Baltimore Orioles New Slugger Finding Success Because of Simple Reason

The Baltimore Orioles new slugger is putting up a great stretch of play, and it could come down to one simple reason.

Aug 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (72) celebrates after hitting a RBI single during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field / David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of this past trade deadline, it was known the Baltimore Orioles could land just about anyone they wanted to because of their loaded farm system.

Ultimately, they went the more conservative route, landing some veteran arms and bringing in pieces to their lineup who can play multiple roles in matchup based batting situations, or when playing in the field.

The most interesting player the Orioles brought in was Eloy Jimenez.

Once considered a potential cornerstone of the Chicago White Sox when he finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 and won a Silver Slugger award the next season, his career became marred with injuries that ultimately spoiled his tenure and caused him to be shipped out of town.

For Baltimore, he is certainly someone worth taking a chance on.

Jimenez has prolific power and gives them someone they can pencil into the lineup against left-handed pitching.

The only question was if he would be able to mesh within this clubhouse that has built a winning culture, something that had not been prevalent with the White Sox for the past couple of years.

It's been so far, so good for the Orioles and the slugger.

In 18 games, Jimenzez has a slash line of .304/.316/.375, and even though he's yet to hit a homer, he's still driven in six runs across his 56 at-bats.

What has caused this turnaround?

According to Anthony Santander, it's the fact he is now with a contending team.

"It's a different environment. He's coming from a tough team, like, they're always losing, and he was involved with a lot of injuries in the past. So when he got here, I just grabbed him the first day in Cleveland and, I know that he knew already but, 'You're coming to a winning team, this is what it takes to be able to be on the field and compete every single day. I think the key for you is going to be to stay healthy,'" he told Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Baltimore's star outfielder then shared he's worked with the newcomer on making sure his body stays healthy, something he himself had troubles with early on in his career.

As of now, Jimenez has remained available, and Santander thinks it's only a matter of time before their deadline addition becomes an impact player for them.

Much of that can be attributed to Jimenez's willingness to accept coaching from his new team.

"I think any change mid-season is tough, but to Eloy's credit, since the first day he got here it's just like, 'Hey, what have you guys got for me? I want to be good.' So he's come in every day ready to prepare and ready to listen to what we've got," said offensive strategy coach Cody Asche.

It sounds like he's doing all the right things to fit into this culture and do what it takes to be a winning part of this team.

Hopefully he's able to showcase his immense talent on the field and pay off his hard work in a major way.