As expected, we got Pimentel. Divish talks about the other nine players signed by the Mariners.
Signed for around $2M, Pimentel is a power-hitting left handed outfielder who BA ranked 4th out of the prospective international free agents this year... and I know nothing about the rest of them.
0 recs | 47 comments
"He's extremely strong with a good approach to hitting."
I bet.
Jeff Sullivan - August 4, 2009
Is that pronounced Pim-ate-el, or Pim-ah-tel?
Thingray - August 4, 2009
What happened to the "n"?
Phil Hatzenbuehler - August 4, 2009
I spelled his name incorrectly twice
My fault, not his
Graham MacAree - August 4, 2009
Ah.
I didn’t catch the article before it was updated.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - August 4, 2009
Choi looks nifty
LH power hitting catcher? I like those.
Graham MacAree - August 4, 2009
You mean you like the idea of those?
Lanky - August 4, 2009
I fail to see how I was unclear in that I like left handed power hitting catchers
Graham MacAree - August 4, 2009
There's an implication that you know some. I was wondering if that's really what you meant.
Lanky - August 4, 2009
50 words doesn't count as an article
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
Fanshots are ugly
Graham MacAree - August 4, 2009
And when the next person's giving you shit about not writing anything
you’re going to link this article. Lopez:2B::Graham:LL MiLB coverage.
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
So Graham provides average to slightly above MiLB coverage for a cheap price?
seattlebruin - August 4, 2009
Loads of talent/potential
but the production just isn’t there
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
Also, I could have sworn it was Pimentel
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
Reading Divish it appears that you're correct.
Thingray - August 4, 2009
Some of those last few guys on the list are beanpoles.
6-4, 165? Wow.
Thingray - August 4, 2009
Kids just three weeks past 16 - the youngest of our signings
he’ll fill out
dnc - August 4, 2009
I've been 6'1" 150 since I was 16...
…I’m now 28. Where’s MY fill?
88fingerslukee - August 4, 2009
I'm worse.
Not quite as tall, but thinner. I won’t tell how thin because my BMI seems to think I’m borderline starvation level.
JY - August 4, 2009
I have a friend who is 15 years old and 6'3", 125.
qrsouther - August 4, 2009
He's got me beat.
I weigh more than that, not much more though.
JY - August 4, 2009
Any news on the bonus each player got?
Other than 2 mil for Pimentel
Scrupio - August 4, 2009
I'll have a bunch of info up at USSM shortly.
Be patient.
JY - August 4, 2009
Done.
Hoo-hah!
JY - August 4, 2009
Yay!
Decatur - August 4, 2009
Pimentel, Choi, and Brito sound like the best of the bunch.
Usually, you just read these comments and assume the guy is blowing some smoke, and hyping the guys he just signed. But if Engle says those were the two best power bats in Latin America, I trust him. And if he says the kid from Korea is the best left handed hitter in Korea (at the HS level), I trust that too.
Rudy4three - August 4, 2009
Best LH prep hitter in Korea
not really the kind of description with fills you with hope and confidence.
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
There's a fair amount of talent in Korea.
It’s not Latin America or the US obviously, but if he’s the best LH prep hitter in Korea and he plays catcher well then that’s all sorts of neat.
Aaron Campeau - August 4, 2009
Would you have preferred the 3rd best?
Sec 108 - August 4, 2009
Uh, why not?
marc w - August 4, 2009
Too many modifiers
And Korea has not produced very many power hitters (that I know of, and I am aware that my ignorance is a major limitation here).
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
That's not necessarily the point.
It’s an investment. In many cases, teams don’t sign players from these countries in order to get a major league talent, they sign them to get their name out there for when that major league talent inevitably comes. See the Yankees and the Mariners re: China.
Choo and Hee-Seop Choi turned out okay. I’d say it probably works in the favor of our Choi to be on a premium position.
JY - August 4, 2009
Oh I wasn't really saying that I don't think he's a future major leaguer
who the hell am I to make a statement like that? I was just commenting on the phrase ‘best HS LH hitter form Korea’. If it were something like "he’s a great LH hitter, with tools and skills comparable to prospect X’ it would be different. But here the superlative is diluted out by the modifiers.
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
I get the semantics involved.
Qualifying a statement too much gets one into murky territory, but this guy isn’t exactly Chao Kuan Wu. I think the pitcher is going to be helping the catcher adjust in this case.
JY - August 4, 2009
This is an interesting angle
I wonder if the WBC is what has finally convinced teams to start putting more effort into scouting and signing young pacific rim players.
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
There were a lot of signings out of China preceding it.
The M’s decided to pick up two vets, who have whatever reason not debuted yet (the catcher was injured, I remember), and the Yankees signed a few teenagers. We’ll see how that ends up working out.
I eagerly await the day when we begin signing Thai prospects with seventeen-letter last names.
JY - August 4, 2009
The money seems pretty high for such young players from an underscouted region
do you think the sums are justified or are the Ms making a statement?
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
Well Isao Harimoto is ethnically korean and still holds korean citizenship. Theres plenty of talent in asia, especially with WBC, olympics, and junior tournaments wins for asian countries. A lot of other teams have invested a lot into Korea etc.
Check out the Boise Hawks, they have three korean players (one of, ss(?), and a pitcher), the outfielder has had a nice year batting. Also eastwindupchronicle.com is a blog run by two MLB scouts in korea and taiwan respectively, lots of good info on Asian baseball.
w00tah - August 4, 2009
That's the usual going price these days, and it's pretty close to justified.
The money says they’re third round talents or so, and that I can buy.
I’ll also second the endorsement of EastWindupChronicles. Awesome site.
JY - August 4, 2009
Korea produced a Japanese Emporer. That's some fucking power right there.
Sec 108 - August 4, 2009
Korea keeps doing well in these weird international competitions they hold all the time
must be smoke and mirrors
seattlebruin - August 4, 2009
Oh my bad I forgot about all those home runs they hit in the WBC
Bearskin Rugburn - August 4, 2009
How could you miss all of the Bong hits?
Sec 108 - August 4, 2009
Well done.
I remember in All-Star Baseball 2004 I loved being the Giants (go figure) and when I’d go into the bullpen, I’d always make sure to hover over a picture by the surname of Bong (don’t remember the guy’s first name) and it would ask me, “Do you want to warm up Bong?”
qrsouther - August 4, 2009
The korean catcher's main position is 3B but the Mariners signed him as a catcher (he was #2 HS catcher in the country).
w00tah - August 4, 2009
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