Chicago Cubs can’t help but play ‘what if’ after Tuesday night’s loss

Chicago Cubs: What could they look like with Jimenez?

Eloy Jimenez finally made it his long-awaited, highly anticipated Wrigley Field debut on Tuesday night and it was one to remember. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, his debut came under different circumstances with him roaming the outfield as a member of the rival White Sox.

To make matters worse, the former top prospect made Cubs fans sick to their stomach with regret when he smacked a game-winning, two-run homer in the ninth inning. It felt almost scripted as Jimenez gave the Cubs a glimpse of exactly what they were going to miss out on by trading him.

The White Sox slugger has been swinging a red-hot bat lately, so it really wasn’t surprising that he delivered in the big moment. Over his last 16 games, Jimenez is slashing .351/.413/.737 at the plate and has driven in 16 runs. That home run was his sixth blast in his last nine games and.

That’s a huge step in the right direction for the young slugger who really struggled out of the gate early on in the year. He hit just .241 at the plate and got on base at just a .294 clip. The power hitter only managed to slug three home runs before he ended up on the injured list with a right ankle injury.

In total, Jimenez is slashing .254/.310/.497 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI. He’s on pace to hit 41 home runs and drive in 93 runs, which is pretty good for a rookie. He does have his flaws of course and needs to cut back on his swing-and-miss tendencies, but that’s the case with most players these days.