Andres Gimenez won the Arizona Fall League batting title on Friday as he finished off his time there with a .371 average, which was .10 higher than the next-best hitter, Alec Bohm of the Phillies, who hit .361.
Gimenez, 21, also had a .999 OPS, two homers, five doubles, and two triples over 18 games (70 at-bats).
“My approach at the plate was basically to try and keep it simple,” Gimenez said as detailed by MLB.com.”I tried to hit the other way and use all fields. I enjoyed every moment with my teammates and enjoyed the game. I had fun every time.”
The shortstop was not nearly as impressive during his time with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A) this season as he hit .250/.309/.387 with nine homers and 37 RBI over 117 games (432 at-bats).
That being said, Gimenez battled hand injuries all season long which definitely could have been the reason for his mediocre performance in the Eastern League.
According to MLB Pipeline, Gimenez is still rated as the 92nd best prospect in all of baseball and third in the Mets’ organization, only behind Brett Baty (81st) and Ronny Mauricio (80th).
With Amed Rosario playing shortstop for the foreseeable future, where Gimenez fits into the picture long-term remains to be seen. Center field could be an option as noted by our own John Sheridan.
How Andres Gimenez develops going forward is key for the Mets as their farm system lacks upper-level talent at the moment. Even if the team decides to not keep Gimenez, they could have a nice trade asset if he plays more like he did in the Arizona Fall League going forward.
