is the current reason, it is much more important to get him Major League at-bats anyways.
Is the Chicago outfield crowded?
*Laughs hysterically*
No. far from it. The White Sox aren’t necessarily lighting the world on fire with Adam Engel and Nicky Delmonico out there.
One of Rick Hahn’s favorite quotes to use is “The good ones tend to force the issue.” If Eloy isn’t currently forcing the issue, then what the Hell is he doing?
It’s actually comical how impatient White Sox fans are getting, but at this point it is completely justified. I don’t even think the Moncada hype was this high last year.
When (if) Jimenez gets the call, he will INSTANTLY make this team better and more exciting to watch. He will give protection to whoever bats in front of him as he just mashes balls into the sky. Maybe Hahn wants to see him walk more, but that doesn’t really matter when he is still getting on base at a God Damn .422 clip.
He needs to be up right now, bottom line. The Major League at-bats will give him the experience he needs to be locked and loaded for Opening Day 2019.
To the White Sox front office, scouting department, head of player development, and/or whoever else is in on this decision- enough is enough. Cut the crap and bring Eloy to the South Side where he belongs.
