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All American Game  | Story  | 8/21/2024

Sime Brings Heat to the Desert

Jim Salisbury     
Photo: Miguel Sime Jr (Perfect Game)
PHOENIX, Arizona – Miguel Sime Jr. went out in a blaze of velocity at his final Perfect Game event.
 
The power-armed, 17-year-old right-hander pitched a quick, scoreless second inning for the East squad in the 22nd annual Dick’s Perfect Game All-American Classic. He faced four batters, wrapping a ground out, a fly out and a strike out around a walk, while throwing an economical 14 pitches.
 
A day before the prospect-studded game – the East team beat the West team, 8-7 -- Sime leaned against the backstop at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and talked about the possibility of hitting 100 mph in his final outing of the summer.
 
“I think I might have it in me,” he said with a big smile. “Depends on how much adrenaline I have.”
 
We’ll have to go to the judges on this one because Sime hit 99.7 mph while getting Texas commit Anthony Pack Jr. on a fly ball to center field.
 
Close enough?


 
“I count (that) as 100,” former major league All-Star and two-time World Series champion Hunter Pence said on the PG.TV broadcast.



The night before the game, Sime was honored with the Stalker Top Velocity Award at Perfect Game’s annual awards banquet. Emcee Daron Sutton explained that Sime was a longtime PG participant and marveled at the gains the 6-3, 235-pound pitcher had made.
 
“This dude’s a dude,” Sutton told the audience, which included more than a dozen former major leaguers, including Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman.
 
“He’s been to 70-plus PG events. When he started visiting us, he was 5-5, 115 pounds. He threw 78 during the pandemic year of 2020. He does not throw 78 anymore.”
 
After a busy summer, Sime, an LSU commit, plans to shut it down, get some recovery time and work on his conditioning for a while. He will not pitch at Perfect Game’s event in Jupiter, Florida in October.
 
“I want to take a rest, work on myself and get ready for spring,” he said, adding that he’s looking forward to his senior season at Poly Prep Country Day in Brooklyn, New York. “I want to win a championship. I want to be there for my team, go deep into games, become a better pitcher and take it to the tough teams we’re going to face.”
 
Sime had previously hit 99 in Perfect Game competition. He reached 100 while pitching against the Ranney School in a prep game last spring.
 
“When (the reading) went up behind the backstop, I couldn’t miss it,” he said. “Everything got quiet. There were a bunch of murmurs."
 
“It’s what I worked toward when I was growing up, what I dreamed of. It was a huge milestone. I really worked on getting there last summer, perfecting my mechanics.”
 
In the summer of 2024, Sime focused on trying to become more of a complete pitcher. His goal was to attack hitters, have quick innings - like he did in the All-American Classic - and be able to throw three or four pitches for strikes. He will continue to work on his arsenal and his overall flexibility in off-season workouts. He trains with Francisco Gracesqui of Elite Performance and has also worked with Juan Torres of Grind Time Baseball. Both are in New York City.
 
“I will spend a lot of time on arm care,” Sime said. “I realize this is a gift. I will definitely focus on a lot of shoulder mobility. I want to be as flexible as possible and get as lean as possible.”
 
In addition to a four-seam fastball that he likes to power up in the zone, Sime throws a slider, curveball and changeup. He threw several quality breaking balls in his inning of work at the PGAAC, including a slider that caught Quentin Young, an outstanding hitter and fellow LSU commit, looking for the final out in the top of the second inning.
 
Born in Boston, Sime is of Dominican heritage, the son of Miguel Sr. and Fiordelisa, who were both in the stands for his impressive outing at the All-American Classic. He has an older sister, Esmeralda, and a younger brother, Michael. The family lives in Queens Village, New York -- Mets country – but he’s a Yankees fan. He particularly likes Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner. He’s also a fan of Sandy Alcantara, the Dominican right-hander who won the National League Cy Young Award for the Miami Marlins in 2022.
 
When Cole pitches for the Yankees, Sime goes to school.
 
“I look at his composure when things go wrong,” Sime said. “I watch when he faces top hitters, his approach against them and how he works. And his sequencing.
 
“Growing up, especially when I was younger, I would get mad at myself, get in my own head. The mound is a lonely place when you get in your head. You’re all by yourself. It’s not like you’re at shortstop and have your second baseman and shortstop to talk to. Basically, the game is in your hands when you’re pitching, so when you get in your own head, it’s hard to get out of it. So, keeping your composure is really important. Knowing you can slow the game down at any time, speed it up at any time, the batter is at your pace.”
 
Sime visited Baton Rouge last fall and took in the excitement of an LSU-Georgia State football game. 
 
“It was insane,” he said.
 
The biggest attraction to LSU, however, was the stuff going on at the baseball complex.
 
“I like the coaching staff and the way they develop pitchers,” Sime said. 
 
Whether or not he makes it to Baton Rouge remains to be seen. He has first-round draft potential in 2025.
 
“The future,” he said. “I’m going to trust in God. I feel like I’m in a great place. I have no worries. They’re both great places. Whichever path I go, I know I’ll be in a great place.”
 
Sime says he’d like to one day have the type of career that lands him in the Hall of Fame. Aim high, right?
 
But his No. 1 goal remains simple, important and beautiful.
 
“I want to make my parents proud,” he said.
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