South Side Sox Player of the Week (July 31 - August 6): Eloy Jiménez

For a few brief weeks, the White Sox had something close to their core lineup intact. Baseball engines were firing on all cylinders, fueled by the pitching mastery of Dylan Cease.

And, in a timely return, The Big Baby began bashing.

Eloy Jiménez, batting .429 over the last two weeks, has been the spitting image of his best 2021 self. Last year’s hot streak, which began after his return from a tendon rupture, lasted through the dog days of summer and helped push the Sox to clinch the Central Division.

The 25-year-old Dominican native also missed the first half of this season, before his long-awaited return last month.

Jiménez is like the cool uncle who crashes on your parents’ couch for a few weeks every summer. He takes you to a ballgame, sneaks you your first sip of beer, and makes the good times even better. That is, until he disappears again, for an unknown length of time.

Despite his propensity for crushing baseballs, Eloy is both injury-prone and defensively limited. He’s also a great deal of fun. His frequent absences leave a hole both in the lineup and in the chemistry of the clubhouse.

Now, with the absence of Tim Anderson, the White Sox need offense. The burden now is on Eloy and the Sox training staff to keep healthy and see the season through.

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2022 South Side Sox Players of the Week

Tim Anderson (April 8-17)
Tanner Banks (April 18-23)
Lucas Giolito (April 24-May 1)
Dylan Cease (May 2-8)
Michael Kopech (May 9-14)
Davis Martin (May 15-21)
Jake Burger (May 22-29)
Andrew Vaughn (May 30-June 5)
Jake Burger (June 6-12)
Johnny Cueto (June 13-18)
Andrew Vaughn (June 19-25)
Dylan Cease (June 26-July 2)
Lucas Giolito (July 3-9)
Dylan Cease (July 10-17) (no art/essay)
AJ Pollock (July 22-30)
Eloy Jiménez (July 31-August 6)

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MVP Standings

Dylan Cease (114.7)
Michael Kopech (61.4)
Johnny Cueto (60.5)
Andrew Vaughn (43.9)
Lucas Giolito (34.2)
José Abreu (30.4)
Luis Robert (26.4)
Jake Burger (19.4)
Tanner Banks (18.0)
Eloy Jiménez (14.7)

Cold Cat Standings

Tony La Russa (-67.3)
Leury García (-57.6)
Josh Harrison (-36.1)
Kendall Graveman (-30.6)
Liam Hendriks (-28.1)
Yasmani Grandal (-27.5)
Joe Kelly (-26.5)
Tim Anderson (-23.8)
Yoán Moncada (-21.6)
Aaron Bummer (-18.5)

Tim Anderson’s fall from MVP grace was capped this week, as he jumped from just outside of the Cold Cats list to seventh overall, a rare jump — particularly this late in the season. And given that TA may miss the rest of the year (his healing ability, and perhaps the White Sox competitiveness in the division, pending), he may sit all offseason in this rare, negative territory. Also notable: Johnny Cueto, who didn’t join the White Sox until May, is now solidly in third in the MVP race, behind the uncatchable Dylan Cease and drafting behind the faltering Michael Kopech.

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Writer Standings

It’s a familiar scene for those paying attention to our White Sox coverage, as the Indianapolis Field Office team of Chrystal O’Keefe and Joe Resis are back at 1-2 in the standings. O’Keefe has pushed her record to a season-high 11 over, not out of sight, but pushing the cushion between first and second to four games, first and 17th to nearly 10.

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If you’re interested in seeing more of Mitch’s work, or if you’d like to purchase original drawings or prints, contact him via Twitter (@soxsketcher), Instagram (@southsidesharpie), or by e-mail at southsidesharpie@gmail.com. Thanks for supporting local artists!