Luis Gil will make his first start at Busch Stadium on Friday when the Yankees begin a three-game series with the Cardinals. He once imagined it could be his home ballpark.
Before the flame-throwing right-hander, born in the Dominican city of Azua, signed his first professional contract with the Twins or was traded to the Yankees, a 16-year-old Gil received significant interest from Rodny Jimenez. A Cardinals area scout in the Dominican Republic, Jimenez had been a minor league pitcher in the Braves organization and recognized Gil’s burgeoning arm talent right away.
“He advocated and felt strongly about Luis’ potential,” Moisés Rodríguez, the Cardinals’ assistant general manager of major league operations and international scouting, told the Daily News this week over email.
Gil, meanwhile, thought he would become a Cardinal with Jimenez pushing so hard for him.
“I was close on signing with them,” Gil told The News. “He kept tabs on me a lot throughout that time, and the signing period was approaching, so I felt like we were very close on probably signing.
“All I know is he was very interested in signing me.”
Unfortunately, no deal ever materialized between Gil and St. Louis after Jimenez died unexpectedly. According to Brian Walton of The Cardinal Nation, the scout suffered a heart attack in June 2014.
Jimenez was 32 years old.
“Rodny will be remembered as someone with a lot of passion for his family and the game of baseball,” the Cardinals wrote in their 2015 media guide. They added that he was “always looking to learn and improve on his craft, and was a joy to be around.”
Gil only knew that Jimenez passed away suddenly before the 2014 international signing deadline in July.
He ultimately signed with Minnesota in February 2015, and he was traded to the Yankees for outfielder Jake Cave as a minor leaguer in 2018.
While Gil wasn’t quite sure what happened to Jimenez, his starts now leave Rodríguez reflecting on the late scout.
“Every time I see Luis pitch, I think of Rodny because he was very convicted about the player,” said Rodríguez, who hired and formed a close working relationship with Jimenez.
Rodríguez noted that the Cardinals organization shared Jimenez’s interest in Gil. The club engaged the pitcher’s agent, but an agreement couldn’t be reached.
Now the Cardinals will get to see a more seasoned Gil in St. Louis.
Friday will mark just his third start of the 2025 campaign after a spring training lat injury delayed Gil’s season debut. However, the 27-year-old is the reigning American League Rookie of the Year after going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA, 77 walks and 171 strikeouts over 29 starts and 151.2 innings in 2024.
Gil, known to be erratic at times, walked four batters and allowed five runs over 3.1 innings in his first start on Aug. 3 in Miami, but he was much better against the Astros last weekend. He held Houston to two earned runs while walking one and striking out seven over 5.1 frames.
Gil will look to build on that outing on Friday, while also sparking a reminder of Jimenez.
