Why Nationals Fans Should Be Nervous About This Miguel Sime Jr. Scouting Report

This might make some Washington Nationals fans nervous.

Red Washington Nationals hat on top of a black mitt | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

It appears like the Washington Nationals could have a special pitcher on their hands.

Miguel Sime Jr., the team's fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft, dominated hitters at the Single-A level this season. With 54 strikeouts across 26 1/3 innings pitched, the right-hander's electric fastball and devastating off-speed stuff overwhelmed the batters he faced. That's why, despite his command issues and the 4.44 ERA he had across 10 starts, the Nationals promoted him to High-A.

But Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) came back with a different opinion after he watched Sime's debut with Wilmington in person on June 5. The former Toronto Blue Jays front office member didn't have a glowing scouting report when it came to the 19-year-old flamethrower, and what he said throughout his analysis should be cause for some concern.

Keith Law Believes Miguel Sime Jr. Will Be a Reliever

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"Before the Nationals took him in the fourth round last year, paying him an over-slot bonus of $2 million, I believed he was going to end up in the bullpen because of the delivery, the lack of athleticism and the reliance on velocity. What I saw Friday doesn't change that evaluation," Law wrote.

On the surface, turning into a reliever wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially when it comes to a fourth-round pick who was drafted out of high school. And while the Nationals would love for Sime to become a starting pitcher with the plus fastball he has, there was always relief risk based on his profile when they selected him.

But the worrying thing that stood out from Law was his note on Sime's off-speed pitches. He stated, "none of them (were) better than average," and he added that the movement on Sime's changeup was "fair," while "his vaunted slider was below average."

There's no doubting the elite fastball that Sime possesses, as he's already hitting triple digits and is sitting in the high-90 mph range. However, to be an effective reliever in the bigs, he has to have pitches that will get hitters off his fastball. And based on what Law said coming out of this one outing, that could be a struggle going forward.

Only One Pitcher Has Become Successful With Sime's Walk Rate

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The most concerning thing Law stated was in reference to Sime's lack of command. And with a walk-rate of 21% at the Single-A level, the former front office member pulled out some worrying historical data when it comes to that high of a percentage.

"... I can remember only one minor-league pitcher walking batters at this rate and ending up a good big leaguer. Craig Kimbrel walked 22.8 percent of batters he faced in High A, in 26 innings, and that same year walked 16 in 10 1/3 Arizona Fall League innings," Law wrote.

Based on that, the odds are against Sime when it comes to becoming an elite big league arm unless he figures out his command issues. Washington knew the hard-throwing righty was going to be a long-term project when they drafted him, so none of this is likely a surprise to them as they work to overhaul his delivery so he can become more accurate. But still, this should create a little uneasiness.

Consequently, despite getting promoted to High-A after only 10 starts into his professional career, it feels like Sime is a ways away from making his major league debut. And when he does, it likely will be as a reliever instead of a starter.