Pitcher Lucas Sims dropped from No. 1 to No. 10 on Baseball America’s Braves prospects list since a year ago, the result of trades and draft picks that brought a bevy of talent, coupled with the Lawrenceville native’s disappointing, injury-marred first half in 2015.
But when the Brookwood High graduate visited with an Atlanta reporter before a recent Arizona Fall League game, Sims, 21, seemed entirely upbeat. And two days later, his confidence seemed well-founded when he impressed radar gun-wielding pro scouts with a crisp, dominant performance.
Sims struck out four, walked none and allowed no hits in three innings Monday against the Mesa Solar Sox, topping out at 97-98 mph with his fastball, a couple of ticks above his velocity in the past. He trimmed his ERA to 2.45 through four games.
“Right now I feel great about where my game’s at,” the former first-round draft pick said before Monday’s game, which followed an Oct. 27 start where he allowed one hit and one walk with three strikeouts in three scoreless innings. The two performances helped earn him a spot in Saturday’s AFL all-star game.
“I’ve been working hard. Obviously in ’15 I didn’t get the results I wanted, but it was a great learning experience, learning to deal with adversity and learn some more about yourself. And I felt like I was able to put it together towards the end of the year, and try to carry it over here into the fall league,” he said.
Sims was among six Single-A Carolina Mudcats players who went on the disabled list after a harrowing bus crash May 12. The bus went off the road and flipped on its side in the single-vehicle accident, which occurred at about 3:45 a.m.
The Braves felt fortunate no one was killed or seriously injured. The worst of the injuries sustained by players were a concussion and dislocated finger, and Sims was sidelined for a hip injury that kept him out more than six weeks.
“I had my first DL stint and went through rehab for a hip contusion,” said Sims, the 21st pick of the 2012 draft. “I just had to make sure it was all OK because of all the muscles that are connect through there. But it was more about, you learn that there’s bigger things in life. It could’ve been worse. Everyone was OK. You look back at (the accident) and one weird movement, something could have happened and my career could have been over.
“So it was a blessing, and you realize you can’t take anything for granted.”
Sims struggled before the bus crash, going 2-3 with a 5.20 ERA in six starts, but allowed one (unearned) run, seven hits and one walk in seven innings of his last start before the accident.
He didn’t pitch again until late June, when he made two starts in the Gulf Coast League in Florida, where he and others injured in the crash rehabbed outside Orlando. Sims gave up five earned runs in five innings of two games there, then six runs in three innings of his first start back with Carolina.
He soon got his season back on track, allowing three earned runs in 13 1/3 innings of his final three starts at high-A before a promotion to Double-A Mississippi. In his first stint in Double-A, Sims posted a 3.21 ERA in nine starts, with 56 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings.
He allowed only 29 hits in those nine starts, but also issued 29 walks, finishing the season with 54 walks and 100 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings over 20 starts. Sims and some other minor leaguers, including pitching prospect Andrew Thurman, were sent to Arizona to get innings or at-bats after missing time after the bus crash.
After allowing seven hits, three earned runs and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings in his first two AFL starts, Sims gave up one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings over his next two. He’s working with Braves low-A Rome pitching coach Gabe Luckert, who’s in that same role for the AFL team.
“He’s made terrific adjustments after his first game,” said Luckert, who worked closely with Sims at rookie-league Danville in 2012.
“I take time when I haven’t had a guy for a certain period of time. I took my week or 10 days to talk to him about what I thought he was not doing right, and we started working on it. He bought into it, and not because of the results stats-wise the past two games. He’s throwing the ball consistently in the strike zone, and his direction to the plate improved dramatically in about a week.
“Now he’s able to snap the breaking ball a little better, so I think we’re on the right path. He’s done a great job.”
Sims has a plus-fastball that he complements with two curveball variations — both solid pitches — and a change-up that’s a work-in-progress. Known as one of the more aggressive athletes in the organization, the former shortstop works quickly, getting the ball and wasting no time before delivering his next pitch.
“He’s a smart guy, and he knows what he needs to do,” said Luckert, who lauded Sims’ work habits and approach to the prospect-laden AFL.
“He’s having a great time at this level. You noticed it right away when he arrived. He said, ‘Man, this is great. This is tough competition, so you have to make your adjustments right away.’ And it will be good because wherever he goes next year, Double-A or Triple-A, he’s going to face that type of talent.”
It was unclear whether Sims was even aware that he had slipped from No. 1 to No. 10 on Baseball America’s Braves top prospects list. It was clear he didn’t much care.
“At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is to get to the big leagues, whether you were first or 40th round, or free agent, or whatever,” Sims said. “When you’re in the minors you’re kind of competing against each other, so it’s kind of fun. We all have the ultimate goal, and that’s to bring Atlanta a World Series.”
