Toronto Blue Jays' Eloy Jimenez wins Dominican Winter League MVP
Photo credit: https://torosdeleste.com/
Toronto Blue Jays minor league outfielder Eloy Jimenez has won the Dominican Winter League's MVP.
When the Toronto Blue Jays brought back 29-year-old Eloy Jimenez on a minor-league deal two weeks ago, he looked noticeably leaner, roughly 20 pounds lighter and appeared motivated heading into the 2026 season.
That renewed focus has already paid off overseas. According to Spanish MLB insider Mike Rodriguez, Jiménez was named LIDOM's Most Valuable Player for the round-robin stage after posting a .278 average with a home run.
Eloy Jiménez win 🏆 Round Robin MVP Dominican league #Toronto #Toros #EloyJimenez
Jiménez was productive throughout the Dominican Winter League season. During the regular season, he hit .246/.324/.426 with five home runs across 139 plate appearances.
He elevated his play in the postseason, slashing .321/.349/.506 with one home run in 86 plate appearances.
Jimenez upside to hard to resist for Blue Jays
A designated hitter and occasional outfielder, Jiménez has shown significant upside at the major league level in the past.
As a rookie in 2019, the Cuban slugger launched 31 home runs while slashing .267/.315/.513, good for a 115 wRC+.
He followed that up with an even stronger showing during the shortened 2020 season, hitting 14 home runs with a .296/.332/.559 line and a 138 wRC+, earning Silver Slugger honors.
While his production dipped to a league-average 100 wRC+ over 231 plate appearances in 2021, Jiménez rebounded in 2022 when healthy.
That season, he posted a .295/.358/.500 slash line with 16 home runs in 327 plate appearances, producing a 143 wRC+ and a career-high 1.6 fWAR.
Jiménez's 2023 campaign was serviceable, but his performance declined sharply in 2024, which marked his most recent appearance in the majors.
He spent most of the 2025 season in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, where he hit .278/.335/.397 with three home runs in 167 plate appearances.
After being released, he finished the year with Triple-A Buffalo, though his production there left much to be desired.
While winning LIDOM's MVP is a positive sign, it remains difficult to envision a clear role for Jiménez on Toronto's roster.
He has seen limited time in the outfield in recent seasons, and the Blue Jays already have George Springer occupying the designated hitter spot.
Additionally, much of Jiménez's time in LIDOM came at first base-a position firmly locked down by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the foreseeable future.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 24|76 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays' Eloy Jimenez wins Dominican Winter League MVP Do you think Eloy Jimenez will break camp with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 20 | 26.3 % |
| No | 30 | 39.5 % |
| Too early to tell | 26 | 34.2 % |
| List of polls | ||