Back in January, a couple months before he injured himself with one of his awkward efforts in left field, we talked about how Eloy Jiménez was physically capable of making difficult plays, but not with any kind of regularity. In fact, two similar line drives could result in two very different snapshots of competency.
One of the positive examples occurred in Kauffman Stadium on Sept. 3, 2020. Jiménez raced back and made a leaping catch on the warning track to rob Whit Merrifield of extra bases. Kansas City announcer Ryan Lefebvre praised Jiménez in a backhanded fashion, saying, "Jiménez, who is not known for his defense, makes a nice play."
Perhaps everything's just more clear to Jiménez in Kansas City, or maybe something about Dylan Cease inspires him. However it unfolded on Tuesday night, he made not one, not two, but three plays that required start-to-finish execution. Carlos Santana tested him as soon as he could with a slicing liner in the first inning. Jiménez flagged it down.
An inning later, the Royals tested Jiménez's throwing abilities. I'm guessing Michael A. Taylor gets the stop sign for any other left fielder playing this shallow, but the scouting report says Jiménez's arm is more musket than rifle -- slow to load and little precision when firing -- so Vance Wilson waved him home. Jiménez foiled the move, putting the throw where it needed to be for how far Taylor was from the plate.
And then Jiménez retired Taylor with his glove by picking a sinking liner off the turf, which froze the two baserunners and prevented more damage in the fourth inning.
The Kansas City booth's initial response praised Royal runners for the correct reaction to an uncertain catch, as third base umpire Kerwin Danley needed a couple of seconds to deliver an "out" signal. But analyst Rex Hudler circled back to Jiménez saying, "Boy, I'll tell ya, he's having a game tonight."
And that was before Jiménez actually decided the game with a no-doubt three-run homer off Kyle Zimmer in the eighth inning.
There aren't many situations where a slugger with Jiménez's reputation is intentionally chosen as the easier mark, so it has to be so incredibly satisfying to immediately, thunderously reveal the flaw in the plan.
To their credit, Lefebvre and Hudler understood the stakes of the decision, especially when Jiménez fouled a hittable first-pitch fastball back. Their indigestion gave the moment appropriate staging.
And while the KC booth can be notoriously uptight when it comes to slow home run trots and other forms of on-field expression -- at least when the other team is doing it -- Lefebvre and Hudler had to admit that Jiménez earned the right to soak in the moment. After all, the Royals decided he was the one to pick on.
This was supposed to be the whole idea. Flank Abreu with Jiménez, Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal and an evolving Luis Robert, and the heart of the lineup was designed to present a series of unenviable choices. Jiménez had to wait 100 games to capitalize on mistakes, and he looked like he couldn't wait. Four at-bats into the 101st game, he let the situation come to him.
I'd imagine that Jiménez will need multiple weeks before he can rampage. Zimmer threw him two cookies, after all. Then again, I didn't imagine Jiménez would have the defensive game of his life on his first try of the 2021 regular season. Maybe seeing a better option in left field will force him to raise his game. Maybe he's in for a repeat of 2020 all over again -- 60 games of Silver Slugger excellence at the plate, and enough moments in the field that make it hard to resign him to DH in what should be his physical prime, even if the metrics speak for themselves.
This is the fun part about getting Jiménez back with an 8½ game lead, much like it's a lot more pleasant to shop for a car when the one you own is in perfect working order. Should he resume pressing at the plate, or should he resume his indecisiveness in left field, the White Sox have resources and leverage to reset the terms. If by some miracle it's this smooth from start to finish, then congratulations. Enjoy the drive.
(Photo by Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
