Leonardo Joel Jimenez (born May 17, 2001) is a Panamanian professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is ranked 5th on Major League Baseball's 2024 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list.[1]
| Leo Jimenez | |
|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays – No. 49 | |
| Shortstop / Second baseman | |
| Born: May 17, 2001 Chitré, Panama | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Jimenez signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent on July 2, 2017, receiving a $800,000 signing bonus.[2] He began his minor league career in 2018 with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, hitting .250 in 37 games.[3] He spent 2019 almost exclusively with the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays, hitting .298 in 56 games.[3]
He did not play in 2020, due to the cancelled Minor League season.[4] In 2021, he spent most of the year with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, playing in 54 games and batting .316.
On November 19, 2021, Toronto added Jimenez to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[5]
In 2022, he started the season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians.[3] Jimenez was optioned to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats to begin the 2023 season.[6] In 94 games split between New Hampshire and the Triple–A Buffalo Bisons, he batted .270/.366/.401 with 8 home runs, 47 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. Jimenez was optioned to Triple–A Buffalo to begin the 2024 season.[7]
On July 2, 2024, Jimenez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time following an injury to Isiah Kiner-Falefa.[8]
References
edit- ^ "MLB 2024 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Sources: Blue Jays make 2 key int'l deals". MLB.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ a b c "Leo Jimenez Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
- ^ "Jimenez, 3 others shielded from Rule 5 Draft". mlb.com. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ "Blue Jays' Leo Jimenez: Sent to MiLB camp". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ^ "Blue Jays' Leo Jimenez: Sent to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Toronto Blue Jays place Isiah Kiner-Falefa on injured list". ESPN.com. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)