No. 29: Red Sox outfield prospect Gilberto Jimenez
Gilberto Jimenez had a down year by his standards. A few things went wrong. The switch-hitting outfielder slashed .268/.306/.366 with 18 doubles, two triples, and five home runs in 99 games in Low-A. He drove in 34 runs, scored 49 more, and stole 20 bases.
Jimenez set new career-highs in doubles, home runs, and steals. So that sounds like a positive season, right? Well, the issues outweighed the negatives sadly.
Jimenez saw his average dip below .300 in a season for the first time ever. The fact that it was so much lower stings. Meanwhile, he struck out 100 times. That’s the only time in his career that Jimenez reached triple digits in that category. But he was also at the highest level of the minors he’s ever been at, so there is that excuse right there.
Overall, Jimenez is an interesting player. He packed on some muscle before the 2021 season, with the idea of adding power to his game. That didn’t really work though. Yes, he hit a career-high five home runs this year, but that’s not exactly a major upgrade.
All that being said though, there’s still a lot to love with Jimenez. The 22-year-old plays good defense in the outfield and has a surprising arm. He’s also one of the fastest prospects I’ve ever seen. This is an area that could be graded a perfect “80”. However, Jimenez needs to work on his base running. 20 steals as a career-high for someone with his speed is wild. He doesn’t seem to get the best jumps, which is definitely something that can be worked on, so that’s good.
The run production wasn’t the best in 2022. Jimenez isn’t someone the Red Sox would ever be relying on to get them RBI though. It’s the run-scoring that could make him special. If Jimenez can improve his base-running, this is a legitimate 50-plus steals type of player.
He has the ability to hit over .300 as well. The power likely won’t ever be anything to get even remotely excited about. That’s not part of his game though, and that’s fine. Jimenez has plus potential everywhere else. Get on-base, and create havoc. That will be the name of the game for Gilberto Jimenez.
Hit: 55
Power: 30
Run: 70
Arm: 60
Field: 60
Overall: 55