Kelvin Jimenez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #11 prospect in 2004
  Jimenez never has been dominant, but the Rangers say he's on the verge of a breakout season. He aged two years after the crackdown on fraudulent birth certificates and is growing into his lean, athletic frame and adding velocity to his plus fastball. He pitches in the 89-93 mph neighborhood and will flash a 95 occasionally. Those readings could become more frequent as he continues to fill out. Jimenez already shows good, tight rotation on a plus slider, another good sign of pure arm strength. He throws strikes with both pitches. His changeup needs refinement. His future as a starter or reliever could be predicated on his ability to develop a third pitch. Coming out of the bullpen, Jimenez would be a quality eighth-inning setup man with two plus pitches, and he'd likely consistently fire his fastball in the mid-90s. Though he went 0-2 in the California League playoffs, he pitched well enough to win both games and impressed the Rangers with his composure. He'll move up to Double-A in 2004.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #14 prospect in 2003
  The Rangers have been searching for pitching in the Dominican Republic for some time. Joaquin Benoit finally rewarded their patience with flashes of brilliance in the big leagues as a rookie in 2002, while Jovanny Cedeno has fallen by the wayside with injuries. Cedeno was protected on the 40-man roster, but became a free agent after being nontendered in December. Benoit and Jimenez were the most prominent Rangers to have their ages revised in the 2001-02 offseason--both added two years--but Jimenez' performance still has him on a solid trajectory for the big leagues. He has grown into a 6-foot-2 body (though he's still listed at 150 pounds) and emerged along with Jose Dominguez as one of the system's two fine Dominican pitching candidates at low Class A. Jimenez was Savannah's most consistent and durable starter, belying his 5-10 record. He was more effective out of the bullpen in the tandem-starter arrangement, showing better control of with his fastball, which reached the low 90s, slider and changeup. He'll move up to high Class A with Dominguez this year, when he'll try to further refine his command with the strike zone.
• 
  Ranked Texas Rangers #20 prospect in 2002
  Another young and promising Dominican find, Jimenez also came to the United States as an 18-year-old last summer and flashed impressive stuff. He held opponents to a .214 average with an electric arsenal similar to Jose Dominguez'. Jimenez has a plus fastball that can reach the mid-90s, and he already is more than a thrower. He displays a mature grasp of pitching, with the ability to change speeds and work both sides of the plate. He needs to fill out his lithe body to avoid the troubles that have plagued the wiry Jovanny Cedeno. Jimenez will pitch in low Class A this year with Dominguez.