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Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospect – #7 Lucas Sims Scouting Report

By Benjamin Chase

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Nov 7, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Lucas Sims during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Lucas Sims during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Lucas Sims 2016 Outlook

Sims continued his big strides in Mississippi without Kennelly in the AFL, so it’s not just a matter of one catcher making a big difference for Sims, as good as that catcher may be. He really showed that he’s got that elite upside still after leaving some questions earlier in the season. One way you can really tell who watches players on their prospect evaluations versus who judges purely by the stats is how they view Sims currently. Anyone seeing his AA and AFL work can see that against some of the “best of the best” and advanced-level hitting, his pitches were at times unhittable. He absolutely still has “ace” upside, and he’s still only going to be 21 to start the 2016 season.

Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated

Sims is right in the middle of a group of guys that will be in the AA/AAA limbo depending on how the Braves want to load the Gwinnett and Mississippi rotations. He has 47 2/3 innings at AA, which would put him behind John Gant (100 IP), Chris Ellis (78 IP), and Steve Janas (68 1/3 IP) but ahead of Sean Newcomb (36 IP), Andrew Thurman (24 1/3 IP), and Zachary Bird (12 2/3 IP) among pitchers who’ve pitched at the AA level. Whether he starts in Mississippi or Gwinnett, if he can continue the progress he’s made with his change up and maintain the step forward his slider took at AA and the AFL, he’ll be quickly making some starts in Atlanta for the Braves.

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