Elisaul Pimentel

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Kansas City Royals #29 prospect in 2011
  Kansas City's signing of outfielder Scott Podsednik to a one-year, $1.75 million deal last offseason paid off handsomely. Podsednik had a strong first half for the Royals before they traded him to the Dodgers last July for Pimentel and Lucas May, who may be their backup catcher in 2011. Pimentel is a relatively late bloomer who didn't sign out of the Dominican Republic until he was 18. He spent three years in Rookie ball before reaching low Class A last year, where he showed the stuff to project as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a power reliever. Pimentel uses an easy delivery to let loose 90-93 mph fastballs and has more projection remaining in his skinny frame. He complements his fastball with a hard, tight slider that's a potential plus pitch. He's more effective against lefthanders than righthanders because of his ability to run his slider in on lefties. He maintains his arm speed on his changeup, though it's still a below-average pitch. Pimentel's arsenal is intriguing, but he'll have to learn to control it better. That will be one of his goals this year in high Class A.