The Twins signed 17-year-old shortstop Javier Pimentel to a $575K deal, according to the Dominican Prospect League. In his July 2nd prospect rankings, Blake Bentley placed Pimentel in a tenth-place tie, calling him "a wide-shouldered shortstop with a solid bat and plenty of room for improvement."
In other news from the league, the Mets inked 17-year-old shortstop Alfredo Reyes for $200K.
This question is probably akin to asking a random person named Cohen if they know the Shapiro family in Brooklyn… but any chance Javier Pimentel is related to Red Sox prospect Stomly Pimentel?
At least they didn’t have to pay $5M just for the privilege to talk to the guy…
You don’t know how Nishioka will pan out if they sign him. Maybe he won’t be a bust.
You can say that about any contract. But based on the facts we do have (history of Japanese players with great numbers there translating it into great numbers here), it seems more likely he’ll be a Kaz Matsui than a Hideki.
Of course, the Nishioka deal is going to be defined by the nature of the contract we reach with him. If he signs for $20M/5yrs, that’s pretty fair. If he ends up with $30M/4yrs, that’s incredible risk.
In all fairness, Kaz Matsui had A LOT of pressure on him.
Japanese players typically sign for around the same figure as their posting fee. I doubt Nishioka gets any more than $15M, and that’s at the extreme high end based on previous cases.
I know you dislike the posting system, but this has nothing to do with it. Why bother bringing it up again? Are you that bitter about it? I typically really enjoy your posts and opinions, but the posting fee is no more of a flawed system than arbitration (especially given its negative impact on relievers and constant loopholes), or the slotting system in the draft that does absolutely nothing to stop top picks from receiving high-end seven-figure or eight-figure contracts before they ever see an inning of professional baseball.
They’re part of baseball for now, and it’s best to just accept that for what it is.
Instead of being upset about the posting system, be happy that the Twins continue to spend on high-profile international talent. Sano, Kepler, and now Pimentel! It’s a great trend to see, and hopefully it continues and we can build a reputation as a good destination for international talent.
I’m so glad to see the Twins exploring these avenues more aggressively, especially with infielders. Granted they’re years and years off, but our track record with infielders in the draft is so shaky over the past decade that it’s great to see them investing in some high-profile international names as well.
Great sign, Twins. Keep up the good work!
I know, I know. I get all that, I just can’t get past the fact we’re subsidizing the Nippon League unlike any other league in the world.
My initial comment was just an offhanded quip, and I got dragged into a debate (character flaw of mine, granted).
Of the regular posters on here, I consider you the most knowledgeable and well-spoken Twins fan. Typically we’re on the same page, but you’re just never going to convince me the Nippon-MLB arrangement is favorable to the MLB.
I wouldn’t try to convince you it’s fair to MLB. Boston shelling out $51M just to be able to pay Daisuke Matsuzaka another $52M is ridiculous, but it’s the system and for the time being there’s nothing to be done about it.
Does the fact that I can’t do anything about it stop me from complaining when Gardenhire bats Matt Tolbert second? Well, no, and in that regard I’ll own up to my own hypocrisy. :)
Still, why not be happy about the increasing trend of exploring other countries for talent? I say good work by our front office for exploring all avenues, and again, kudos on the Javier Pimentel signing. A $575K bonus is a pretty mild investment for an upper-echelon Latin American prospect. Gotta be happy with a signing like this.
Technically, it’s only $5MM IF we sign him. If we don’t, all that money comes back.
I’m aware. It’s a de facto $5M signing bonus – but since the player doesn’t see a penny of it, he’s still going to want a fair-market contract on top of that $5M. Sure, we’ll argue we’ve already paid $5M to his club and he needs to consider that, and the two sides will likely settle somewhere in the middle.
Contrast that to the Dominican Leagues, and you can see why MLB poaches more players there than the Nippon.
He can’t be a Japanese free agent for a few years yet. I.e., he doesn’t have any other source for millions of $$ in the short term, so the Twins won’t have to give him the same sort of contract he’d make as a pure free agent. Different for the pitcher Oakland won the rights for in that he was close to free agency in Japan.
If they don’t sign him they don’t pay the posting fee.
[Ignore this double comment and go about your day]
I’d rather take a chance on touted prospects for a half million dollars than pay people like Brendan Harris $3MM to play 3B in AAA.
To be fair, it will only be $1.75 million in 2011.
Heh. Alfredo will be the Reyes of the future.
Very good for the Twins. They have been very aggressive in Latin America, and may have the best prospect of recent memory in Miguel Sano, as well as other prospects like Oswaldo Arcia and Adrian Salcedo from Venezuela. They have a very impressive haul of Latin Americans in their system.