The Baltimore Orioles slugger is already off and running with his new team.
The Baltimore Orioles have received some criticism for how they handled last week’s trade deadline and who they did or didn’t acquire, but one player they definitely don’t regret adding is former Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez.
Jimenez was having a rough season with the White Sox, batting just .240/.297/.345 (all career-worsts) with five homers and 16 RBI in 65 games before being traded for pitching prospect Trey McGough. However, the Orioles were banking on him bouncing back in a more positive environment.
That bet already seems to be paying off, as Jimenez has hit the ground running with his new team.
On the field, Jimenez looks like his old self again. The 27-year-old former Silver Slugger winner is 5-for-9 with a double and two RBI in his first three games with Baltimore despite facing a tough Cleveland Guardians pitching staff. He’s now notched multiple hits in three straight starts and seems to be getting hot at the perfect time.
Meanwhile, Jimenez is enjoying his new teammates as well and is feeding off their enthusiasm. “The energy that they have, they pump me up,” he told Orioles beat writer Jake Rill. “I feel really good. I feel like I’ve been playing here for a year. And I just have like 3 days here. To be able to feel like that, it tells you something.”
Who can blame him? Baltimore’s clubhouse is full of young, exciting players who are winning consistently and hungry for their first championship together. Chicago’s clubhouse, on the other hand, feels like a funeral parlor.
It’s encouraging that Jimenez is already fitting in and feeling comfortable after just a few days. Hopefully that bodes well for his production down the stretch and in the playoffs. If he plays up to his potential, he could be a difference-maker for the Orioles in October.
