Off to good start with new team, now O's look to tap into Jiménez's power

As a rookie in 2019, Eloy Jiménez hit 31 homers, had an .828 OPS and finished fourth in voting for the American League Rookie of the Year. In the 2023 season he hit 18 longballs.

But this year he has just five in 275 plate appearances. His homer percentage of 1.8 – the percentage of all plate appearances that end in a homer is the lowest of his career. That percentage was 6.2 for him in 2019 and 2020.

The task for the O’s coaches could not be more obvious. Try to get this guy back to lifting the baseball. Even though he is currently hitting the ball hard often and driving some grounders through infields around baseball.

Coming into the Nats series Jiménez was 12-for-24 with the Orioles, but with two doubles and 10 singles. He struck out as a pinch-hitter last night.

O’s skipper Brandon Hyde said the process to try and get Jiménez to drive baseballs is well underway.

“If you go watch his batting practice, it’s one of the best batting practices you’re ever going to see,” Hyde said pregame Tuesday. “And it was when he was a teenager too. He’s very aware and everyone is aware that he’s hitting the ball hard (but a lot on the ground), hitting the ball hard the other way, but there is definitely more power in there which he has shown in the past. When he hit 30-plus homers when he was 21 years old (actually 22 in 2019).

“There is a little bit mechanical (work going on). So, he’s working on driving the baseball. He uses the whole field so well, and that’s why you see when they pitch him out over the plate, he takes his base hit the other way. Which is wonderful. Big fan of it obviously, especially with runners in scoring position or going first to third. But there is definitely more in there from a power standpoint. And it is something they are working on daily.”

Jiménez is hitting the ball hard. His average exit velocity with the White Sox was 92.4 mph and it is 92.5 with the Orioles. Among O’s regulars, only Gunnar Henderson at 93.3 tops that. Jordan Westburg is at 91.4, Colton Cowser 91.1, Ryan Mountcastle 90.8 and Ryan O’Hearn 90.4.

But Jiménez has a 72.2 percent groundball rate as an Oriole and that was 60.1 with the White Sox. His rate last year was lower, but still high at 53.2. His 2024 flyball rate with the Orioles of 11 percent would easily be a career-low if maintained. 

Is it risky to try and get Jiménez to lift more baseballs when currently his batting average is so good hitting many on the ground?

“It’s not risk if you have been around for a while, and you already know a little bit. He knows how to hit with power because he’s done it," Hyde said. "He also knows how to hit a line drive single to right field too. It’s more of getting in a little different mindset. And it’s not to try and pull the ball in the air. You’ll see him do that in BP the last two rounds and he’ll hit balls over that big wall the last two rounds. But it is just getting pitches that he can do a little bit more with. And taking maybe a little bit more aggressive pass at the baseball.”

O's lose to Nats: The O's lost 9-3 to the Washington Nationals last night as they allowed 14 hits and lefty Trevor Rogers gave up five runs in five innings. The Orioles were 8-1 in their previous nine games against the Nats, but they got beat by six runs last night. 

Now 70-50, they ended the night in second-place, 1/2 game behind the New York Yankees.

On the farm: The O's 2023 top draft pick, outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., made his Double-A debut last night as Bowie won 5-0 at Altoona. He went 1-3 with two runs and an RBI single. Outfielder Tavian Josenberger, who also had moved up from High-A Aberdeen to join Bowie, went 2-for-3 and scored a run.

Righty Alex Pham pitched five scoreless to reduce his ERA for the year to 4.67. He has been a pitcher on a roll recently with 10 scoreless his last two games and with an ERA of 1.69 with four scoreless outings his past six games.

Aberdeen won 6-2 at home over Greensville and outfielder Jake Cunningham, who moved up from Low-A Delmarva, went 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Aberdeen is 23-20 in the second-half and now just 1/2 game out of first place.

Five 2024 O's draft picks made their pro debuts last night as Carolina beat Delmarva 2-1. Third-round pick Austin Overn was the Shorebirds' leadoff hitter in center field and went 0-for-4. Colin Tuft, the O's eighth-rounder, batted second, going 0-for-3 with a run and walk. Griff O'Ferrall, their No. 32 overall pick out of the University of Virginia, batted third and was 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI groundout. Catcher Ethan Anderson, their second-round pick from UVa, went 0-for-4. Ryan Stafford, drafted in round five, was the DH batting seventh and was 0-for-4. 

Triple-A Norfolk lost 5-4 at Gwinnett. But right-hander Brandon Young allowed just one run in five innings on 75 pitches.