Gilberto Jimenez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #23 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Since signing for $10,000, Jimenez has stood out as one of the best athletes in the system. The Red Sox hoped that his athleticism, hand-eye coordination and high contact rates would lead to five-tool impact. He hit for average at Low-A in 2021 but with little power.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez, a natural righthanded hitter, took on switch-hitting upon entry into the Red Sox system and is still working to define his swing. He’s a free-swinger who has produced a sky-high groundball rate. The Red Sox are trying to get him to be more upright in the box to gain leverage and tap into his considerable raw strength. Though he possesses double-plus speed once underway, it hasn’t translated yet to stolen bases, creating concern about his reads. Speed and a powerful arm give him the chance to be an above-average outfielder in center or right.
  
  The Future: Jimenez still has the tools to put the ball in play and use his speed to make an impact on the bases and defensively, but he’ll need to start squaring up the ball to maintain that outlook.
  
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #7 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 55 Power: 45 Run: 70 Fielding: 60 Arm: 70
  Track Record: Jimenez signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic but quickly surpassed many players who signed for more. He began switch-hitting after signing with the Red Sox and was a standout in the college-heavy short-season New York-Penn League as an 18-year-old. The 2020 season, unfortunately, represented a lost year of development after he wasn’t invited to the alternate site camp.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez represents one of the most intriguing talents in the Red Sox organization: a player with the athleticism, strength, hand-eye coordination and elite speed to perform well even while learning. He is still developing his swing path after a choppy approach to the ball resulted in a 64% percent groundball rate in 2019. Nonetheless, his sub-four seconds times to first base allows him to turn many of those grounders into hits, particularly from the left side. Jimenez is still learning to hit lefthanded but hit .374 against righties in 2019, and all three of his homers came while hitting lefthanded. His plus-plus speed and arm strength suggest impact potential both on the bases and in center or right field.
  
  The Future: The 2021 season should offer Jimenez his first exposure to full-season ball. There’s a lot of development left, but he has a ceiling rivaled by few in the system.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #9 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A raw athlete who fell through the scouting cracks in the 2017 signing period before joining the Red Sox for $10,000, Jimenez represents a moldable ball of clay whose athleticism, hand-eye coordination and incredible speed have allowed him to emerge as a standout performer while learning on the fly. After a strong Dominican Summer League debut in 2018, he excelled at short-season Lowell in 2019, leading the New York-Penn League in batting (.359) while finishing fourth in OPS (.863) and ninth in steals (14).
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jimenez started switch-hitting after turning pro, and while his lefthanded swing remains inelegant and sometimes choppy, he has good enough feel for the barrel. Despite a very high groundball rate, his elite speed (sub-4.0 times from home to first) allowed him to garner loads of infield hits. It's possible that he'll be limited to a slap-and-run profile whose production decreases as defenses improve, but Jimenez also has flashed the bat speed to drive the ball, even if his current swing is geared for contact. Jimenez struggles with pitch recognition and plate discipline, but if experience yields refinement, he has the potential for average or better across-the-board tools. His speed and arm give him a big league outfielder's floor and his athleticism and strength make it easy to dream big.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jimenez should open 2020 as a 19-year-old at low Class A Greenville. He's raw and thus unlikely to fast track, but if everything clicks, he could sit near the top of Red Sox prospect lists in the coming years.
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #20 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Jimenez slipped through the cracks in the 2017-18 interantional signing period, permitting the Red Sox to sign him for just $10,000. He stood out as a dynamic top-of-the-order hitter with a balanced skill set while hitting .319/.384/.420 in the Dominican Summer League in 2018.
  
  Scouting Report: A natural righthanded hitter, Jimenez posted much better numbers batting lefthanded (.350/.416/.478) than righthanded (.204/.259/.204) in his first year as a switch-hitter. He showed the speed to impact the game both as a true center fielder and on the bases, though his 16 steals came with 14 times getting thrown out. He shows an across-the-board tool set that grades as average or better except for his power, though it’s possible that he could grow into the ability to drive the ball.
  
