Monday, December 2, 2013

Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week: 2011 Topps Pro Debut #129 Julio Pimentel

It's Minor League Monday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2011 Topps Pro Debut #129.
  • Player Name, position, team: Julio Pimentel, pitcher, Arizona Royals.
  • Level-League, Team Affiliation: Rookie-Arizona League, Kansas City Royals.
  • Minor League Stats (stats with team depicted only): 7 G, 9.0 IP, 0-0, 7 R, 4 ER, 9 SO, 9 BB, 6 GS, 0 CG, 0 SHO, 0 SV, 1.667 WHIP, 4.00 ERA.
  • Any special information about player: Signed with the Dodgers as a Free Agent 07/14/2003. Traded by the Dodgers to the Royals 07/25/2006. Bats: right. Throws: right.
  • Major League Debut: n/a.
  • Baseball America Organizational Ranking After Season with Team: n/a.
  • Blurb on the back: "Pimentel, who reached Double-A in 2008, had been on the brink of the Majors before injuring his elbow in Spring Training of '09. His road back began in the '10 Arizona League, where the 24-year-old made six short starts and one relief appearance."
  • Official Topps Rookie Card: n/a.
  • Commentary: I know that there is no way for Topps to include EVERY minor leaguer into Pro Debut. There are what...thousands of players dotting the minor leagues from Triple A to Rookie ball? So when you get a player like Julio Cesar Pimentel into a minor league set of this caliber, you have to figure that of all the players who were active in the minors during the 2010 campaign, he was one of the 330 best that Topps could sign for their Pro Debut set. And you'd be right. Up until 2008, Pimentel had been climbing up the Royals organization, reaching as high as the #8 prospect in the Royals' organization in 2007 according to Baseball America and was on the World Team during the 2008 Futures Game. But the elbow injury he suffered took him off the proverbial track in 2009 and it looks like it has continued to affect him. He has not played in the minors (or even the independents since 2010). He is listed by Baseball America as a member of the Pirates organization, so there might still be a chance for Pimentel to play next summer. 
Next week's featured card will be: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #188. Post will arrive at 9:00 AM CST. Hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Minor League Monday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

No comments: