Padres Pick Up Pitcher Carlos Pimentel

Following earlier reports, on Christmas Even last week the Padres added 2015 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the year Carlos Pimentel. He is expected to start the season in AAA with El Paso but could quickly find himself on the major league roster.

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He began his career in the Texas organization where he pitched the first seven years. That said, he is still just 26 years old and now has three solid seasons in the PCL. This year though he really seemed to turn the corner.

He ended up with 12-6 record and 2.99 ERA, tops in the league. He also started the PCL All Star Game and was the PCL and Cubs Organization Pitcher of the month for June. In that month he went 4-1 in 5 starts with a miniscule 0.95 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

2015 was his second season with the Cubs and yet has yet to crack the major leagues. For a Padres team that at this moment lacks 5 set in stone options at the major league level and is actively shopping one of the three known starters they do have – this could be a good spot for him to get that chance.

2015 saw a drastic improvement from his 2014 campaign with Iowa, where he went 4-9 with a 5.35 ERA. That followed up his 2013 season which he spent mostly in AA and ended up with a 4.09 ERA in 21 starts for the Cubs.

Last year he also set an innings high for himself, pitching 143 innings for the season. He averages less than a home run/9 innings and 7.4 K/9 to just 4.3 BB/9 innings.

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In AAA he should have a chance to get acclimated once again to a new environment but could be used in the Padres bullpen or available for a spot start if given the opportunity.

While not a splashy move by any means – it is these small signings that could end up having a very big impact on the future success of the San Diego Padres.