The Natural is considered one of the greatest sports movies of all-time. When I watched it, I couldn’t get into the Robert Redford flick. I mean, in no way is the plot realistic.
Well I’ll be damned if 20-year-old Eloy Jimenez is proving me wrong.
The monster outfielder is one of the top prospects in not only the Chicago Cubs’ organization but all of Major League Baseball. The Dominican signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Cubbies as a 16-year-old, and it’s now looking like a genius contract.
The kid was invited to participate in the Carolina League Home Run Derby Monday night. He friggin’ hit a bomb to left outer-space that knocked out one of the stadium’s outfield lights.
This video is all the baseball world is talking about.
Eloy Jimenez just went Roy Hobbs on the stadium lights. pic.twitter.com/wD2521SedW
— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) June 20, 2017
Considering his parents were probably small children when it came out in 1984, Jimenez probably has no clue what The Natural even is. Even still, he’s the first real-life Roy Hobbs I’ve ever seen.
Now if we can get Shoeless Joe to come back …
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
