Jose Jimenez followed many past baseball player’s paths and recently became draft eligible. The first baseman has another year with Tampa, and if given a contract will face possibly jumping ship from his team like the eight members of last year’s squad. Jimenez refused to let the choice affect his current play.
“I’m not even thinking about it,” he said. “I’m just trying to win. That’s all I want to take care of now. The only thing I can control right now is to play here and try to win another ring.”
Jimenez has been around baseball since he was a kid. Growing up with his father playing the same sport, he picked it up early and excelled immediately.
“It was the first thing that was shown to me,” said Jimenez. “I’ve had pictures of baseball bats and gloves since I was a newborn.”
It was this tradition that connected him with Tampa. In his career as a Spartan, Jimenez was a part of both national championships and feels a strong tie with the school’s deeply rooted history.
“Back in the 80s, back in the 90s, and we’ve started our own little legacy in the past couple years. After games, after practice, the last thing we say is, ‘pride.’ It’s that Tampa pride, it’s what we play for,” he said. “Having the pride of wearing that uniform is really all that matters.”
No contracts have been offered. No guarantees made. Simply becoming draft eligible seems more than an honor than a paycheck and Jimenez’s respect for the program and love for the team keep his mind focused on this season.
The team captain did not ever commit to saying he would go if drafted. Still, the major league is every ball player’s dream.
“It crosses your mind but you can’t control it. If I get drafted, I get drafted, if not you know, I’ll be back here hopefully get a third ring, and if I do come back hopefully get a forth. That’s all I’m really trying to do right now.”
Jimenez is hitting .255 in 110 at-bats this season. He has a team-high four homeruns and has knocked in 28 RBI.
Leave a Reply