The White Sox will not promote their top prospect, outfielder Eloy Jimenez, to the majors this season, general manager Rick Hahn confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, they will select young right-hander Jose Ruiz from Double-A Birmingham, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Adding Ruiz will require a corresponding 40-man move, as Chicago’s currently at capacity.
The fact that Jimenez won’t come up this year is no surprise, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported over the weekend that the Triple-A star would not debut in the majors until 2019. Indeed, Hahn said (via Van Schouwen) that Jimenez is “very well positioned to make a significant impact at the big league level” next season. For now, “it’s in everyone’s best interest” for the team to hold off on promoting Jimenez, Hahn added.
“We’re not trying to develop a 21-year-old DH,” continued Hahn, suggesting Jimenez still has to improve his defense (via James Fegan of The Athletic).
That may be true, but it won’t win over Jimenez’s agents, who discussed their client with Jon Heyman of Fancred last week.
“How can you say with a straight face this guy needs to work on anything?” asked one of his representatives, Paul Kinzer. “What’s he need to work on?”
Meanwhile, fellow Jimenez rep Nelson Montes De Oca suggested service time is the driving force behind Chicago’s decision not to promote him this year. Keeping Jimenez out of the majors until the third week of 2019 campaign will enable the White Sox to control him for an extra year, after all, and it’s clear he has done more than enough offensively to earn a call-up. Since moving from Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte in June, Jimenez has further cemented his place as an elite prospect by slashing an incredible .355/.399/.597 with 12 home runs and a .242 ISO in 228 plate appearances. Next, he’s likely to continue his development in winter ball, per Hahn (via Fegan).
Unlike Jimenez, Ruiz is far from an elite prospect, but MLB.com does rank him 24th in an impressive Chicago farm system. A former catcher in San Diego’s system, the Padres converted Ruiz into a pitcher but ultimately lost him on waivers to the White Sox last winter. The hard-throwing 23-year-old has a chance to develop into an impact reliever for the White Sox, MLB.com suggests, and he made his mark in Birmingham this season by logging a 3.18 ERA/2.84 FIP with 10.92 K/9 and 3.77 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings.
Excellent business decision. Awful PR scenario. Dude is still going to get paid handsomely if he continues on his current trajectory. Can’t wait to see what he is capable of in May ‘19.
Don’t blame the team, blame the MLB and MLBPA that make it a no-brainer for these teams not to promote star prospects.
I’m applauding the team.
It should not have been a “no-brainer” for an organization like the White Sox who have publicly stated that MLB service time is not an issue when it comes to promoting their best prospects. They have also backed that up in the past with the quick promotions of top prospects like Chris Sale and Carlos Rodon, to say nothing of those who have seen their debut on the South Side since they began their rebuild. Tell me who among Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez late last season, along with Michael Kopech and Ian Hamilton in 2018 are more deserving of an MLB promotion than Jimenez based on their minor league performance in the year leading up to their debuts?
Btw-There are other organizations who don’t play the service time game. They include the Washington Nationals who have routinely promoted their best top prospects quickly. Most recently that included phenom OF Juan Soto who had a whopping 8 games of experience as high as AA ball before he saw his MLB debut this past May.
The nationals were also trying to compete though. That’s a different scenario than a bottom dweller promoting guys.
That’s true of course, including when they promoted a 19-year old Bruce Harper back in 2012. Like Soto, Harper never played a game at AAA before he made his debut with a contending Nationals team in late April.
Still, the White Sox did manage to promote three of their top prospects in the second half of the 2017 season in the first year of their rebuild and despite far less production at AAA Charlotte than what Eloy Jimenez put up this year. They also were quick to promote top pitching prospect Michael Kopech when they could have just waited on him until next April.
Btw-I will reserve final judgement on Rick Hahn’s decision regarding Jimenez until next spring. If Jimenez tears it up in spring training and then gets sent down to AAA for the necessary 2-3 weeks in order to gain a service time advantage I will resume my criticism. If the White Sox want to make this all about money then I along with other fans of the team can think twice about investing in season tickets, especially with their popular ballpark pass promotion which has included cheap tickets for the early portion of the season when the weather is less favorable. Had the front office decided to allow Jimenez to debut this month I’m guessing they would have seen a spike in their attendance in the final 4 weeks of the 2018 season as well.
The Nats promoted Harper AFTER they had him down long enough to get the extra year of control. That is why he is a FA at 26 not 25
Victor Robles was injured. That’s why they promoted Soto. If Vic wasn’t on DL, Soto wouldn’t have been called up
Ummm…..Harper signed a 5 year deal right after being signed. It didn’t matter when the Nats called him up…..Even still….he was called up in April which still would’ve given him Super 2 status.
