Eloy Jimenez should be among top 12 OF drafted

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Connor Rogers lays out why fantasy managers should be taking White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez as a top 12 OF in drafts.

Video Transcript

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CONNOR ROGERS: Between a slow start and a hamstring injury that cost him 2 and 1/2 months, Eloy Jiménez was being written off by some last summer. In response, he turned in the best run of his career in the second half. Jiménez hit .323 with 14 homers in 65 games after the All-Star break. His .949 OPS was sixth best among all major leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances after the break. For the year, Jiménez sported a 55% hard-hit rate that ranked him third in baseball behind Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez.

This year, Jiménez is going to spend a bunch of time as a designated hitter, whether he likes it or not. He's lost 25 to 30 pounds in the hopes of continuing to play the outfield regularly, but the White Sox know having him at DH gives him the best chance of staying healthy and that a healthy Jiménez should be one of the AL's best hitters. He might even contend for the league lead in RBIs as the likely replacement for José Abreu in the cleanup spot in Chicago.

Jiménez is just 26 and probably hasn't yet peaked as a player. He should be among the first dozen outfielders off the board in fantasy drafts.

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