Make no mistake, Braves rookie Lucas Sims sees himself as a starting pitcher and continues to have as a goal not just being a starter but an ace.
But after he was bumped to the bullpen and made four relief appearances, the former Brookwood High School standout also sees how that experience was beneficial and could be again. And he’ll be ready to apply what he’s learned when he returns to a starting role Wednesday when he faces the Washington Nationals at SunTrust Park.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Sims said. “(Relief pitching) teaches you when you get thrown into a situation that’s a little sticky, how you reach back for that little extra,” he said. “What you need to do to execute the big pitch, get the ground ball, get us back in there with a zero, whatever it may be.”
Sims, 23, is making a start Wednesday – it will be his eighth major league start -- because Mike Foltynewicz left his last start with a cut on the tip of his middle finger and won’t be ready to pitch at least until at least Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets at New York.
For Sims, Wednesday provides another opportunity to show what he can do in the starting role he prefers, a role that will be hotly contested in the spring when the Braves have at least four or five of their current rookies and prospects competing for what might be at most two or three vacancies, depending on offseason moves the team makes.
Lefty prospects Luiz Gohara and Max Fried also have made their recent starting debuts, and rookie lefty Sean Newcomb has been in the rotation for about half of the 2017 season. Other top prospects are close to being ready and could compete for spots in 2018.
“You talk to any guy in here, they want to be an ace, wants to be the guy who’s going to give us seven, eight, nine innings tonight,” Sims said. “That’s our goal. I know that’s mine. So, like I said, just try and learn everything you can and get better quick.”
Sims has shown enough potential as a reliever that he could be considered for either role next spring, Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
“At the end of spring it’s one of those things where you just kind of see how your staff aligns and whether you want him on – he may make the club as a starter, you don’t know,” Snitker said. “I remember the one year, heaven forbid, we lost two starters within days of each other. That’s why you get more than five of them ready. I think this (bullpen stint) is a good experience for him to do, and I think he’s done a really good job.
Asked whether he viewed Sims as a starter or reliever, Snitker said, “Wherever we need him. I don’t really see him as (either) yet; I don’t know that we’ve seen him enough to say that. I think he could go both ways, either/or.”
A Lawrenceville native and first-round draft pick by the Braves in 2012, Sims made considerable progress this season with his command and consistency in the minor leagues to earn his first big-league call-up. He had a 3.82 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) at Triple-A Gwinnett and totaled 132 strikeouts with 36 walks in 115 1/3 innings, including 51 strikeouts and only seven walks in 35 1/3 innings over his last six starts.
He made his major league debut Aug. 1 and was 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA in his first six starts before giving up seven runs, four walks and two homers in three innings of a Sept. 2 start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. After that he was moved to the bullpen and posted a 4.26 ERA in four appearances with a solid .227 opponents’ OPS and .655 opponents’ OPS, allowing five hits, three runs and two walks with five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of relief.
Before his rough start at Wrigley, Sims had lasted at least five innings in each of his first six starts while allowing 38 hits and nine walks with 22 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings over that span. He won two of three games in which the Braves provided more than one support run while he was in the game in that span, including his first major league win Aug. 17 at Colorado when he gave up five hits and two runs in five innings.
When he was bumped from the rotation after the Wrigley start, Sims was surprised and not pleased, though he didn’t complain.
“But you go down there and you embrace it,” he said of the bullpen role. “You take it as an opportunity of, I’m going to get better, whether it’s going to be starter or reliever. I prefer to start, but like I said, the opportunity to still be up here and compete at this level and face major league hitters – you can’t replicate that kind of experience anywhere besides here. Learn from it and hopefully go out and win a ballgame tomorrow.”
Asked whether he was excited to be starting again Wednesday, Sims said, “Absolutely. Whenever you get to pitch it’s exciting. Anytime you get the experience of pitching on a big-league mound, there’s an opportunity to learn. While the bullpen is shorter stints, I feel like it’s been able to teach me a little bit about myself in certain situations. Take that out to the mound tomorrow and win a ballgame.”
And whether he finishes the season in the rotation or bullpen, Sims said that what he’s learned in both roles so far will help him when he heads to spring training to compete for a spot next year.
“Having this experience under your belt can only help,” he said. “It kind of gives you a little bit clearer vision of what I need to do to be able to stay up here and compete and get outs and win.
“You watch and you learn. Everyone’s competing for spots, but at the end of the day we’re all here to win. Winning’s fun and you pull for your teammates. Bottom line, that’s how you treat it. I feel like a good clubhouse is, you pull for each other. You have each other’s back. And you go out there and give all you’ve got to win each and every day.”
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