Lol 4.21 ERA lol
Don’t like it? Talk to the MLBPA at the next CBA to change the rules then. Don’t hate on the teams playing by the rules that your union agreed to. Why would the Sox give up an extra year of control of a possible future star just to see him in a year that they’re not competing?
because players can hold grudges? because development of an athlete can be stunted by lack of ability to learn or lack or enthusiasm based on being kept down.
Waiting an extra month to call Eloy up will not stunt his development one bit
If his enthusiasm is any at all effected by 3 weeks of not playing in the MLB, then I’m not quite sure I would want him on my team long term in the first place .
Okay, Mr. GM. Lol
That’s what we’re here to play, isn’t it?
Lol if you think him being held down will mess with his enthusiasm then I can say playing on the losing White Sox will mess with his enthusiasm. What a BS argument for a team being smart.
Radiohead your comment makes no sense I agree with what he is saying and he never said or implied he had any control he I’m not sure I “would” want him implying if he were to have control of a team that’s not the type of player he would want. Not that he actually has control. Also as a fan why shouldn’t you care what type of players your team has. Most fans have opinions on what kind of players the teams they root for sign… it’s called being a fan.
You should look in the mirror and lol
Spot on. If he’s worth his weight he’ll get rewarded in arbitration anyhow. The rules are indeed right there and Agents/players seem to think there’s collusion. These service time squabbles irritate me. Same with the Buxton scenario. He’s hardly earned a sooner payday. Flashes of good shouldn’t merit a huge reward. And although Jimenez seems to be proving himself, there’s no “I” in team.
Agreed. Also, the agent/player can fix it if they want, just sign a contract giving the team an option for the seventh year that they are going to get anyway.
The contract can be completely fair to both sides, give the player and team the ability to opt into arbitration at a later date if the player performs above expectations or gets injured..
If the CBA rules allow this, then why is Hahn not simply saying he’s being held for service time? It’s because he knows it’s, at the very least, a misuse of service time rules.
So, playing by the rules is a misuse of the rules?
Gee, how brillant.
That’s the problem, though. Eloy isnt represented by the MLBPA until he reaches for majors – its backwards logic that someone who is potentially being hard done by, because he hasn’t been promoted to the Majors, cant affect change about it until…he reaches the Majors.
Hey, this is the season to see if any guy down in the minors that you can bring up has any potential at the MLB level (aside from the guys you know are looking good), if he succeeds great you found another guy. If he fails? So what as it is a developmental season anyway.
The best players, or potential players need to be on the field at the major league level.
Why? They’re going nowhere. Let him come up next year and start over Engel
because that doesn’t help his development
Nor does calling him up early
He wouldn’t be called up early if he’s dominating every minor league level.
That’s the thing – it’s only considered early because of service time implications – nothing to do with his actual ability.
Bottom line is, here’s a kid who’s done everything he can at the minor league level, but isn’t being promoted because of something that has nothing to do with his actual skillset.
From a fan perspective ( being someone who pays to see the best players possible) , you do make sense, but baseball isn’t all about fans, it’s also about making money and in this case, saving money
TBH, as a fan, if he’s as good as advertised i would prefer they hold him back until 3 weeks in next year and get that extra year of control. for the cost of 3 wks in a meaningless season you get 1 more full season where he’d be nearing his prime.
Remember this when his arbitration years start ti kick in… I now fully expect Jimenez will not sign any long term deal with this current ownership / Front office. And, when he does hit the free agency he will sign with another team..
If he’s that much of a cry baby then why would you want him on your team long term anyway !! I mean kris Bryant was put in the same situation as this and I don’t remember him ever saying he wants to sign with another team.
Yes, because rookies so often come out and say they want to sign with another team…
Bryant did file a grievance against the Cubs for what it’s worth.
Right, because no other team would have done rhis
So what? This team will be a failure until Reinsdorfs gone along with Williams!!!!
Those guys were there when they won it all in 2005.
Sox do NOT need another DH type. We have those already. They need a guy that can play the outfield adequately. If they think Jimenez needs more defensive work, why is that wrong? Jimenez has only had around 60 games at AAA. Look what happened to Beckham bringing him up early. Look what Moncada is doing. And even if this is motivated by the control issue, they would be following the rules ACCEPTED by the players in the CBA. Cubs did this to Bryant and where is all the consternation against the Cubs about that? What about Guerrero in Toronto?
