December 4, 2008

 

Throws: Right
Height/Weight: 6'3''/180
Birthday: 12/1/1989 (Age 19) 
Roster Status: Rule V Eligible after 2010 Season; Minor League Free Agent after 2012

Background: Carlos Pimentel was a part of the Rangers' successful 2006 international signing haul. Alongside Wilfredo Boscan and Wilmer Font, Pimentel was the third major arm in their trio of right-handed pitchers. He's originally from the Dominican Republic, a place the Rangers have had more success recently. The Rangers signed him at 16, and he joined the club stateside.

Pitches: Pimentel currently throws a three-pitch starter's mix. His fastball is a low-90s offering that has some life, and he commands it well enough. As with most young pitchers, his fastball command will need to improve in order for him to succeed going up the chain. However, he's got a repeatable delivery, and should improve with time. Pimentel's breaking pitch is a curveball that has shown some potential. If you look at his strikeout numbers, you can tell that it can fool some hitters, though it will also need work in the command area. However, with time, his curveball could also become an above-average pitch. Pimentel's final pitch is a changeup. A year ago, it was obvious that his changeup was his weakest pitch, as lefties had their way with him while he ate up righties. However, in just a year's time, Pimentel evened out his splits, regularly shutting down both righties and lefties. This is a testament to how far his changeup has come. If it continues to improve that much, Pimentel is a definite starting prospect. However, if his changeup stagnates, he could ride his good fastball/curveball combo in the bullpen.

Professional Experience: Signed as a 16 year-old out of the Dominican in 2006, Pimentel was not eligible to play pro baseball until the 2007 season. The Rangers pulled a bit of a surprise when they assigned him to the Arizona Rookie League out of extended spring training in June. Despite being younger than almost all in the league, Pimentel went out and established himself as a legitimate Ranger prospect. In 42.1 innings with the AZL Rangers, Pimentel went 0-5 with a 5.53 ERA, but with 59 strikeouts and 17 walks. He allowed 44 hits, just 3 of them home runs. The ERA and WHIP weren't exactly sparkling, but when you consider that lefties hit .358 against him, compared to .227 for righties, it doesn't look as bad. There was a lot of optimism for Pimentel as he entered the 2008 season at age 18.

2008 Season: Pimentel was assigned to the young starting rotation for Spokane to open his 2008 season. Pitching in what is considered a 21+ league, Pimentel took the mound in each of his outings as an 18 year-old kid. However, in opposition to his 2007 season, Pimentel's results were impressive all-around. In 65.1 innings, Pimentel went 6-3 with a 3.31 ERA for the Northwest League champions, striking out 54 and walking 31. He allowed just 48 hits, 4 of which were home runs. Pimentel seemingly cleared up his problems with lefty/righty splits, as lefties hit .204 compared to .205 for righties. He struggled with control a good bit, however, so that is a developing concern. On the whole, though, Pimentel's 2008 season with Spokane was a success for the young righty.

Future Outlook: Pimentel is still considered one of the better young prospects in the Texas organization. His slight control inconsistencies are a bit of a concern, but he's never shown major control problems, so I expect him to return to better control starting next year. Pimentel is a flyball pitcher in the greatest sense of the word, as his groundball percentage is one of the lowest of any Ranger prospect. However, as he learns to locate down in the zone with his pitches, I expect him to become a flyball-leaning pitcher rather than a true flyball pitcher. My guess for 2009 is that Pimentel opens the season in Hickory, and he'll spend all of the year there. He'll still be just 19 years old the entire season, so there's no reason to push him. If the Rangers follow the traditional development model of not adding more than 50 innings to a pitcher's work total from season to season, I'd expect some controlled pitch counts in April and possibly August. Pimentel is still pretty far away from Texas, but I'd expect him to come hard if he has continued success. I could see him pushing for a job in September 2011, the first year he'll likely be on the 40-man roster. He'll be a good back-half rotation guy, with his ceiling probably being an average number three starter.

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