SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

Juan Soto's $765M Deal with Mets: Opt-Out and Benefits

Everyone believes in something silly. 
You’ll find people who somehow believe there isn’t a direct correlation between <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/the-fallacy-of-the-tampa-bay-rays/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spending money and winning in baseball</a>, that 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers off a torn Achilles would save the New York Jets, that billionaires give the slightest nibble about you.
Maybe it’s just in our nature to justify the unjustifiable. Maybe believing in silly things makes us more human than anything, and there’s beauty in naivete as the void inches closer, immobilizing and consuming us in the end, no matter what we think or do.
“Screw it, why not!” the Angels sing, glory to the Jejune kings! 
<oc-connect-widget slot-id="3CtOcr6ru0th7GGvNxhmk"></oc-connect-widget>
For that reason, I, too, enter the vortex of ill-advised opinions: I believe in <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/eloy-jimenez/57924">Eloy Jiménez</a> and hereby declare this the grand, glorious opening of his fan club.
But the story of Eloy and joining his fan club is not one for the faint of heart. Once considered a top-tier prospect, Jiménez slashed .270/.321/.469 with a 114 wRC+ across six seasons for the decayed corpse known as the Chicago White Sox.
In his most recent season with the Sox, and later the Baltimore Orioles, Jiménez put up an astonishingly bad line of .238/.289/.336 with a measly 78 wRC+. 
<div class="ad-dog__cnx-container"><script id="0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"> 			cnx.cmd.push(function() { 				cnx({ 					playerId: "1f470a79-4a59-42bf-93c9-2f03390c3717", 					 				}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); 			}); 		</script></div>
And, of course, there’s his health. The antithesis of an Ironman, Killjoy Eloy missed more than 300 (!) games of a possible 818 across his Sox tenure, making him perhaps — next to <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/twins-byron-buxton-cracks-tooth-eating-steak-in-latest-weird-injury-of-2021-mlb-spring-training/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">steak-eating king Byron Buxton</a> — the poster boy for bad injury luck. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Honestly impressive <a href="https://t.co/HWh07CCbvx">pic.twitter.com/HWh07CCbvx</a>
&mdash; Sox On Tap (@SoxOnTap) <a href="https://twitter.com/SoxOnTap/status/1776386580439028035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some highlights get lost in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWgpZ_2oYfE&amp;t=79s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Super 8 trainwreck</a> that was his Chicago tenure as a whole. In his rookie year, he smacked 31 home runs in 122 games. He also had two separate seasons with a wRC+ above 130 (2020 and 2022).
When healthy, he did produce, and even in his most miserable 2024 season, his hard hit rate (49%) and average exit velocity (92) ranked in the 90th percentile amongst all hitters. 
So, you might describe Eloy Jiménez as somewhat of a glass cannon. His upside, thanks to the litany of injuries, may be officially gone. But nobody ever said the Eloy Jiménez Fan Club would be an easy venture. Nay, it is only for those who open their third and fourth eyes.
Do I care that his isolated power number (.099) last season was lower than Nico Hoerner’s? Nope, I instead point to his swinging strike percentage being down.
Do I care that his defense has always been pretty lackluster, meaning he has to be especially good at the plate to produce tangible value? No, I instead point to his strikeout rate being down.
Do I care that his injury history portends more IL stints wherever he signs? Not in the slightest, as I point to his HR/FB rate (8.2%) being much lower than his career average (20.4%).
I have deluded myself into the inspired belief that Eloy was so bad in 2024 that it shouldn’t be taken at face value. That was his InfoWars season. It’s part of the long con of meme-generating genius he ascribed to. Positive regression should be expected for a man of his talents. 
And there’s another thing about Silly Boy Eloy: he’s become a meme. It’s what makes joining the Eloy Jiménez Fan Club all the more fun.
He’s become so universally absconded by the press and fans alike that you don’t need to mock him anymore. This man managed to <a href="https://x.com/thenastypeter/status/1687996064735895553" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">hurt himself in a fight he wasn’t even a part of</a>.
This is a man whose teammates once <a href="https://thecomeback.com/mlb/white-sox-go-over-the-top-with-tribute-to-the-very-much-alive-eloy-jimenez.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">hung his jersey</a> in the dugout — perhaps a sign of their rightful belief that he could be the Kwisatz Haderach — as if he had died when it was merely one of his many absences due to injury. I can not emphasize enough how much that is the funniest flippin-dippin-slippin thing I’ve ever seen.
Plus, how much funnier would it be if he succeeds immediately after leaving the White Sox and the not-so-secretly worst owner in all of sports (shush about John Fischer just this one time, for me)? It would be a level of hilarity not seen since the Michael Rappaport <a href="https://x.com/ThePerezHilton/status/1489448630251520002" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">snowball video</a>.
And yes, I’ll admit, part of the ethos for the Eloy Jiménez Fan Flub is predicated mainly on wanting rather than thinking he’ll be good, but don’t let anyone convince you crazier things haven’t happened.
<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/jurickson-profar/58588">Jurickson Profar</a>, the <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=bat&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=y&amp;type=8&amp;season=2023&amp;month=0&amp;season1=2023&amp;ind=0&amp;sortcol=21&amp;sortdir=asc&amp;pagenum=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">worst-qualified player</a> in all of baseball in 2023, turned things around to become the starting outfielder for the National League All-Star team after having never been remotely close to that in years prior.
What’s more, Jiménez is still just 28 years old. How often do former top-level prospects become available for basically nothing in free agency? 
So sit back, light the candles in the Eloy Jiménez shrine you’ve surely made after reading all this, turn on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf0qEXeGCJM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">appropriate theme song</a>, and watch as this offseason’s most hidden gem flourishes anew.
Don’t say I didn’t try to tell you. 
<div class="newsletter has-white-color font-sans">
<form id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="newsletter__form grid has-2-columns mx-auto max-w-lg" action="https://justbaseball.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=01bb7b271ab0ca2836c44817e&amp;id=0d0be5025e" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" novalidate="" target="_blank"></form>
</div>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Welcome to the Mets Era of NYC" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/djfn7i6uSFE" width="430" height="765" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The post <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb/join-free-agent-eloy-jimenez-fan-club/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It’s Time to Join the Eloy Jiménez Fan Club</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Just Baseball</a>.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/">SportsGrid</a>.

