101 mph (from an 18-year-old!) blows away MLB's No. 5 prospect -- and his helmet
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JUPITER, Fla. -- There was a breeze at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Thursday, but it was generated by the speed of 18-year-old Miguel Sime Jr.’s 100.8 mph fastball that blew the helmet off No. 5 overall prospect JJ Wetherholt.
In the Nationals' 9-8 loss to the Cardinals in their Spring Breakout game, Sime (Washington's No. 16 prospect) faced Wetherholt (St. Louis' No. 1 prospect) in the second inning.
“I wanted to get a first-pitch strike; it didn’t go my way with the pitch-clock violation,” Sime said. “I executed a good gyro slider, got him to chase at a slider, and [went] then fastball up.”
Sime fell behind 3-0 in the count on a pitch-timer violation and two triple-digit fastballs out of the zone. He battled back into the at-bat by getting Wetherholt to swing at a pair of cutters.
In a full count, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Sime got Wetherholt to chase so hard at the 100.8 mph fastball up in the zone that the top prospect’s helmet came off on the swing-and-miss.
“He’s a big boy, but when you see him get on the mound and just throw 101, it’s like, ‘That’s real,’” said Nats No. 5 prospect Gavin Fien, who set a Spring Breakout record with five RBIs. “To know him off the field, how cool he is -- and when he gets on the mound, he’s an animal. It’s awesome.”
Sime, a Nationals 2025 fourth-round pick out of Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, hurled nine of his 21 pitches at more than 100 mph in his inning of action.
“It’s crazy,” said Nats No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 13) Eli Willits, the top pick in Sime’s Draft class. “He puts the work in. He works hard every day.”
While players have been working in Spring Training to increase their velocity, Sime is comfortable with honing his craft at his current speed.
“I think it’s where I want it to be,” Sime said, smiling. “Obviously, I won’t complain with one or two [mph] more, but I won’t be greedy. I like where I’m at right now.”