Chicago White Sox hitting coach: There's more to Eloy than prodigious power
In recent seasons, Chicago White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson pleaded for patience with Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada.
Don't judge them too soon, Steverson cautioned. Give them a chance to show they can hit at the major-league level.
Before Thursday night's game against the Yankees at Guaranteed Rate Field, Steverson sent out a similar memo regarding Eloy Jimenez.
"He's 22," Steverson said of the Sox's rookie left fielder. "I don't think you can evaluate anybody that well without them having some time, some at-bats, at the big-league level.
"People are always saying you can or can't do something without waiting for the person to mature. Let this man mature, let him gain knowledge and see how he goes from there."
Much like Anderson two years ago and Moncada in 2018, Jimenez has had his fair share of strikeouts in his first season with the White Sox.
Unlike Anderson and Moncada, Jimenez has power that is off the charts, and it has been on recent display.
In Sunday's win at Kansas City, Jimenez launched a 471-foot home run. In Tuesday's home win over the Washington Nationals, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder hit a 462-foot homer to center field that hit the stairs leading up to the Fan Deck.
"The power is huge," Steverson said. "But I don't think he's just a pure, bona fide power guy. I know people are like, 'He's so big, let's see how far he can hit the ball.'
"This guy hit for average, too, throughout the minor leagues. He's a hitter. I think he's more of a hitter first than a guy that's got pop. I don't think he just goes up there to hit homers. He has the ability to do it, obviously, but I think he's more of a hitter than just a straight power guy."
Before he settled in, Jimenez was an easy strikeout victim because he would swing at sliders and other off-speed pitches off the plate. Now, he is becoming much more selective. Jimenez walked in his first at-bat against Washington on Tuesday night and he walked his first two times up against New York on Thursday.
"The progression is coming along nice," Steverson said. "He doesn't even have 200 at-bats yet. We're still in the early stages, but he's hitting the ball better, he's laying off some breaking balls way better than he did early. He's getting acclimated and he's getting better and better.
"It's a mindset. We've obviously talked to him about that a lot. You know how I feel about swinging at balls out of the zone, so it's been a high priority, a high priority conversation between he and I."