International Signings Announced

by Graham MacAree on Aug 4, 2009 12:54 PM PDT

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.

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"He's extremely strong with a good approach to hitting."

I bet.

by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 4, 2009 12:57 PM PDT reply actions

Is that pronounced Pim-ate-el, or Pim-ah-tel?

"Fights begin, finger prints are took, days is lost, bail is made, court dates are ignored, cycle is repeated."

by Thingray on Aug 4, 2009 12:57 PM PDT reply actions

What happened to the "n"?

I will smash your face into a jelly.

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Aug 4, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I spelled his name incorrectly twice

My fault, not his

by Graham MacAree on Aug 4, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Ah.

I didn’t catch the article before it was updated.

I will smash your face into a jelly.

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Aug 4, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Choi looks nifty

LH power hitting catcher? I like those.

by Graham MacAree on Aug 4, 2009 12:59 PM PDT reply actions

You mean you like the idea of those?

by Lanky on Aug 4, 2009 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions

I fail to see how I was unclear in that I like left handed power hitting catchers

by Graham MacAree on Aug 4, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

There's an implication that you know some. I was wondering if that's really what you meant.

by Lanky on Aug 4, 2009 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions

50 words doesn't count as an article

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:01 PM PDT reply actions

Fanshots are ugly

by Graham MacAree on Aug 4, 2009 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions

So Graham provides average to slightly above MiLB coverage for a cheap price?

by seattlebruin on Aug 4, 2009 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Loads of talent/potential

but the production just isn’t there

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Also, I could have sworn it was Pimentel

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:02 PM PDT reply actions

Reading Divish it appears that you're correct.

"Fights begin, finger prints are took, days is lost, bail is made, court dates are ignored, cycle is repeated."

by Thingray on Aug 4, 2009 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Some of those last few guys on the list are beanpoles.

6-4, 165? Wow.

"Fights begin, finger prints are took, days is lost, bail is made, court dates are ignored, cycle is repeated."

by Thingray on Aug 4, 2009 1:03 PM PDT reply actions

Kids just three weeks past 16 - the youngest of our signings

he’ll fill out

by dnc on Aug 4, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions

I've been 6'1" 150 since I was 16...

…I’m now 28. Where’s MY fill?

by 88fingerslukee on Aug 4, 2009 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions

I have a friend who is 15 years old and 6'3", 125.

Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Six-hundred and ninety-four yards of total offense.

by qrsouther on Aug 4, 2009 8:57 PM PDT up reply actions

He's got me beat.

I weigh more than that, not much more though.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 9:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Any news on the bonus each player got?

Other than 2 mil for Pimentel

by Scrupio on Aug 4, 2009 1:04 PM PDT reply actions

I'll have a bunch of info up at USSM shortly.

Be patient.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 1:07 PM PDT reply actions

Done.

Hoo-hah!

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Yay!

by Decatur on Aug 4, 2009 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

by Rudy4three on Aug 4, 2009 1:21 PM PDT reply actions

Best LH prep hitter in Korea

not really the kind of description with fills you with hope and confidence.

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

by Aaron Campeau on Aug 4, 2009 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Would you have preferred the 3rd best?

by Sec 108 on Aug 4, 2009 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Uh, why not?

by marc w on Aug 4, 2009 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions

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).

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions

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?

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

by w00tah on Aug 4, 2009 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions

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.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Aug 4, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Korea produced a Japanese Emporer. That's some fucking power right there.

by Sec 108 on Aug 4, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Korea keeps doing well in these weird international competitions they hold all the time

must be smoke and mirrors

by seattlebruin on Aug 4, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Oh my bad I forgot about all those home runs they hit in the WBC

De Gutibus non disputandum est

by Bearskin Rugburn on Aug 4, 2009 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions

How could you miss all of the Bong hits?

by Sec 108 on Aug 4, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

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?”

Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Six-hundred and ninety-four yards of total offense.

by qrsouther on Aug 4, 2009 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions