Miguel Sime Jr. didn’t need to pitch in the MLB Draft League after an outstanding senior year at Poly Prep Country Day in Brooklyn. He just won the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of New York.
Sime Jr., 18, is 6-foot-4, 235 pounds. The Dominican American racked up 86 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings with an ERA of 1.16 this past season in high school.
He is the top-ranked New York pitcher in the Perfect Game rankings, which classifies all high school baseball players.
Sime Jr. is the 86th-ranked draft prospect on MLB Pipeline.com and is committed to play for LSU, which just won the College Baseball Championship last month.
Despite all of these things going for him, Sime Jr. still decided to pitch in the MLB Draft League with the Trenton Thunder. He started two games for the Trenton Thunder, and his numbers were 8 2/3 innings, 11 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.15.
What stands out about Sime Jr. is his fastball. He consistently hits triple digits at a young age and set the record in the MLB Draft League for hardest pitch ever recorded with a 100.9 MPH fastball. His arsenal includes a curveball that ranges at 81-83 MPH, a slider that tops out around 81 MPH, and a changeup at 83-87 MPH.
Sime Jr. has also participated in MLB events such as the Breakthrough Series and Dream Series. He recently got the honor of starting the inaugural MLB Draft League All-Star Game against the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Sime Jr. had friends and family on hand, and they watched him fire bullets at over 100 mph. He threw a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.
Sime Jr. spoke with the media at Citi Field after the game on June 30.
“It was super special. It’s kind of a glimpse of what everything could lead to and what this all can become,” Sime Jr said of his family being close by and in attendance. “I just want to keep pushing and working harder, so it’s an every week type of thing.”
CC Sabathia was also in attendance, and that is always a surreal moment for Sime Jr., since he grew up a Yankees fan. Sabathia’s son, Carsten Sabathia, also plays on the Trenton Thunder and is a first baseman.
“It’s super cool, CC is a great guy, and Carsten is really chill too.” Sime Jr. said. “It’s great getting to play with him.”
Sime Jr. is ready for whatever the MLB Draft will bring. However, he is also ready to honor his commitment to LSU, depending on how the cards fall on July 13-14 in Atlanta during the MLB Draft.
“They’ve won two championships in the last three years, it’s incredible to see what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Sime Jr. said. “If I go there, I’m ready to ball out and help give them their best chance to repeat.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: @miguelsimejr on Instagram