  The Future: Jimenez has as much upside as nearly any outfielder in the system, though years remain to show whether that promise takes shape as eventual big league production.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked New York-Penn League #4 prospect in 2019
  Jimenez signed for just $10,000 in the 2017 international period and continues to look the part of a future big leaguer. Boston skipped him over the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in favor of a more aggressive assignment to the typically college-heavy NYPL. Jimenez mostly patrolled center field and led the league in batting average (.359). He was among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.393), slugging (.470) and OPS (.863) as well. Jimenez has the ability to be an above-average hitter. Scouts believe his ability to drive the ball is present, but they aren’t sure if he will further tap into it as he matures. His 80-grade speed helps him routinely turn infield grounders into hits. With Jimenez’s athleticism and speed, center field feels like the most likely spot. Jimenez has the upside of an everyday outfielder, although evaluators think he could be a backup if the power doesn’t develop.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Since signing for $10,000, Jimenez has stood out as one of the best athletes in the system. The Red Sox hoped that his athleticism, hand-eye coordination and high contact rates would lead to five-tool impact. He hit for average at Low-A in 2021 but with little power.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez, a natural righthanded hitter, took on switch-hitting upon entry into the Red Sox system and is still working to define his swing. He’s a free-swinger who has produced a sky-high groundball rate. The Red Sox are trying to get him to be more upright in the box to gain leverage and tap into his considerable raw strength. Though he possesses double-plus speed once underway, it hasn’t translated yet to stolen bases, creating concern about his reads. Speed and a powerful arm give him the chance to be an above-average outfielder in center or right.
  
  The Future: Jimenez still has the tools to put the ball in play and use his speed to make an impact on the bases and defensively, but he’ll need to start squaring up the ball to maintain that outlook.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 55 Power: 45 Run: 70 Fielding: 60 Arm: 70
  Track Record: Jimenez signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic but quickly surpassed many players who signed for more. He began switch-hitting after signing with the Red Sox and was a standout in the college-heavy short-season New York-Penn League as an 18-year-old. The 2020 season, unfortunately, represented a lost year of development after he wasn't invited to the alternate site camp.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez represents one of the most intriguing talents in the Red Sox organization: a player with the athleticism, strength, hand-eye coordination and elite speed to perform well even while learning. He is still developing his swing path after a choppy approach to the ball resulted in a 64% percent groundball rate in 2019. Nonetheless, his sub-four seconds times to first base allows him to turn many of those grounders into hits, particularly from the left side. Jimenez is still learning to hit lefthanded but hit .374 against righties in 2019, and all three of his homers came while hitting lefthanded. His plus-plus speed and arm strength suggest impact potential both on the bases and in center or right field.
  
  The Future: The 2021 season should offer Jimenez his first exposure to full-season ball. There's a lot of development left, but he has a ceiling rivaled by few in the system.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 55 Power: 45 Run: 70 Fielding: 60 Arm: 70
  Track Record: Jimenez signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic but quickly surpassed many players who signed for more. He began switch-hitting after signing with the Red Sox and was a standout in the college-heavy short-season New York-Penn League as an 18-year-old. The 2020 season, unfortunately, represented a lost year of development after he wasn’t invited to the alternate site camp.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez represents one of the most intriguing talents in the Red Sox organization: a player with the athleticism, strength, hand-eye coordination and elite speed to perform well even while learning. He is still developing his swing path after a choppy approach to the ball resulted in a 64% percent groundball rate in 2019. Nonetheless, his sub-four seconds times to first base allows him to turn many of those grounders into hits, particularly from the left side. Jimenez is still learning to hit lefthanded but hit .374 against righties in 2019, and all three of his homers came while hitting lefthanded. His plus-plus speed and arm strength suggest impact potential both on the bases and in center or right field.
  
  The Future: The 2021 season should offer Jimenez his first exposure to full-season ball. There’s a lot of development left, but he has a ceiling rivaled by few in the system.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 55 Power: 45 Run: 70 Fielding: 60 Arm: 70
  Track Record: Jimenez signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic but quickly surpassed many players who signed for more. He began switch-hitting after signing with the Red Sox and was a standout in the college-heavy short-season New York-Penn League as an 18-year-old. The 2020 season, unfortunately, represented a lost year of development after he wasn’t invited to the alternate site camp.
  
