SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The Sioux Falls Canaries’ ace of staff in 2018 is coming back to the Birdcage. The Canaries have signed left-hander Cesilio Pimentel for the 2020 season, the club announced Wednesday.

“He was more than just our number one starter in 2018. I think he was one of the top starters in our league,” Canaries manager Mike Meyer said. “We’re about as excited as we can be with the way the pitching staff is coming together.”

Pimentel put together a dominant season in 2018, his last in the American Association. The lefty posted a 1.36 ERA in 11 games (six starts) with 29 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46.1 innings.

Pimentel brought a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his last outing with the Birds on July 6. He threw eight innings that night to earn the win, allowing just four hits at the hitter-friendly Birdcage.

He signed with Dos Laredos in the AAA Mexican League three days after that outing. He spent the rest of 2018 and 2019 in Mexico before making a brief appearance this winter with Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Pimentel began his pro baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization at the age of 18. He would remain in Pittsburgh’s system for six years, largely out of the bullpen. He made it as high as Class A West Virginia in 2016.

Pimentel earned a 2.65 ERA over 29 appearances with West Virginia that year, but became a free agent in the following offseason. After a brief stint in the Diamondbacks’ system, he made his American Association debut in 2017 with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. Pimentel would later move to the Lincoln Saltdogs in a July trade.

On the whole, Pimentel posted a 3.57 ERA over 17 appearances (10 starts) in the Association in 2017. He was traded to Sioux Falls shortly before the 2018 season began.

The move shores up an already strong Canaries rotation. Pimentel joins fellow lefty Eudis Idrogo, Jake Zokan, and former teammate Grady Wood as candidates for rotation spots.

“We’ve got a chance to have a pretty special rotation with so much more depth than we’ve ever had,” Meyer said.

The Sioux Falls Canaries open their 28th season with a home series against the Gary Southshore Railcats on Tuesday, May 19th. Check out the Birds’ full schedule here. For more information on season tickets, suites, group outings, and corporate opportunities, call the Canaries Front Office at (605) 336-6060, or visit www.sfcanaries.com.

By Carter Woodiel, Sioux Falls Canaries