It's just one game, but Eloy Jimenez is already learning big league lessons

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eloy Jimenez is not a finished product. And while the frenzied excitement over his major league arrival sparked expectations of a 4-for-4 performance in his first big league game, that's not what happened.

It's OK. Jimenez can still one day be one of the game's most dangerous hitters. One 0-for-3 with a couple strikeouts and a hit by pitch in March 2019 isn't going to change that. But there's still development to be done. Opening Day was the first step in his development as a major leaguer.

"Eloy took some hacks, saw they're not going to be giving in to him very easily, so I think today was a great learning experience for him to know they're not going to just give him cookies," manager Rick Renteria said after the White Sox 5-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. "He's going to have to look — as a big league hitter does — look for mistakes out over (the plate), and when they don’t want to give in to him he's going to have to take his bases. First game at the major league level, so he'll have plenty of them left to continue to improve.

"I cant speak for Eloy, but I think today was a part of the learning experience and I think he will make adjustments. He's a pretty good hitter, and I think the maturity factor that he brings to the table will allow him to hopefully make adjustments as he goes at-bat to at-bat, game to game. But today was a good experience for him."

Jimenez brings with him immense expectations, fueled in part by his own discussions about winning Rookie of the Year and winning multiple World Series championships. He crushed the ball in the minor leagues last year, specifically after he was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte, where he hit better than .350 and reached base at a nearly .400 clip. The team thinks the world of him and that he could one day be one of baseball's elite players.

But a hungry fan base has only one game to go on at the moment. And it wasn't a pretty one from the No. 3 prospect in baseball. He struck out in each of his first two trips to the plate, easily taken care of with a steady diet of sliders. He grounded out in his third at-bat and might've posted an 0-for-4 debut had a Royals reliever not spiked a breaking ball into Jimenez's toe in the ninth inning, giving him first base and forcing in a run for the team's first tally of the season — and the first RBI of Jimenez's career.

But those results won't be the lasting memory of his first game in the majors.

Jimenez's biggest lesson from his debut? Don't be so anxious. The nerves and butterflies won't be there moving forward because not every game will be his first in the bigs. He might see them pop again next week, when he receives a hero's welcome on the South Side. But come Saturday, the White Sox next contest here in Kansas City, he can move on from a lot of those "firsts."

"I was too anxious. But I think moving forward, I’m going to get better," Jimenez said after the game. "Today was the first game, and I think that’s why I swung at too many balls in the dirt. But I’m going to adjust."

On his to-do list? "Don’t be too anxious, and try to get your pitch. Don’t swing at the pitcher’s pitch."

With good health, Jimenez will have close to 160 opportunities this season to do better than he did Thursday. He almost surely will do better. But the magnifying glass will still be on him all season. Unfortunately, there's only one game's worth of data to analyze at the moment. Once there are more — a lot more — a more complete picture will emerge. But as general manager Rick Hahn said prior to Thursday's game, growing pains won't be unexpected. Even for a player as hyped and as exciting and as big a part of the White Sox future as Jimenez.

"He is a 22-year-old kid, and there are going to be some growing pains at the big league level," Hahn said. "But I understand the reason throughout White Sox nation and throughout the game for a great deal of optimism and excitement of what he’s capable of doing.

"With our long-term commitment to him, we are excited not just about the first eight weeks of his career but the first eight years. That, certainly in the long term, is going to be more important than anything in terms of how he gets out of the gate immediately."

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