Miguel Sime Jr. made a loud first impression in his first season in the Washington Nationals system, and the biggest reason was simple: the stuff got even better.
When Washington grabbed Sime in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, he arrived as a raw but electric arm with a massive fastball and not a whole lot else. The rawness is still there, but he took major steps forward in 2026, and the clearest jump came from the pitch that changed everything for him - the slider.
That pitch wasn’t a sure thing when the year began. Sime came into the season with a curveball and changeup to pair with his triple-digit heater, and both offered promise without being fully sharpened yet.
During the offseason and into Spring Training, he kept searching for a slider grip that felt right. He spoke about that process in an interview last month.
Once he found it, the pitch took off. The slider quickly became his preferred weapon, and at times he threw it more than his fastball.
It carries sharp, deceptive downward action, which makes it tough for hitters to track. They often read it as one thing and realize too late that it’s something else entirely.
That development gave Sime a second elite pitch to go with the fastball, and the results backed it up. For the season, he struck out 41.3% of hitters, which works out to 16.18 K/9. Even after a midseason bump to High-A, he stayed right around that 40% strikeout level.
That promotion says a lot about what the Nationals think of him. They could have kept him in Low-A the rest of the way, but instead they pushed him and asked him to handle a tougher assignment. Sime answered.
The numbers actually improved against the better competition. In Low-A, he struck out more than 45% of hitters, but he also carried a 4.44 ERA thanks to a 21% walk rate and some bad luck.
After moving to Wilmington, he posted a 2.15 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 46 innings. His walk rate was still a troubling 19.9%, but it didn’t stop hitters from batting under .150 against him.
Control is still the big issue. That was always going to be part of the package, and it showed up exactly as expected.
But the raw stuff may be even more electric than anticipated. Sime’s fastball shape is excellent, and the slider has turned into a real problem for opposing hitters.
At the Futures Game, his pure stuff might have been the best of any pitcher there.
The Futures Game outing and his Spring Breakout appearance also lined up with what the stuff models liked once Statcast data was available. He has velocity, movement, deception and multiple pitches that can miss bats. And at 19, there’s still plenty of room for the control to develop.
Still, the present command issues bring real relief risk. If the bet had to be made today, the bullpen looks like the most likely destination.
That said, the Nationals should and likely will give him every chance to prove he can start. He’s young enough that there’s time for that answer to come into focus.
There’s even a chance Sime opens next season in Double-A as a teenager. He already showed he can overpower High-A hitters, and while the walks remain a concern, they haven’t cost him as much yet as they probably will at the next level. Double-A should test that part of his game more aggressively and force some adjustments.
For now, he looks like a high-upside arm with triple-digit velocity and a nasty slider, plus the kind of imposing frame that makes him stand out on the mound. It all points toward a future closer, even if the final home is still undecided.
If the control moves in the right direction, Sime has the talent to become one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Even if the walks never fully disappear, the stuff is loud enough to make him a strong bet to pitch in the majors for a long time.
Year one was a clear success. Year two should be fun.
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The club plans to send him into the offseason with third base work, the same position he handled in college and in the minors. Manager Blake Butera has singled out Morales offense and versatility, and the move is designed to help the Nationals get more value from a bat they believe can matter if the glove keeps up. For Morales, it is less about finding a new identity than proving he can handle an old one again at the major league level. [Read more 🡒]