The teenaged catcher is a promising switch-hitter with a good chance to develop behind the plate.
The Detroit Tigers are finally starting to see some improvements in their international pipeline. Catcher Enrique Jimenez may be the next to follow Keider Montero, Wenceel Pérez, and Josue Briceño to the major leagues or high into the national rankings. The Venezuelan born catcher was ranked the 32nd best prospect in the 2023 signing period by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. He signed for a $1.25 million bonus, and so far the Tigers have no reason to regret that contract.
Jimenez just turned 19 back in November and hasn’t played above the Complex League yet, so there isn’t a lot of data or film on him. Initial reports on signing day had him as very advanced catcher in terms of calling and controlling the game from behind the plate. The physical skills in framing, throwing, and blocking were all strong enough to forecast significant improvement in the Tigers’ player development system, and so far the word remains positive on his defense relative to his age and experience level.
At the plate, the switch-hitter has a precocious eye for the strike zone and solid contact skills already. His power is still below average and largely from the right-handed batter’s box, but should approach fringe average in time as he gets stronger. Jimenez stands just five-foot-nine and is currently listed at 170 pounds, so there’s only so much power projection available. The quality hit tool and defensive ability could well be enough to carry him to a long major league career anyway.
Jimenez has a balanced, smooth stroke from both sides of the plate and makes plenty of hard contact. He shows more raw power hitting right-handed, but he’s still young enough that it’s hard to forecast how either side will play out over time. He walks a lot, showing outstanding recognition of the strike zone for his age. And while he had a little trouble squaring up better breaking stuff and velocity in his short stay at the Complex League level in 2024, that’s a pretty standard hurdle as players look to break into the A-ball levels.
Overall he projects as a solid contact hitter who will draw walks, post average or better on-base percentages, and hit for modest power. His frame says that average or better power is likely out of reach. However, there is time to develop physically and Jimenez has enough skills already to hope for more upside than that as he tackles A-ball this spring in his age 19 season.
Defensively, he has the raw tools along with the smarts and leadership ability to develop very well as a catcher. His arm projects as just average for the position, but his stocky build belies his quick, controlled actions behind the plate. There’s a good chance the Tigers skill at developing catchers gets Jimenez to at least an average defensive level by the time he’s in the upper minors and approaching the major leagues.
2025 Outlook
Jimenez should be ready to tackle Low-A ball and spend the whole season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. As a catcher there is a lot to work on in all facets of the game, so I wouldn’t expect the Tigers to rush him even if he’s hitting as well as they hope. This season will be about refining his game and getting him built up to handle a full year of pro ball.
The upside here isn’t comparable to Thayron Liranzo or Josue Briceño at all, but there’s a collection of skills here that give Jimenez a pretty likely major league future. Whether that’s as a depth catcher or a regular depends on whether he can get the most out of his defensive ability and power potential. For now the advanced defensive ability, plate discipline, and quality hit tool for his age give him a solid floor as a prospect. We’ll start to see how much he can develop the rest of his game this year, but with a catcher this young, don’t be surprised if it takes a few seasons to refine his game enough to take on the Double-A level.