Braves Agree to Terms With Top Pick Lucas Sims

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves today signed their first-round selection (21^st overall) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, right-handed pitcher Lucas Sims from Brookwood High School (Snellville, Ga.). Sims is expected to join the Gulf Coast League Braves (Rookie Level) at the Braves facility at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Tuesday, June 12th.

Sims, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher, was named the Georgia Region 8-AAAAA Pitcher of the Year after posting an 8-1 record with a 1.19 ERA while leading his team to the Georgia state championship game. Ranked by Baseball America as the 29^th-best player in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, he pitched last summer in the Prospect Classic for USA Baseball’s 18U team. A Lawrenceville, Georgia native, Sims was also a three-year starter at shortstop and had committed to attend Clemson University.

Sims was named to USA Baseball’s 16U team in 2010 and pitched in two games for the gold medal-winning club. He went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA with six strikeouts (7.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER 4 BB).