The gameplan for Eloy Jiménez seems pretty straight forward, although never officially laid out by the White Sox left fielder.

Work hard, have fun, hit the ball a long way, have more fun and bring a World Series championship to Chicago’s South Side. But playing nine innings on a daily basis becomes another key goal for Jiménez, requiring his defense to be good enough for manager Tony La Russa to trust him in the late stages of close games.

This particular target has been a work in progress for the affable 24-year-old, who made a terrific catch Saturday.

“Keep working hard and try to change their minds with my work,” Jiménez said. “I don't want to come out in the seventh inning. That's why I work hard every single day, try to do my best at being a complete player. That's why I take so much pride to do everything I can to go out and play hard for my team.”

“He’s come a long way,” White Sox first-base coach and outfield instructor Daryl Boston told MLB.com. “And he still has a long way to go.”

Over 54 games played in left during the 2020 season, Jiménez had -3 OAA (outs above average) according to Statcast. Only two left fielders had fewer. He’s also had a moment or two such as last season’s Aug. 6th contest at home against the Brewers, when Jiménez ended up in the protective netting after chasing and missing a Christian Yelich fly ball down the left-field line. That play ended up as a Yelich inside-the-park home run.

But Jiménez has no interest in strictly becoming a designated hitter, expressing those feelings in no uncertain terms on many occasions, and as he mentioned above, he doesn’t like being replaced in a game. So, Boston told Jiménez to do something about it, and for the first half of last season, the duo put in early work every single day.

“It paid off,” Boston said. “In the second half, he was with [José] Abreu trying to get in better shape. That’s going to be the plan again. Abreu runs steps. He’s out there running laps before the game. So, he was following Abreu around in the second half of the season, trying to pick up his routine.”

That overall change is noticeable for others watching Jiménez.

“So far, he's tracking it outstanding,” La Russa said. “The more you do good, the more confidence you get. It's that beautiful cycle. But this is my first time seeing him and I'm very comfortable when the ball gets hits to left field. I think we should be.”

“One thing I've noticed this year is Eloy is starting to kind of separate himself in the drill work,” said White Sox outfielder Adam Engel, who has been a past Gold Glove nominee. “He's gone from a guy that you can tell is working really hard every day to the work is transferring into a skill. He's refining that skill. He's gone from being kind of middle of the pack I would say when it comes to drills, to now he's one of the guys that doesn't miss balls, and we challenge ourselves in our drills.”

A lack of confidence, especially where calling for balls coming in was concerned, plagued Jiménez when he first started, according to Boston. So, a change of mindset has made a big difference, where Jiménez knows he can make the plays, and feels confident he can call off Tim Anderson or Yoán Moncada.

“Once he’s rolling, he can move a little bit. But it does take him a minute to get started,” said Boston of Jiménez, who checks in at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds. “He’s working with AT [director of conditioning Allen Thomas], working on his first step agility and first step quickness. Hopefully, that pays off and gets him some added range. “What he does well for him, he’s better at coming in on balls. He does a better job getting rid of the ball.”

Jiménez features 40-home run potential on a yearly basis and hitting coach Frank Menechino believes he can bat in the .330 range. Jiménez also is one of the more fun-loving, likeable players in the game, who finds enjoyment in the dugout, on the field and even with the media on Zooms.

Rick Renteria, the previous White Sox manager, talked about Jiménez having the possibility of becoming a Gold Glover. That accomplishment would be nice for Jiménez and the team, but with Luis Robert in center, the White Sox are focused more on Jiménez making the plays he needs to make. It’s now a different feel than the first year, when Boston thought Jiménez might be destined for the DH spot.

“Let’s just say my heart doesn’t pound the way it used to pound when a ball was hit to left field,” Boston said. “You ask the guys in the Minor Leagues, and they all said he’s an average outfielder. My first thought was, ‘Whoa, we got some work here.’ But I do believe he can be an average outfielder.”

“That's why I try to go every single day, do my best, no matter how I feel,” Jiménez said. “I've been working on everything, every aspect.”