Great to see Baseball America contributor and Friend of Rico, Bill Ballew, writring for MiLB.com. Here is today's piece, on Lucas Sims and why he's not be fast-tracked:
To the Atlanta Braves, Lucas Sims is like a new car. The organization is being careful with the right-hander by easing the young hurler into the battles of pro ball while keeping the mileage as low as possible as he gains experience on the road to the top.
Sims, who opened the season in the Rome Braves' bullpen and made his first 10 appearances in relief, was limited to 22 2/3 innings through his final outing as a reliever on May 17. During that span, he posted a 1-1 record with a 3.18 ERA.
His performance has been similar since joining the R-Braves' rotation. In his first 12 starts, Sims was 5-3 with a 3.17 ERA, giving him an overall mark of 6-4 with a 3.17 ERA.
Some of his other numbers are equally impressive. The Braves' No. 2 prospect has allowed only 60 hits in 82 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .208 average with 88 strikeouts to 35 walks.
"I'm loving it so far, and I'm learning a lot," Sims said. "My goal is to make progress every time I go out there. I've improved my command -- that's been the biggest thing I've accomplished so far this season."
Command, Sims said, is what has gotten him into trouble previously.
"The times I've struggled have happened because of walks, which seem to come around and bite you in the butt," he said. "I've been trying to eliminate those while filling up the zone with all three pitches."
The Braves took a similar plan of attack during Sims' first taste of the Minors. After drafting him No. 21 overall last June, Atlanta limited Sims to 34 innings with low pitch counts between stints in the Gulf Coast and Appalachian Leagues. With Sims having a long spring season at Brookwood High School in nearby Snellville, Ga., and an extended agenda over the previous year that included pitching in the Prospect Classic and several other events, the Braves wanted to make certain Sims remained healthy as he continued to build arm strength.
That approach has been paying dividends as the current campaign enters the dog days of August. The 19-year-old says he feels strong even though he is going through his first full season of pro ball. Sims also said his difficult outings in mid-July -- when he gave up four earned runs in consecutive starts -- centered on a lack of command as opposed to any fatigue.
Those outings, he said, were learning experiences, particularly after he bounced back by tossing six shutout innings against Lakewood on July 23.
"There are ups and downs, but I enjoy having the opportunity to go to the ballpark every day and do what I love for a living," Sims said. "It's something I don't take for granted. The coaching staff we have here is great, and they've taught me so much about the game, both on and off the field. They've helped me develop as a player and as a person."
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The Braves have signed minor league free agent Greg Golson, a former first-round pick of the Phillies, and assigned the outfielder to Gwinnett.
An 18 year old Golson was the first round draft pick of the Phillies in 2004. He remained in the Phillies farm system through 2008 playing as high as AA ball and compiling a slash of .261/.304/.404 including 74 homers, 39 triples, 161 doubles for an ISO of .143. In November 2008 he was traded to the Texas Rangers for John Mayberry. He spent the 2009 season at AAA Oklahoma City putting up a .258/.299/.344 and in January of 2010 the Rangers sent him to Yankees for Mitch Hilligoss and cash.
Between 2008 and 2011 he played 40 games in the majors with the Phillies (6), Texas (1), the Yankees (33) with a combined .195/.214/.244 line. The Rockies let him go earlier in July. While a center fielder by trade he’s played all three outfield positions along the way.
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THURSDAY'S SCORES
CLASS AAA
Gwinnett (48-64) 7, Charlotte 5
WP: Hale (6-5) 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Obispo (Save, 4) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K.
BJ Upton 3-4, 2 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI; Carrithers 2-4, R, 2 RBI, SB; Mejia 1-2, RBI; Gosselin 3-4, 2B, R, RBI.
CLASS AA
Mississippi (58-50) 3, Montgomery 2
WP: Thomas (6-6) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
Egan (Save, 2) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.
Salcedo 2-3, 2B, R; Luna 1-3, RBI; Brewer 1-3, 2B, R; Bethancourt 1-3, RBI.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Lynchburg (51-54) 5, Salem 0
WP: Hinson (1-2) 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Shreve (Save, 1) 1.1 IP. 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Kubutza 2-4, 3 R, 2 3B; Rohm 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Hyams 1-4, RBI; Elander 1-4, 2B, R.
CLASS A
Lexington 5, Rome (53-56) 1
LP: Cabrera (2-7) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.
Meneses 1-3, 3B, R; Tewell 0-2, RBI; Carroll 1-3; Peraza 1-4; Wren 1-4.
SHORT-SEASON
DSL Tigers 7, DSL Braves (22-28) 2
LP: Matos 4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
Jesus Jones 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. (1.13)
Martinez 1-3, RBI; Mendez 1-3, RBI; Castro 1-3, 2B, R.
GCL Braves (15-19) 4, GCL Blue Jays 3
SP: Caicedo 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
WP: Barczykowski (2-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 0- R, 0 BB, 1 K. Schils (Save, 1) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.
V. Reyes 2-4, 2 R, RBI (.352); Livesay 1-3, R, SB (.306); Sears 2-3, 2B, R, RBI; Morel 2-4.
Pulaski 5, Danville (19-19) 4 (10)
SP: Ubiera 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K.
LP: Swanner (0-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
Lien 2-3, 2B, R, BB; Reynolds 1-3, 2 RBI; Piloto 1-4, HR (2nd), RBI; Laumann 1-4, R.
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