Class: HS Senior
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia
Height/Weight: 6-2/195
Born: May 10, 1994
The 2012 draft will get another strong influx of talent from the state of Georgia, one that has produced some very impressive talent over the years. Aside from Byron Buxton, who will likely pursue a path as a position player, right-hander Lucas Sims is easily the top pitcher in the state, combining great velocity (91-95 mph) with a very clean delivery and a sturdy frame (6’2″, 195 lbs).
Despite his excellent velocity, experts argue that Sims’ best pitch is his curveball, which is one of the best in the high school crop. He also throws a changeup, and it too is incredibly polished for a high-schooler.
Sims is also an incredible athlete, and is one of his team’s top hitters as well as its staff ace.
A Clemson commit, Sims shined at the National High School Invitational, where he outdueled another top pitcher, Ryan Burr.
Fastball: 92-97 mph
Curveball: 71-77 mph
Changeup: 79-82 mph
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Righthander Ty Hensley should be in your mix as well. His Dad coached at KSU and the family has ties all over KS and MO. He is a local kid with at least 2 more inches on Sims. His fastball is a tick faster now and projects harder still and his curveball has been talked about as one of the best in the draft class…the video I saw of his change, I would rate as average right now, but fairly new to it. ESPNHS has him at 79Ks in 40INN last week. He also has hit for power with 10 HR this season, I watched the last one on TV yesterday and that ball over RF may still be going. He is an athletic, switch hitter and 10/10 from the right side of late. The announcer said he has hit 8 of his HR from the L and 2 from the R. I think worth noting some the info on him that is out there is old stuff from this past summer. If you compare video from Team USA to some You Tube Video from AZ in March from Perfect Game, it’s a totally different delivery. Strong make-up guy. My two cents.