Beckham just sucks and Moncada had nothing to prove in AAA
There was PLENTY of consternation when Bryant was held back, mostly by his agent. There was the big threat of a grievance, but that didn’t happen. Let the process play out. Eloy will be just fine. Bryant set arbitration records his first two times through. Sox have a much better chance of being better five-six years from now than this month.
Yes, he did file a grievance… It just went nowhere.
Thanks Priggs, I wasn’t 100% sure if there was an official grievance. Appreciate the clarification.
Because they do t think he needs to work on defense. It’s a BS excuse to defer service time.
If working on defense was a legitimate excuse, they would have never called up Nicky Delmonico last season and allowed him to be a butcher in left field. He played less than 60 games total in the outfield. Yet he was called up and made the opening day starter.
They also would have sent down Palka to work on his defense. Both of them are much worse in the outfield than Eloy. Yet they are being given the chance to play in the outfield.
It’s service time, period. Hahn is being disingenuous, and not even you believe that’s the reason.
Bryant not being called up was a HUGE talking point – it stimulated a lot of discussion. Where were you?
Gordon Beckham had an .800+ OPS as a rookie. Destroying AAA pitching would have done absolutely NOTHING for him. He had all the talent, he just couldn’t figure out how to make any of the necessary adjustments once the league adjusted to him – something that NEEDS to be done at the major league level, not in AAA.
So I guess he can’t develop his defense in the big leagues under the major league coaching staff? Has to go to winter league to do it?
He’d go to winter ball any way.
Let’s see, go to winter ball and concentrate on defense or co.e up and deal with big league pitching, the media and fan expectations while also yrying to improve your defense?
Do you think he is going to get better working a little before games or in winter ball?
I’d be willing to bet it won’t make a difference either way. He will probably never be a great defender. It’s clearly just an excuse to manipulate service time because they aren’t dumb enough to mention anything about his offense holding him back.
After hearing Rick Hahn’s press conference today I’m still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in regards to the Eloy Jimenez situation. He reiterated everything I have been saying in my comments regarding the White Sox and the MLB service time issue:
1-The White Sox are not holding back Jimenez back in order to gain an extra year of control before he can potentially become a free agent.
2-The organization has a solid history of promoting its top prospects when they are deemed MLB ready and do not delay the start of their careers on the South Side based on MLB service time.
Bottom line: If Jimenez has a great spring camp and then is sent down for the necessary couple of weeks in order to gain the extra year of team control before free agency then we will all know Hahn’s comments at the press conference were bs. Nobody will believe that those extra couple of weeks in AAA will be the difference between Jimenez being a more complete ball player, especially in regards to his defensive acumen.
Quote: “For now, “it’s in everyone’s best interest” for the team to hold off on promoting Jimenez, Hahn added.”
How exactly is artificially depriving a very talented and above-average productive employee of an according salary advantageous to anyone but the business owner?
Probably in the same way that it is beneficial to communities to cut funding from public education, the police as well as the fire department etc. and spend billions of dollars of their taxpayers’ money on brand-new ballparks for mega-wealthy franchise owners instead.
Rules can be changed, but for now this is the rule and eloy knows this.
How dare an owner eant what is in the best interezt of his yeam and by relation everyone on that team
Why would a team, any team, not hold him down until next season? He’s not going to gain much by being at the major league level for 25 or so games.
Complete BS answer. If the goal is to improve his defense – and BTW, he is already a better defensive player than Palka or Delmonico – the way to develop him is to actually have him playing defense in the ML, as opposed to sitting on his behind all of September.
If the reason is service time, man up and be honest. If this is within the rules of the CBA, just say it. That is what is most aggravating about all of this.
Also, a player getting a major league salary for a month is in his best interests. Rick Hahn is a two-faced clown.
You’re a clown.
If he sits on his butt in September that is his fault.
You work on things in practice, not games.
He won’t come out and say it because clowns like his agent will cry even more or terms the players agreed to.
You are seriously bootlicking the owners here, gross.
Walk this back man, this ain’t it.
wrigleywannabe: Speaking of clowns, who exactly is Eloy Jimenez going to “practice” with in September considering AAA Charlotte’s season ended on Labor Day? The AZL and DSL summer leagues also concluded their 2018 season in the past couple of weeks as well. Jimenez was not selected by the White Sox to play in the Arizona Fall League which begins play in October. Jimenez is expected to a participant in the Dominican Winter League as he was last season. Otherwise, Jimenez only “professional” opportunity to improve his defense in order to make him a more complete ball player will be next February and March in Glendale Arizona.
