Julio Pimentel Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

IP	679
ERA	4.295
WHIP	1.467
BB/9	3.446
SO/9	6.985

Full name Julio Cesar Pimentel
Born 12/14/1985 in La Romana, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R

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Organization Prospect Rankings

For a righthander with quality stuff, Pimentel's climb through the minors has been much slower than expected, which may partly explain why the Dodgers were willing to include him in a trade for Elmer Dessens in 2006. He needed three years to master high Class A, then ran into trouble again in his first exposure to Double-A last year. Despite his struggles, he was named to the Futures Game roster, where he showed off a lively 90-93 mph fastball. His changeup has late fade and at times gives him a second swing-and-miss pitch. He also does a good job of throwing strikes. But the sum of the parts never has added up for Pimentel. He struggles with rushing his delivery when he gets into jams, and he has a knack of cruising for several innings before suddenly and completely falling apart. Some scouts believe he'll be better off as a reliever, where his mechanical issues and his lack of a consistent curveball will be less of an issue. Kansas City will keep him a starter for now, but his role could change if he can't solve Double-A in his second chance.
Pimentel completed his tour of high Class A with a 2007 stint in the Carolina Leauge. He previously made stops in the Florida State League as a Dodger, and in the California League after joining the Royals in the July 2006 Elmer Dessens trade. Primarily a reliever in 2006, Pimentel pitched almost exclusively as a starter last year. Pimentel has two above-average pitches in a lively 90-93 mph fastball and a changeup with late fade that can be a swing-and-miss pitch. He mixes in an improved curveball that has some sharp, late break. He showed his competitiveness by pitching out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the decisive CL playoff game, though he eventually took the loss. Pimentel's curveball is average at best and he struggles to control it at times. He needs better command, pitches too much to contact and has a bafflingly low strikeout rate for someone with two plus pitches. Pimentel's improving curveball should keep him in the rotation for now, but he may profile best as a late-inning reliever. He'll pitch out of the Double-A rotation in 2008.
Another piece of the Elmer Dessens deal, Pimentel originally signed as an outfielder. He wasn't hitting well at the Dodgers' Dominican academy, so they put him on the mound and he quickly took to the conversion. With a lean, athletic frame, Pimentel pitches at 91-92 mph with his fastball and touches 95. He also features a hard breaking ball that he throws at 83-84 mph. It's a curveball-slider hybrid with short, tight break. His changeup sits at 85- 86 mph and is a little on the hard side relative to his fastball, but it bottoms out nicely. Command is his biggest shortcoming. Pimentel has a tendency to land on the outside of his left foot, and will spin off to the first-base side of his mound. The Royals are trying to get him to land on his toe consistently, which will improve the command of all of his pitches. His inconsistent mechanics may limit him to the bullpen, and Los Angeles moved him there last May. He continued in relief after the trade, but Kansas City believes he still has a chance to be a starter. He'll open 2007 in the Double-A rotation.
Signed for $70,000 as an outfielder, Pimentel wasn't hitting much at the club's Dominican academy when his athleticism, frame and arm strength prompted a move to the mound. He surprised the Dodgers with an outstanding spring training in 2004, and followed up with an impressive full-season debut that summer. He stagnated last year and got shellacked in his final five starts. Like many raw Latin pitchers, Pimentel developed the bad habit of overthrowing and flying open with his front side in his delivery. Without staying closed in his delivery, he lost deception and command, leaving his pitches up in the zone. His fastball topped out at 93 mph, at times showing boring and running action, but late in the year he pitched at 88. He flashes a 75-77 mph slurvy breaking ball with late, downward break. Pimentel's 80 mph changeup has potential to be an above-average offering and is a tick ahead of his breaking ball. When he got hit hard, he lost confidence and regressed mechanically. He needs to improve his strength and mental approach, and he has the makeup and work ethic to do it. He likely will return to high Class A to begin 2006.
After he performed well as an outfielder at a tryout in the Dominican Republic, the Dodgers signed Pimentel for $70,000 and promptly moved him to the mound. Built similar to Yhency Brazoban, Pimentel has a live arm with premium athletic ability. He dominated at times when he got his breaking ball over for strikes, including a 16-strikeout, seven-inning performance in June. His fastball has been clocked as high as 94 mph and sits around 90 with boring action. Pimentel also has a hard, downer breaking ball, a changeup and a sinker. His frame is broad, and he's projectable because of his arm action and athleticism. At times it seemed as if Pimentel wasn't sure where his pitches were headed, and he needs to learn how to harness his stuff. He showed a grasp for setting up hitters, though his learning curve is considerable. Pimentel has good aptitude, raw but electric stuff and the durability to profile as a future middle-of-the-rotation starter. He's slated to open 2005 in high Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Pimentel came over from the Dodgers in the Elmer Dessens deal last year, and since then Kansas City has changed him into a completely different pitcher. When he was with Los Angeles, he would rear back and fire with the fastball, aiming for strikeouts. Now he's much more methodical and under control, both in his delivery and demeanor on the mound. Pimentel's fastball now parks at 90-92 mph, and he uses it to set up hitters with his offspeed stuff, yielding more groundouts than whiffs. He has a hard, three-quarters breaking ball and an improved changeup. "He gets swings and misses on the changeup because he's able to command and locate it effectively, and that also helps him get a lot of mis-hits on his fastball," an AL scout said. "He commands it to both sides of the plate and it has the potential to be his best pitch."