  Scouting Report: Jimenez represents one of the most intriguing talents in the Red Sox organization: a player with the athleticism, strength, hand-eye coordination and elite speed to perform well even while learning. He is still developing his swing path after a choppy approach to the ball resulted in a 64% percent groundball rate in 2019. Nonetheless, his sub-four seconds times to first base allows him to turn many of those grounders into hits, particularly from the left side. Jimenez is still learning to hit lefthanded but hit .374 against righties in 2019, and all three of his homers came while hitting lefthanded. His plus-plus speed and arm strength suggest impact potential both on the bases and in center or right field.
  
  The Future: The 2021 season should offer Jimenez his first exposure to full-season ball. There’s a lot of development left, but he has a ceiling rivaled by few in the system.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A raw athlete who fell through the scouting cracks in the 2017 signing period before joining the Red Sox for $10,000, Jimenez represents a moldable ball of clay whose athleticism, hand-eye coordination and incredible speed have allowed him to emerge as a standout performer while learning on the fly. After a strong Dominican Summer League debut in 2018, he excelled at short-season Lowell in 2019, leading the New York-Penn League in batting (.359) while finishing fourth in OPS (.863) and ninth in steals (14).
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jimenez started switch-hitting after turning pro, and while his lefthanded swing remains inelegant and sometimes choppy, he has good enough feel for the barrel. Despite a very high groundball rate, his elite speed (sub-4.0 times from home to first) allowed him to garner loads of infield hits. It’s possible that he’ll be limited to a slap-and-run profile whose production decreases as defenses improve, but Jimenez also has flashed the bat speed to drive the ball, even if his current swing is geared for contact. Jimenez struggles with pitch recognition and plate discipline, but if experience yields refinement, he has the potential for average or better across-the-board tools. His speed and arm give him a big league outfielder’s floor and his athleticism and strength make it easy to dream big.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jimenez should open 2020 as a 19-year-old at low Class A Greenville. He’s raw and thus unlikely to fast track, but if everything clicks, he could sit near the top of Red Sox prospect lists in the coming years.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A raw athlete who fell through the scouting cracks in the 2017 signing period before joining the Red Sox for $10,000, Jimenez represents a moldable ball of clay whose athleticism, hand-eye coordination and incredible speed have allowed him to emerge as a standout performer while learning on the fly. After a strong Dominican Summer League debut in 2018, he excelled at short-season Lowell in 2019, leading the New York-Penn League in batting (.359) while finishing fourth in OPS (.863) and ninth in steals (14).
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Jimenez started switch-hitting after turning pro, and while his lefthanded swing remains inelegant and sometimes choppy, he has good enough feel for the barrel. Despite a very high groundball rate, his elite speed (sub-4.0 times from home to first) allowed him to garner loads of infield hits. It's possible that he'll be limited to a slap-and-run profile whose production decreases as defenses improve, but Jimenez also has flashed the bat speed to drive the ball, even if his current swing is geared for contact. Jimenez struggles with pitch recognition and plate discipline, but if experience yields refinement, he has the potential for average or better across-the-board tools. His speed and arm give him a big league outfielder's floor and his athleticism and strength make it easy to dream big.
  
  THE FUTURE: Jimenez should open 2020 as a 19-year-old at low Class A Greenville. He's raw and thus unlikely to fast track, but if everything clicks, he could sit near the top of Red Sox prospect lists in the coming years.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Jimenez signed for just $10,000 in the 2017 international period and continues to look the part of a future big leaguer. Boston skipped him over the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in favor of a more aggressive assignment to the typically college-heavy NYPL. Jimenez mostly patrolled center field and led the league in batting average (.359). He was among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.393), slugging (.470) and OPS (.863) as well. Jimenez has the ability to be an above-average hitter. Scouts believe his ability to drive the ball is present, but they aren’t sure if he will further tap into it as he matures. His 80-grade speed helps him routinely turn infield grounders into hits. With Jimenez’s athleticism and speed, center field feels like the most likely spot. Jimenez has the upside of an everyday outfielder, although evaluators think he could be a backup if the power doesn’t develop.