It’s Time to Join the Eloy Jiménez Fan Club

Key NCAA matchups tonight include Seton Hall vs. Butler, Penn State at Michigan State, and more. Here are insights and tips for betting on these exciting games.

Tonight's Top College Basketball Games and Predictions

Tonight's college basketball matchups: Kansas at Iowa State, California vs. North Carolina, &amp;amp; NC State at Virginia Tech. Catch the thrilling highlights!

Top College Basketball Games Tonight: Key Matchups

American Express Tourny: Nick Dunlap excels in Hawaii; Adam Hadwin thrives in deserts, securing five top-six finishes lately. Also, watch Max Greyserman.&lt;br&gt;

American Exprees Tourny: Dunlap’s Return and Hadwin's Success

LATEST VIDEOS

Eloy Jiménez,mlb opening day predictions,mlb world series predictions,mlb predictions tomorrow,mlb award predictions,mlb draft predictions,mlb games predictions,mlb scores and predictions,mlb today predictions,Baltimore Orioles,Baltimore,American League,American League East,Chicago White Sox,Chicago,American League Central

keywords

twitter:card

twitter:title

https://sg-images-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumnbail-webp/article/2024105-1920x1080.webp?v=1736983107

twitter:image

thumbnail

google

I believe in Eloy Jiménez and hereby declare this the opening of his fan club. But the story of Eloy and joining his fan club is not one for the faint of heart.

description

expires

robots

og:locale

og:site_name

og:type

og:title

og:description

og:image

og:image:type

og:image:width

og:image:height

og:image:secure_url

article:published_time

article:modified_time

Dynasty Incoming? Spotlighting The Dodgers' Potential 2025 Lineup

MLB’s Top 5 Comeback Arms: Who Dominates 2025 After Injury?

Top 5 Nolan Arenado Trade Fits: Where Will the MLB Star Land?

Potential 2025 Red Sox Lineup if the Season Started Today

Potential 2025 Yankees Lineup if the Season Started Today

Projected 2025 San Francisco Giants Rotation After Signing Justin Verlander

Early 2025 World Series Odds: Can Anyone Challenge the Dodgers?

4 Best Trade Destinations for Luis Arraez in 2025 MLB Season

Where Will Max Scherzer Pitch in 2025? Top Free Agency Destinations

5 Critical Offseason Moves So the Twins Can Contend in 2025

Comment

Home

Articles

SportsGrid is your source for the best sports bets today. Watch SportsGrid for live sports news coverage, scores, odds, moneylines, sports betting tips & more.

sportsgrid.com

Ferrall Coast To Coast

College Football Today

NFL Pro Football Today

Bare Knuckle Fighting Main Event

The Early Line Live

SportsRage Tonight Live

NewsWire Live

The Bostonian Vs. The Book

Bare Knuckle Fighting Knuckle Up

MODUS Super Series Darts

Gametime Decisions Live

Fantasy Sports Today

The Smylie Kaufman Show

NHL Today

OUR SHOWS

Explore top predictors for this week's American Express golf tournament: Max Greyserman, Harry Hall, Mac Meissner, and Nicolas Echavarria lead the way!

The American Express Outright Winners: Golf Pros to Watch

LATEST SPORTSGRID VIDEOS

Wherever you are, SportsGrid can be there too. Here are all of the platforms and subscription services you can find us on and how to watch SportsGrid today.

Where to Watch SportsGrid | How to Watch SportsGrid | SportsGrid

Samsung TV Plus

Roku TV

FireTV

LG Channels

Vizio

Xiaomi

VIDAA

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following Connected TV’s

FREE ON MY TV

Amazon Prime Video

Freevee

YouTube TV

FuboTV

Plex

Sling Tv

FreeCast

Local Now

Stremium

Rad TV

Free Live Sports

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following Streaming services

LIVE STREAMING SERVICES

Sirius XM

Sports.Tv

YouTube

Download the new SportsGrid app, watch on SportsGrid.com or our YouTube Channel

WEB/MOBILE

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following platforms

ALL PARTNERS

Wherever you are, SportsGrid can be there too. Here are all of the platforms and subscription services you can find us on:

WHERE TO WATCH SPORTSGRID

MORE ARTICLES