This is total b.s. regarding Eloy Jimenez. I’d have much more respect for GM Rick Hahn if he was honest with the fans and media and just stated that with Jimenez it’s all about his MLB service time.
Virtually every one of Jimenez’ OF teammates at AAA Charlotte will have seen time in the White Sox outfield in 2018 including awful defensive corners like Daniel Palka and Nicky Delmonico. For those AAA players to get playing time on the South Side in 2019 along with others like Trayce Thompson, Charlie Tilson and Ryan Cordell is a slap at Jimenez’ intelligence. Why create bad feelings with Jimenez who is the White Sox first legitimate generational hitting talent since Frank Thomas, especially when the organization’s m.o. has been to promote their best prospects sooner rather than later.
The White Sox and Hahn in particular have also been very successful at tying up their young players to long term deals ahead of arbitration and free agency. That tactic with Jimenez and his agents may now be in jeopardy. Why risk any good will for the sake of gaining an extra year of team control, especially when this front office has publicly stated and shown in the past that service time issues are not an obstacle when it comes to promoting their best young talent? As Mike Ditka once famously said, “Who are you crapping?”
Correction: Should have stated, “For those AAA players to get playing time on the South Side in 2018 along with others like Trayce Thompson, Charlie Tilson and Ryan Cordell is a slap at Jimenez’ intelligence.”
A disgusting reminder that the player is always the most aggressively hated on for getting money, but the men at the top are the ones who are infinitely more wealthy because of the player, yet no one ever vehemently hates the owners for being rich than they do players.
The only people this happens to are the players in line to make a disproportionate amount of the money being thrown around in free agency so I don’t feel bad or even care.
They’re not holding down people who are below superstar level so it’s a very much overblown “problem.”
So…the better you are as a player, the less of an issue being held down is?
If you came out of college with a skillset that everyone wanted, but after signing a deal (that throttles your earning ability from day 1), your Employer said hey, we can’t deny the fact you’ve earned it, but we’re going to push back the promotion and payday you deserve by a year, because it makes financial sense for us – would you be okay with that?
It’s frustrating, but yet another example of for the MLBPA and MLB have bargained away the rights of players they don’t even represent.
Eloy is quite clearly deserving of a promotion, but because he can’t be part of the MLBPA until he gets promoted, he can’t drive change until that change no longer impacts him.
It would be nice if organizations could just come out and say that they were doing it for financial reasons instead of acting like we are idiots. The Sox are near the bottom of the standings and you mean to tell me that they can’t have Jimenez called up cuz his defense isn’t where they want it? Is it that bad that he will cost the White Sox a shot at the playoffs this year? Is the major league team too occupied with going nowhere this year that whatever little defensive problems he has, the coaches on the big league team can’t help with in the last month?
Does Ruiz have a shot at becoming a closer?
Conceivable for Ruiz, but Ian Hamilton looks like someone who will and should get a shot. They have some intriguing in-house solutions to trial in Sept with a look toward ’19…..not necessarily looking just at closer, but young arms who can truly earn bullpen roles without shelling out for as many veteran arms…..they’ll need a couple of those also no doubt. The Gomez and Minaya lighter fluid guys are not long for the South Side, b/c in ’19 they don’t want important young starters to see gems instantly ruined. That was okay this year since they will want to have a higher draft pick for one final time (probably 6th).
What’s the deal with his defense? Does it legitimately need work?
Yes. He is an at-best mediocre outfielder. But even still, he is already superior to Palka and Delmonico, and probably on par with 2014-2016 Avi Garcia. So the idea that his defense is so bad he needs work in the minors is a joke. He would already be a defensive upgrade over what they have been running out in the corners much of the season.
Eloy Jimenez couldn’t be much worse in LF than any of the starters the White Sox have played out their over the past 11 seasons. The organization has featured poor defenders such as Carlos Quentin, Juan Pierre, Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza, Melky Cabrera, Nicky Delmonico and Daniel Palka beginning in 2008. Each one of those players sported a negative dWAR in LF. The last time the White Sox had a LF with a plus defensive metric was Scott Podsednik back in 2007.
Is service time really the issue or is 40 man roster space? He isn’t on the 40 man, so maybe adding him possibly opens someone they want to keep to waivers. I agree with the White Sox decision but doesn’t seem they are handling it the best.
Roster space isn’t the issue with Eloy Jimenez. He was added to the White Sox 40-man roster prior to last December’s Rule 5 Draft because he would have been eligible with his accumulated minor league service time. The White Sox used up his first option year when they sent him to AA Birmingham to begin the 2018 season.