Eloy Jimenez didn't play on Sunday, but when he makes his major league debut continues to be a hot topic for White Sox fans.
The uber prospect has ripped apart Triple-A pitching since moving up from Double-A in June. Jimenez is hitting .376/.425/.679 in 29 games with the Charlotte Knights.
White Sox director of player development Chris Getz was on 670 The Score's Hit & Run show on Sunday and talked about a number of prospects in the farm system, beginning with Jimenez.
"He’s one of those players that you rarely see seamlessly kind of move through the minor leagues and I would imagine he’s not going to waste any time at the major league level," Getz said. "We would just want to make sure he’s as well-rounded as possible whether that be baserunning, defensively, obviously offensively and we’re getting very close. I think when that time comes I’ll be excited to see what happens, but all signs point to plenty of success to come in the major leagues for Eloy.”
The 21-year-old Jimenez is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. The White Sox could play the waiting game with him given that the major league team doesn't have anything significant to gain the rest of this season. They also could get another year of control and wait until mid April like the Cubs did with Kris Bryant in 2015.
Either way, there's no denying Jimenez's production since being traded to the White Sox last July.
“Once we acquired him in the trade last year he’s done nothing but perform offensively," Getz said. "This guy has been able to drive the ball to all fields. He seems to be able to set up pitchers, he’s very advanced. Each level brings new challenges. The Double-A level I’d say generally speaking more of a fastball type level. Then you go Triple-A when you’ve got some veterans, some guys that have been in the major leagues, some six-year free agents, they pitch backwards. But he’s been able to close the gap at each spot."
Getz also talked about Michael Kopech, who has been on fire lately for Charlotte after a midseason slump.
“It’s been an interesting season," Getz said of Kopech. "I think ultimately for his long-term development a lot of good things he went through this year. It hasn’t been completely smooth, but that’s a good thing. He’s in a good spot right now. He’s commanding his fastball the best he has. He’s differentiating his curveball, his slider. He’s getting more consistent with those. He’s getting more confident with his changeup.”
Kopech struck out nine and didn't walk any batters in a start Sunday. He allowed two runs in seven innings. On the season Kopech has a 4.05 ERA with 152 strikeouts and 60 walks in 113 1/3 innings.
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“Michael is a very confident player and we feel that he is going to be an impactful type starter in the major leagues and there’s a chance it happens very soon," Getz said.