The Washington Nationals just promoted arguably their best healthy pitching prospect. Miguel Sime Jr. is headed from the Fred Nats to High-A Wilmington to join a stacked roster including Devin Fitz-Gerald and Ronny Cruz. The 19 year old Sime was a strikeout machine in Low-A, but will need to work on his control moving forward.
Sime’s stint with the Fred Nats showed the good and the bad. When Sime was in the zone, he totally overwhelmed
hitters. He struck out 54 batters in 26.1 innings, more than two per frame. However, he also walked 25 batters in that time, showing that he needs to work on his strike throwing.
Sime has absolutely electric stuff. His fastball sits at 99 MPH and can get up to 102. He combines that with a high 80’s slider he just learned this offseason that is a filthy offering that has plus-plus potential. Sime often threw the slider more than his fastball because he had a better feel for that pitch. Finally, he throws a low 80’s curveball with a ton of movement. He usually throws that to finish hitters off.
Sime’s 18.5 K/9 is the highest in the entire minor leagues. Honestly, there was not much of a purpose in keeping him in Low-A, despite the walks and an era over 4. Sime will have to learn to keep the ball in the zone and get quick outs. It is tough to do that when batters can’t make any contact against you.
High-A is going to be a serious test for the youngster, and I would expect some early hiccups. His walk rate in Low-A was over 20%, and that is not going to fly at higher levels. Sime is going to have to find a way to consistently throw strikes. High-A hitters will have better approaches and won’t be as overwhelmed by his stuff.
However, if Sime is in the zone and throwing quality strikes semi-consistently, he will be fine. The hitters are not Miguel Sime’s biggest issue. His own command is usually his worst enemy. High-A hitters may not be quite as overwhelmed, but Sime still has the stuff to dominate them.
Outside of the walks, Sime has just about everything you want to see. He obviously gets a ton of whiffs, but when batters do make contact, it is usually on the ground. His GB% is over 60%, which is elite. I am curious to see how that translates to higher levels.
This is a very interesting and gutsy promotion by the Nats. Sime is still so young and has a very clear control problem. However, the Nats new front office clearly believes he will be able to hold his own in High-A, and the promotion is what is best for his development.
I think part of the calculus is knowing Sime as a person. If you listen to Sime speak, you can tell that this is a bright young man with a good head on his shoulders. He seems like the kind of character that can handle failing and take the right lessons from it. I am very excited to see what Sime can do in High-A because his ceiling is absolutely massive.
